Structure of YBa2Cu3O7- delta versus temperature by x-ray-absorption spectroscopy

High-accuracy transmission and fluorescence XAFS of zinc at 10 K, 50 K, 100 K and 150 K using the hybrid technique

The most accurate measurements of the mass attenuation coefficient for metals at low temperature for the zinc K-edge from 9.5 keV to 11.5 keV at temperatures of 10 K, 50 K, 100 K and 150 K using the hybrid technique are reported. This is the first time transition metal X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) has been studied using the hybrid technique and at low temperatures. This is also the first hybrid-like experiment at the Australian Synchrotron. The measured transmission and fluorescence XAFS spectra are compared and benchmarked against each other with detailed systematic analyses. A recent method for modelling self-absorption in fluorescence has been adapted and applied to a solid sample. The XAFS spectra are analysed using eFEFFIT to provide a robust measurement of the evolution of nanostructure, including such properties as net thermal expansion and mean-square relative displacement. This work investigates crystal dynamics, nanostructural evolution and the results of using the Debye and Einstein models to determine atomic positions. Accuracies achieved, when compared with the literature, exceed those achieved by both relative and differential XAFS, and represent a state-of-the-art for future structural investigations. Bond length uncertainties are of the order of 20-40 fm.

Nanocalorimeter platform for in situ specific heat measurements and x-ray diffraction at low temperature

Recent advances in electronics and nanofabrication have enabled membrane-based nanocalorimetry for measurements of the specific heat of microgram-sized samples. We have integrated a nanocalorimeter platform into a 4.5 T split-pair vertical-field magnet to allow for the simultaneous measurement of the specific heat and x-ray scattering in magnetic fields and at temperatures as low as 4 K. This multi-modal approach empowers researchers to directly correlate scattering experiments with insights from thermodynamic properties including structural, electronic, orbital, and magnetic phase transitions. The use of a nanocalorimeter sample platform enables numerous technical advantages: precise measurement and control of the sample temperature, quantification of beam heating effects, fast and precise positioning of the sample in the x-ray beam, and fast acquisition of x-ray scans over a wide temperature range without the need for time-consuming re-centering and re-alignment. Furthermore, on an YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ crystal and a copper foil, we demonstrate a novel approach to x-ray absorption spectroscopy by monitoring the change in sample temperature as a function of incident photon energy. Finally, we illustrate the new insights that can be gained from in situ structural and thermodynamic measurements by investigating the superheated state occurring at the first-order magneto-elastic phase transition of Fe₂P, a material that is of interest for magnetocaloric applications.

The Axial Oxygen Atom and Superconductivity in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7

Changes in the copper K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7) across the critical temperature indicate that, accompanying the superconducting transition, the mean square relative displacement of some fraction of the Cu2-O4 bonds becomes smaller or more harmonic (or both), that there may be a slight increase in the associated Cul-O4 distance, and that electronic states involving these atom pairs become more atomic-like. If there is an association between the superconductivity and this lattice instability, then the bridging axial oxygen is of central importnce in determining the high tranition temperature of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7). Because this structural perturbation will affect the dynamic polrizability of the copper oxygen sublattice, it is consistent with an excitonic pairing mhanism in these materials.