Despite over 100 years of scientific research, a full understanding of superconductivity remains elusive. While it is known that the electron-phonon interaction is responsible for the formation of Cooper pairs in conventional superconductors, many superconductors exhibit behaviour suggestive of more exotic pairing mechanisms. In this thesis, two novel superconducting materials are considered, monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide, MoS₂, and iron-based superconductor, LaFeAsO_1−xF_x. The former is ideal for the study of the electron-phonon interaction, as it not only has potential applications as an atomically thin transistor, but also displays a dome-shaped superconductive state as a function of electron doping. In the latter, the superconductive state emerges from a magnetic parent compound upon flourine doping. Its high critical temperature is thought to be enhanced by magnetic fluctuation rather than being purely phonon-mediated. By using novel first-principles techniques, the electron-phonon interaction in electron doped single-layer MoS₂ is investigated. The superconducting gap is calculated using the Migdal-Eliashberg theory, and by considering the electronic structure and lattice dynamics in this material, an explanation is provided for the experimentally observed doping-dependent critical temperature in this material. The origin of the doping-induced transition from a magnetic phase to a nonmagnetic phase in LaFeAsO_1−xF_x is determined. A new model to capture the effects of the fluorine dopants is developed, which has implications for the electron-phonon interaction in this material.

Dans cette thèse intitulé "Dynamique quantique de la phase et de la charge dans des chaînes des jonctionsJosephson", une étude expérimentale et une description théorique des effets quantiques des phases et descharges dans les chaînes de jonctions Josephson est présenté.La dynamique des chaînes de jonctions est dominé par deux échelles d'energie: l'energie Josephsonrelié a la superposition des fonctions d'ondes de deux électrodes et l'energie de charge relié a l'énergieélectrostatique des charges sur les deux électrodes. La réalisation d'un état quasi-classique de la chargenécessite une énergie de charge importante pour diminuer lesfluctuation quantique de la charge. En plus,le temps de relaxations de la jonctions dois être augmenté par un environnement a haute impédance.Un état de charges localisé a été réalisé sur une jonctions Josephson dans un environnement inductiveréalisé par une chaîne de jonction Josephson. L'état de charge localisé se manifeste par l'apparition d'undomaine a haute résistances dans les caractéristques courant-tension.Une chaînes des jonctions n'est pas une inductances parfaite. Des résonances electro-magnétique lié a lacapacité vers la masse des îlots supra-conducteurs altèrent la localisation de charge.Une characterisation des effets de pertes et des non-lineartés de ces résonances a été effectué. / In this thesis entitled ' Quantum phase and charge dynamics in Josephson junction chains ' an experimental study and theoretical description of quantum effects of phases and charges in chains of Josephsonjunctions is presented.The dynamics of Josephson junction chains are dominated by two different energy scales: the Josephsonenergy, which is related to the overlap of the superconducting wave functions of the two superconductorsforming the junction and the charging energy that is related to the electrostatic energy of the Cooper-pairs on the islands. The realization of a well-defined charge state on a Josephson junction requires a highcharging energy to suppress the quantumfluctuations of the charge. In addition, the charge relaxationtimes must be increased by inserting the junction in a high impedance environment.We have realized such a well-defined charge state on a Josephson junction in an inductive environmentthat is formed by a Josephson junction chain. The localized charge state manifest itself by the appearanceof a high resistive regime in the current-voltage characteristic.A Josephson junction chain is however not a perfect inductor. Electromagnetic resonances related withthe finite ground capacitance of the superconducting islands influence the charge localization.We have characterized the effect of losses and nonlinearities on the electromagnetic resonances of Josephson junction chains in microwave spectroscopy measurements.

L’industrialisation de la production des conducteurs utilisant les cuprates à haute température de transition pendant les deux dernières décennies offre aujourd’hui la possibilité de nouveaux développements dans le domaine du magnétisme supraconducteur. En particulier, nous nous intéressons ici aux applications des rubans supraconducteurs REBCO. Ceux-ci font partie des rares candidats disponibles à l’heure actuelle capables de fonctionner sous des inductions supérieures à 20 T aux températures de cryogénie classique (4,2 K), ce qui les rend quasiment incontournables dans le contexte des applications haut-champ. Parallèlement, leurs températures critiques élevées apportent également la possibilité de nouvelles conceptions d’aimants pouvant fonctionner à des températures allant jusqu’à 80 K environ. Ceci ouvre notamment la porte à de nouvelles options de cryogénie moins coûteuses, comme le refroidissement par azote liquide. Néanmoins, la mise en œuvre des rubans REBCO à l’intérieur de nouveaux aimants supraconducteurs se heurte dans certains cas au problème posé par les courants d’écrantages. Ce terme désigne les supercourants induits dans le matériau supraconducteur en réponse au champ extérieur. Ces courants parasites engendrent alors des perturbations sur le champ magnétique total produit par l’aimant : réduction de son amplitude, distorsions spatiales et instabilités temporelles. Ces multiples effets entrent généralement en collision avec les exigences sur la qualité de champ produite. Ainsi, comprendre le phénomène des courants d’écrantages, être capable de prédire sa dynamique et, idéalement, disposer de solutions afin d’y remédier, sont des tâches cruciales pour assurer la réussite des futurs projets d’aimants supraconducteurs REBCO. Cette thèse propose des éléments de réponse vis-à-vis de cette problématique. Le phénomène de courants d’écrantages y est tout d’abord approché de manière expérimentale au travers de la mesure de ses effets perturbateurs sur le champ magnétique de petits aimants tests REBCO. Les données expérimentales récoltées sont ensuite employées pour étayer le développement d’un modèle numérique de simulation magnétodynamique sous l’environnement open-source GetDP. Ce modèle est par ailleurs mis à l’essai avec de bons résultats dans le cas du dipôle 5,4 T EuCARD du CERN. Enfin dans une dernière partie, une investigation expérimentale est menée sur deux techniques capables de réduire, voire de supprimer intégralement, les impacts négatifs des courants d’écrantages sur le champ des aimants REBCO : le vortex shaking et l’overshoot en courant. Au travers de ces développements, cette thèse entend fournir aux concepteurs de futurs aimants supraconducteurs REBCO des moyens d’anticiper et de traiter les problèmes posés par les courants d’écrantages. / The industrialization of the production of high-transition temperature, cuprate-based conductors during the last two decades brings nowadays the possibility of new developments in the field of superconducting magnetism. In particular, we are interested here in the applications of superconducting REBCO tapes. Those belong to the few currently available candidates that are able to operate under magnetic induction above 20 T at classical cryogenic temperature (4.2 K), what makes them almost unavoidable in the scope of high-field applications. Besides, their high critical temperatures also bring the possibility for new magnet designs capable to operate up to temperatures of about 80 K. This notably opens the door to new, less expensive, cryogenic design options, like liquid nitrogen cooling.However, the practical implementation of REBCO tapes inside new superconducting magnets encounters a problem posed by screening currents. The latter term designates the supercurrents that are induced in the superconducting material in response to an external field. These parasitic currents then give rise to perturbations in the total magnetic field generated by the magnet: lowering of its magnitude, spatial distortions and time instabilities. Those various effects collide most of the time with the requirements on the produced field quality. Thus, understanding the phenomenon of screening currents, being able to predict its dynamic and, ideally, having of solutions to remedy this issue, are crucial tasks to ensure the success of future REBCO superconducting magnet projects.This Ph.D. work suggests some elements of answer with regard to this problematic. The phenomenon of screening currents is first approached experimentally, through the measurement of its disruptive effects of the magnetic field generated by small REBCO tests magnets. The experimental data gathered are then used to support the development of a numerical model for magnetodynamic simulations in the framework of the open-source environment GetDP. This model is furthermore tested with satisfactory results on the scenario of the 5.4 T EuCARD dipole developed by CERN. Finally, in a last section, an experimental investigation is conducted on two techniques capable at reducing, or even entirely suppressing, the negative impacts of the screening currents on the field of REBCO magnets: the vortex shaking and current overshoot.Across these developments, this Ph.D. work aims at providing the designers of future REBCO superconducting magnets with tools to anticipate and handle the issues caused by the screening currents.

Thesis advisor: Vidya Madhavan / <p>It has been more than two decades since the first high temperature superconductor was discovered. In this time there has been tremendous progress in understanding these materials both theoretically and experimentally. Some important questions however remain to be answered; one of them is the temperature dependence of the superconducting gap which is in turn tied to question of the origin of the pseudogap and its connection with superconductivity.</p> <p> In this thesis, we present detailed Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) spectroscopic studies of an electron doped superconductor, Pr<subscript>0.88</subscript>LaCe<subscript>0.12</subscript>CuO<subscript>4-&#948;</subscript> (PLCCO). The electron doped compounds form an interesting venue for STM studies for many reasons. In the hole-doped materials, especially in the underdoped side of the phase diagram, there is mounting evidence of a second gap that survives to high temperatures (high temperature pseudogap) that may have a different origin from superconductivity. This complicates studies of the temperature dependence of the superconducting gap in these materials. In PLCCO however, there is little evidence for a high temperature pseudogap potentially allowing us to address the question of the temperature evolution of the superconducting gap without the complication of a second gap. Secondly, the low T<subscript>c</subscript> of the optimally doped materials makes it easily accessible to temperature dependent STM studies. Finally, while hole-doped materials have been extensively studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), there have been no detailed STM spectroscopic studies on the electron doped compounds. </p> <p> In the first part of the thesis, we investigate the effect of temperature on the superconducting gap of optimally doped PLCCO with T<subscript>c</subscript> = 24K. STM spectroscopy data is analyzed to obtain the gap as a function of temperature from 5K to 35K. The gap is parameterized with a d-wave form and the STM spectra are fit at each temperature to extract the gap value. A plot of this gap value as a function of temperature shows clear deviations from what is expected from BCS theory. We find that similar to the hole-doped superconductors a fraction of the surface still shows a gap above T<subscript>c</subscript>. The implications of our finding to the pseudogap phase are discussed.</p> <p> In the second part of the thesis, STM spectra are analyzed to determine the effect of impurities or vacancies on the local density of states. Electron doped superconductors require a post-annealing process to induce superconductivity. It is claimed that Cu vacancies in the CuO<subscript>2</subscript> planes which suppress superconductivity are healed by this process. This implies that for the same doping, a sample with higher T<subscript>c</subscript> should have fewer impurities compared to a sample with lower T<subscript>c</subscript>. We studied two PLCCO samples with 12% Ce doping; one with higher T<subscript>c</subscript> (24K) and the other with lower T<subscript>c</subscript> (21K). Through quasiparticle scattering study we find that there are more impurities in 21K samples than 24K sample, consistent with the picture of Cu vacancies in as grown samples. Finally, we present a discussion of the bosonic modes observed in the STM spectra and their connection to the spin excitations measured by neutron scattering.</p> / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Ziqiang Wang / Gutzwiller wave function is an important theoretical technique for treating local electron-electron correlations nonperturbatively in condensed matter and materials physics. It is concerned with calculating variationally the ground state wave function by projecting out multi-occupation configurations that are energetically costly. The projection can be carried out analytically in the Gutzwiller approximation that offers an approximate way of calculating expectation values in the Gutzwiller projected wave function. This approach has proven to be very successful in strongly correlated systems such as the high temperature cuprate superconductors, the sodium cobaltates, and the heavy fermion compounds. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that strongly correlated systems have a strong propensity towards forming inhomogeneous electronic states with spatially periodic superstrutural modulations. A good example is the commonly observed stripes and checkerboard states in high-$T_\mathrm c$ superconductors under a variety of conditions where superconductivity is weakened. There exists currently a real challenge and demand for new theoretical ideas and approaches that treats strongly correlated inhomogeneous electronic states, which is the subject matter of this thesis. This thesis contains four parts. In the first part of the thesis, the Gutzwiller approach is formulated in the grand canonical ensemble where, for the first time, a spatially (and spin) unrestricted Gutzwiller approximation (SUGA) is developed for studying inhomogeneous (both ordered and disordered) quantum electronic states in strongly correlated electron systems. The second part of the thesis applies the SUGA to the $t$-$J$ model for doped Mott insulators which led to the discovery of checkerboard-like inhomogeneous electronic states competing with $d$-wave superconductivity, consistent with experimental observations made on several families of high-$T_{\mathrm c}$ superconductors. In the third part of the thesis, new concepts and techniques are developed to study the Mott transition in inhomogeneous electronic superstructures. The latter is termed ``SuperMottness'' which is shown to be a general framework that unifies the two paradigms in the physics of strong electronic correlation: Mott transition and Wigner crystallization. A cluster Gutzwiller approximation (CGA) approach is developed that treats the local ($U$) and extended Coulomb interactions ($V$) on equal footing. It is shown with explicit calculations that the Mott-Wigner metal-insulator transition can take place far away from half-filling. The mechanism by which a superlattice potential enhances the correlation effects and the tendency towards local moment formation is investigated and the results reveal a deeper connection among the strongly correlated inhomogeneous electronic states, the Wigner-Mott physics, and the multiorbital Mott physics that can all be united under the notion of SuperMottness. It is proposed that doping into a superMott insulator can lead to coexistence of local moment and itinerant carriers. The last part of the thesis studies the possible Kondo effect that couples the local moment and the itinerant carriers. In connection to the sodium rich phases of the cobaltates, a new Kondo lattice model is proposed where the itinerant carriers form a Stoner ferromagnet. The competition between the Kondo screening and the Stoner ferromagnetism is investigated when the conduction band is both at and away from half-filling. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Hong Ding / Thesis advisor: Ziqiang Wang / The discovery of the high-T_c superconductivity in iron-arsenic materials in 2008 immediately became one of the hottest topics in the condensed matter physics. This dissertation presents a systematic study on the pairing symmetry and electronic structure on the hole doped materials of BaFe₂As₂ (so called &ldquo;122&rdquo;-system), by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In the early ARPES studies on &ldquo;122&rdquo;-pnictides, we observed two hole-like Fermi surfaces (FSs) centered at the Brillouin zone (BZ) center, (&Gamma;), and two electron-like FSs centered at the zone corner (M), which is (&pi;, &pi;) in the BZ or (&pi;, 0) in the unfolded BZ. The size of these FS sheets can be changed by carrier doping, which causes change of the chemical potential. In the superconducting state, temperature (<italic>T</italic>) and momentum (<italic>k</italic>) dependence of ARPES measurements reveals the Fermi-surface-dependent nodeless superconducting gaps in this system and shows that an <italic>s</italic>-wave symmetry is the most natural interpretation for our findings in terms of the pairing order parameter. The ratio 2&Delta;/k_BT_c switches from weak to strong coupling on different FS sheets. Large superconducting gaps are observed with a strong coupling coefficient (2&Delta;/k_BT_c) on the near-nested FSs connected by the antiferromagnetic (AF) wave vector ((&pi;, &pi;) in the BZ or (&pi;, 0) in the unfolded BZ). When T_c is suppressed in the heavily overdoped materials, the near-nesting condition vanishes, or more precisely, the (&pi;, &pi;) inter-FS scattering disappears due to the absence of either the hole-like or the electron-like FS at the Fermi energy (E_F). We have also performed ARPES measurements on k_z-dependence of the superconducting gap and band structure of the optimally hole doped sample Ba_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂. By varying the photon energy, we can tune k_z continuously. While significant k_z dispersion of the superconducting gaps is observed on the hole-like bands, much weaker k_z dispersion of the superconducting gaps is observed on the electron-like bands. Remarkably, we find that a 3D gap function based on short-range pairing can fit the superconducting gaps on all the FS sheets. Moreover, an additional hole-like FS (referred as the &alpha;<super>&lsquo;</super> FS) predicted by local density approximation (LDA) calculations is observed around the Z point. The disappearance of intensity of the &alpha;<super>&lsquo;</super> band near E_F at k_z = &pi;/2 suggests that the &alpha;<super>&lsquo;</super> band could either sink below E_F or be degenerate with the inner hole (&alpha;) band. The studies on the &alpha;<super>&lsquo;</super> band in the superconducting state reveal a nearly isotropic superconducting gap on this FS sheet. Underdoped samples Ba_0.75K_0.25Fe₂As₂ are used to study how the AF fluctuations and superconductivity interplay in the underdoped regime that is closer to the AF phase. we observe that the superconducting gap of the underdoped pnictides scales linearly with T_c. A distinct pseudogap develops upon underdoping and coexists with the superconducting gap. Remarkably, this pseudogap occurs mainly on the FS sheets that are connected by the AF wave vector, where the superconducting pairing is stronger as well. This suggests that both the pseudogap and the superconducting gap are driven by the AF fluctuations, and the long-range AF ordering competes with the superconductivity. The observed dichotomic behaviour of the pseudogap and the SC gap on different FS sheets in the underdoped pnictides shares similarities with those observed in the underdoped copper oxide superconductors, providing a possible unifying picture for both families of high-temperature superconductors. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Stephen D. Wilson / This dissertation investigates the cubic type II superconductor, Ca₃Ir₄Sn₁₃, discovered by Remeika and the coauthors more than 30 years ago. It was originally discovered be to a superconductor and later suggested to host ferromagnetic spin fluctuations, which lead to a peak-like anomaly in thermodynamic and transport measurements. Later detailed x-ray single crystal structural refinement associated the peak-like anomaly in transport and magnetization measurements with a charge density wave phase transition at the same temperature. The potential charge density wave phase transition T* can be suppressed either by pressure or chemical potential through substitution on the Ca and Ir site such that a temperature-pressure/composition phase diagram can be constructed. Upon investigating magnetism in this compound, polarized neutron scattering and μSR data from our group and other researchers did not reveal any magnetic order or magnetic spin fluctuations at the time scale of μSR . However, through the partial substitution of Ir by Rh, we realized a structural quantum critical point at ambient pressure with 30% of Ir substituted by Rh--providing the research community a valuable material's platform for studying the interplay between 3D charge density wave order and superconductivity. On the other hand, our surprising discovery of the weak HHL (L=odd) type of super-lattice peaks from neutron scattering led us to a tentative model of a distorted Ca sublattice in this material. The similarity of the lattice instabilites of the Remeika compound and A15 superconductors are discussed, which may give us more insight into its role in the formation of the superconducting phase. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Neste trabalho investigamos a fusão entre estados ligados de Majorana em nanoestruturas compostas por um ponto quântico conectado a contatos metálicos e acoplado lateralmente a dois fios quânticos supercondutores que sustentam modos de Majorana em suas pontas. Modelando cada fio quântico por uma cadeia de Kitaev, nós adotamos duas abordagens: inicialmente usando as funções de Green do ponto obtidas através do método recursivo calculamos a condutância e a densidade local de estados (LDOS), posteriormente diagonalizamos o sistema no formalismo de Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) e obtemos o espectro completo dos autoestados. Como descrito em (1), o LDOS do ponto quântico acoplado a uma única cadeia de Kitaev mostra claramente o vazamento do modo de Majorana inicialmente presente na ponta da cadeia para o ponto quântico, onde este modo surge fixo na energia de Fermi dos contatos metálicos (&epsilon;&fnof;). A condutância de dois terminais medida através do ponto mostra uma assinatura dos estados de Majorana neste sistema, uma ressonância fixa mesmo quando o nível do ponto está vazio ou não. Interessante ressaltar que mesmo na presença de interações no ponto essa assinatura de Majorana é válida como mostrado em (2). Motivados por estes resultados anteriores estamos particularmente interessados em investigar a hibridização (aqui denominada de fusão) entre dois modos de Majorana resultando em um modo fermiônicos ordinário dentro do ponto quântico. Nossos resultados demonstram que controlando a diferença de fase supercondutora entre os fios e a voltagem de gate do ponto quântico somos capazes de controlar a emergência e fusão dos modos de Majorana. Além disso nós reforçamos a proposta de se utilizar o efeito Josephson a.c. de período 4&pi; para identificar os modos de Majorana pela reprodução dos resultados obtidos por (3). / In this work we investigate the fusion between Majorana bound states in nanostructures composed of a quantum dot connected to source and drain leads and side coupled to two topological superconducting nanowires sustaining Majorana end modes. Modeling the nanowire via a Kitaev chain, we have used two approaches: first using a recursive Greensfunction approach we calculate the conductance and local density of states (LDOS) and then by the diagonalization using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) formalism we obtain the full spectrum of eigenstates. As described in (1) the LDOS of quantum dot coupled to a single wire clearly shows a leakage of the Majorana end mode from the wire into the dot, where it emerges as a unique dot level pinned to the Fermi energy of the leads (&epsilon;&fnof;). The calculated two-terminal conductance through the dot displays an unambiguous signature of the Majorana bound states, i. e., a pinned resonance occurring even when the dot level is far above &epsilon;&fnof; . Interestingly this Majorana signature remains even in the presence of interactions within the dot as showed in (2). Motivated by these earlier results we are particularly interested to investigate the fusion of Majonana end modes into ordinary fermionic modes within the dot. Our results demonstrate that by tuning the superconducting phase difference between the wires and the quantum-dot gate voltage we are able to control the emergence and splitting of Majorana modes. Furthermore we reinforce the proposal of using the 4&pi; periodic a.c Josephson effect to identify Majorana modes by reproducing the results obtained by (3).

Este trabalho visa dar uma importante contribuição à pesquisa de novos materiais, através da determinação de condições otimizadas para obtenção pela técnica LHPG de fibras monocristalinas de compostos óxidos. Com esse objetivo fibras foram obtidas com êxito para compostos que podem ser utilizados como meios ativos para lasers de estado sólido (CaNb2O6 e GdTaO4), em aplicações de óptica de raios X (cristais gradientes dos sistemas GdTaO4-ErTaO4 e GdTaO4-YbTaO4) e também compostos que apresentam supercondutividade (EuNbO3, Yb2NbO5, Sm2NbO5 e Er2NbO5). A preparação dos pedestais se mostrou uma etapa muito importante na preparação das várias fibras. A caracterização estrutural por técnicas de difração de raios X mostrou que fibras monocristalinas de CaNb2O6 e GdTaO4 podem ser obtidas rapidamente e com alta qualidade cristalina sendo altamente adequadas para aplicações em óptica. Adicionalmente resultados de medidas espectroscópicas mostraram que as fibras CaNb2O6 dopadas com Nd+3 são boas candidatas para desenvolvimento de micro-lasers. Monocristais com gradiente controlado de parâmetro de rede foram obtidos pela primeira vez para os sistemas GdTaO4- ErTaO4 e GdTaO4-YbTaO4. A estratégia aplicada aqui possibilitou a obtenção de um gradiente composicional e de parâmetros de rede com ótima linearidade. Para o sistema GdTaO4- ErTaO4 foi obtido um gradiente de espaçamento de rede de 1,24%/cm para a reflexão (4 -4 4). Para os cristais GdTaO4- ErTaO4 um gradiente de 2,9%/cm para a reflexão (6 -4 0) foi obtido, sendo este o maior valor já observado em cristais gradientes. Através de uma inovação, utilizando Nb metálico em pó na preparação dos pedestais, fibras do composto EuNbO3 foram obtidas pela primeira vez, ao nosso conhecimento, através de uma técnica utilizando fusão. A aplicação desta mesma inovação buscando a obtenção de fases com esta mesma estrutura para outras terras raras, proporcionou a descoberta de três fases inéditas, Yb2NbO5, Sm2NbO5 e Er2NbO5. A estrutura destas novas fases foi determinada e através de caracterizações magnéticas e elétricas iniciais observou-se que estas apresentam supercondutividade com temperaturas de transição, Tc, iguais a 12,5K, 6,5K e 14,9K respectivamente para Yb2NbO5, Sm2NbO5 e Er2NbO5 / This work aims to give an important contribution to the research of new materials, by determining optimized conditions for obtaining of single crystal fibers of oxide compounds by LHPG technique. With this objective fibers were successfully obtained for compounds which can be used as solid state lasers (CaNb2O6 e GdTaO4), for X-ray optics applications (gradient crystals of GdTaO4-ErTaO4 e GdTaO4-YbTaO4 systems) and also as superconducting compounds. The preparation of the pedestals was a very important stage in the obtaining of the various fibers, with influence in growth experiments and quality of the fibers. The structural characterization by X-ray diffraction techniques showed that CaNb2O6 and GdTaO4 single crystal fibers presenting high crystalline quality can be quickly obtained. These fibers can be highly suitable for optics applications. In addiction the results of spectroscopic measurements showed Nd+3 doped CaNb2O6 fibers are good candidates for development of micro-lasers. Single crystals with controlled lattice parameter gradient were obtained for the first time for GdTaO4- ErTaO4 e GdTaO4-YbTaO4 systems. The applied approach in here enabled to obtain a compositional and lattice parameters gradient presenting optimized linear behavior. For the GdTaO4- ErTaO4 system a lattice spacing gradient of 1.24%/cm for (4 -4 4) reflection was obtained. For GdTaO4-YbTaO4 crystals a gradient of 2.9%/cm was observed. This is the largest value of lattice spacing gradient up to this moment. By an innovation, using metallic Nb in the form of powder in preparing the pedestals, fibers of the EuNbO3 compound were obtained, being the first report by a fusion technique. The application of this innovation to obtain phases with this structure for others rare earth enabled the discovery of three new phases, namely Yb2NbO5, Sm2NbO5 and Er2NbO5. The structure of these new phases was determined and by magnetic and electric characterizations it was observed that the phases are superconductor materials with transition temperatures, Tc, equals to 12,5K, 6,5K and 14,9K respectively for Yb2NbO5, Sm2NbO5 and Er2NbO5. compounds

O estudo do sistema antiferromagnético diluído K2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O com a finalidade de se estudar efeitos de campos aleatórios, mostrou o aparecimento de uma magnetização remanente (Mr) quando o composto é resfriado sujeito a um campo magnético externo. Esta magnetização remanente surge ao longo do eixo de fácil magnetização, abaixo de TN, para campos tão baixos quanto alguns mOe. A presença deste efeito foi observada também em outros compostos como por exemplo no Rb2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O. A origem de Mr está provavelmente associada à presença de domínios antiferromagnéticos que se formam mesmo em campos muito baixos, e cujas paredes são presas por íons não magnéticos e defeitos. No caso do composto com rubídio, as paredes se encontram aparentemente menos presas, podendo levar a outros efeitos como a observação de fenômenos de relaxação magnética quando o campo em que a amostra é resfriada é retirado abaixo de TN. É sugerido neste trabalho que a magnetização remanente está provavelmente armazenada nas paredes de domínio formadas, já que o comportamento de Mr não segue aquele observado para a sub-rede antiferromagnética. Estudamos também o efeito da diluição na transição entre as fases antiferromagnética e spin-flop. Observamos a presença de uma histerese para o caso dos compostos K2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O, além de um alargamento da transição. A presença destes efeitos está provavelmente associada à presença de uma fase mista onde as fases antiferromagnética e spin-flop coexistem em uma estrutura de domínios. No caso dos compostos Rb2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O, de uma modo geral é observado apenas um alargamento da transição, sem o aparecimento de histerese. Neste caso, é possível a existência de uma fase intermediária induzida por campos aleatórios, similar àquela proposta por Aharony. As medidas de calor específico realizadas com e sem campo magnético externo aplicado no sistema (Nd1-xSmx)2CuO4 mostrou em todos os casos a presença de um máximo. Através do estudo do comportamento deste máximo, observamos a presença de duas regiões de diluição de comportamento distinto. Para x > 0.7, o comportamento é aquele observado para um sistema antiferromagnético simples diluído. A aplicação de campo neste caso, leva a uma pequena diminuição na temperatura em que o máximo ocorre. Para x < 0.7 temos que o efeito dominante é o mesmo que aquele observado para o caso do Nd2CuO4. O comportamento do Nd2CuO4 não é o de um antiferromagneto simples, já que as interações entre as sub-redes de Cu e de Nd levam a um “splitting" do estado de energia fundamental da sub-rede de Nd, e consequentemente a um comportamento do tipo Schottky no calor específico. / Magnetization measurements performed on diluted antiferromagnetic compounds K2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O in order to study the Random Fields Ising Model revealed the existence of a remnant magnetization (Mr) when the sample is cooled below TN in an applied axial magnetic field. This remnant magnetization along the easy axis direction is observed in magnetic fields as low as a few mOe. Other diluted compounds, like Rb2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O, also show the same behavior. The origin of this remnant magnetization is probably related to the presence of low field antiferromagnetic domains, which walls are pinned by non-magnetic ions and defects. For the Rb-based compound, the walls are probably not strongly pinned. In this case, when the field is turned off bellow TN relaxation effects are sometimes observed. It is suggested in this work that the remnant magnetization is stored in the domain walls, since the Mr behavior is quite different from the one observed for the antiferromagnetic sublattice. We have also studied the dilution effect in the spin-flop transition. It is possible to observe the presence of an anomalous widening and a hysteresis in the transition region for the K2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O compound. These effects are probably related to the presence of a mixed intermediate phase, where the spin-flop and the antiferromagnetic phase coexist in a domain structure. For the Rb2Fe1-xInxCl5.H2O compound, it is usually observed just a widening of the transition, without hysteresis. In this case it is possible the existence of a random fields induced intermediate phase, similar to the one proposed by Aharony. Specific heat measurements performed with and without applied fields in samples of (Nd1-xSmx)2CuO4 showed the presence of a maximum at low temperatures in all samples studied. The Sm concentration (x) dependence of the temperature of this maximum showed two regions with different behavior. For x > 0.7, the specific heat curve is similar to the one observed in ordinary diluted antiferromagnetic compounds. The temperature of the maximum decreases with increasing applied magnetic field. On the other hand, for x < 0.7, the effect is similar to the one observed for the pristine Nd2CuO4. The Nd2CuO4 behavior is not the one observed in ordinary antiferromagnets, since the Nd-Cu interaction causes a splitting of the ground state level of the Nd sublattice and, consequently, a Schottky like behavior in the specific heat measurements.