Papers by Author: A.M. Balbashov

Abstract: The optical properties of single crystals of the hexagonal manganites RMnO₃ (R = Ho, Tm, Yb) have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range 0.6-5.0 eV. The measurements show a strong anisotropy of the diagonal elements of the dielectric tensor. It has been demonstrated that the optical absorption edge for the polarization Ec was determined by the intense band of O(2p)Mn (3d) transition centered near 1.6 eV, whereas this band for the polarization Ec was strongly suppressed and shifted toward higher energies by 0.15-0.20 eV. The spectral dependences of the ε₁(E) and ε₂(E) for HoMnO₃, TmMnO₃ and YbMnO₃ single crystals were qualitatively similar. The broad absorption band at E<1.0 eV clearly appears at the energies below the fundamental absorption edge of all of study compounds. It is possible, the origin of the near-infrared ε₂(E) absorption is associated with 4f-4f transitions of R³⁺ ions.

Abstract: Optical absorption of orthorhombic and hexagonal manganites RMnO3 (R= Pr3+, Gd3+, Sm3+, Eu3+, Ho3+, Tm3+, Er3+, and Yb3+) were studied in polarized light in the near- and mid-infrared range for the temperature range 80 - 300 K. Several spectral features associated with 4f-4f transitions of R3+ ions were found in the transparency window of RMnO3. Anisotropy of the absorption spectra in the range of multiplet 4f-4f transitions and changes in populations of the multiplet levels with temperature were observed.

Abstract: Magnetocaloric effect (T-effect) was studied by direct method on three samples of Sm0.55Sr0.45MnO3 manganite: ceramic (C) sample and two single crystals, annealed in oxygen (O) or in air atmosphere (A). The temperature dependence of T-effect T(T) of all the samples has maximum at Tmax equal to 143.3 K for A-sample, 244 K for O-sample, and 143 K for C-sample. In these maxima T values are 0.8 K, 0.41 K, and 0.4 K for A-, O- and C-samples respectively. In addition, the T(T) curve of A-sample has minimum at Tmin = 120 K and T-value in minimum is equal to - 0.1 K. The maximum value of T-effect increases with H up to the maximum field of measurement 14.2 kOe. When this takes place the rate of this increasing is higher at H > 8 kOe than at H < 8 kOe. The above listed peculiarities of T-effect are explained by the presence in the samples of ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic A-type and antiferromagnetic CE-type clusters.