High magnetic fields greater than 100 Tesla applied to laser generated plasmas can generate unique and interesting conditions. High power laser systems at the University of Texas in the Center for Higher Energy Density Sciences readily produce short lived fusion plasmas in cluster targets. A strong magnetic field could increase fusion neutron yield and plasma confinement while providing a unique plasma physics environment. For this purpose, Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with the University of Texas designed and constructed a pulsed power device to produce more than 2 megaamperes. This current produces strong magnetic fields in small coils with duration on the order of microseconds. At the University of Texas, tests with this device determined the operational characteristics. I will describe the behavior of this device with currents of approximately a megaamp and magnetic fields of more than 60 Tesla. Emphasis is placed on understanding the behavior of the fields and coils. / text

This thesis outlines the development of two new techniques that exploit very small structures, on the micro- and nano-scale, to enable innovative electrical transport measurements on a variety of materials of current interest in condensed matter physics. The first technique aims to apply the versatility of electron-beam lithography for micro-fabrication of patterned electronic circuitry to the problem of performing transport experiments on individual crystallites taken from a typical powder sample. We show that these small samples, tens of microns in size, are actually often very high quality single crystals and can be exploited for measurements of electrical transport in materials of which no larger crystals are available. By way of demonstration, we present the results of preliminary transport measurements on a crystallite of the layered oxide chalcogenide Sr₂MnO₂Cu_1.5Se₂. We report a phase transition in the resistivity at 213K which may correspond to the onset of previously reported short-range order in copper and vacancy sites in the Cu_1.5Se₂ planes. The second technique is designed to investigate the topological protection of surface transport in 3-D topological insulators. We decorate the surfaces of single-crystal samples with two different species from a well-characterised family of single-molecule magnets. The two coatings have an electrostatically identical influence on the sample surface, but differ in that one species carries a spin and the other is spinless. The spinless molecule acts as a control, to allow us to cleanly determine the influence of the magnetic component of a scattering potential on transport in the surface. With this technique we investigate proposed topological Kondo insulator SmB₆. We find that the surface state dominates low-temperature transport and demonstrate that the momentum relaxation is very sensitive to a spin degree of freedom in the scatterer, in keeping with expectations of a topological insulator.

This thesis investigates a number of transition-metal coordination polymers and iron-pnictide superconductors through the use of high magnetic fields, low temperatures, and on occasion, high pressures. The thesis will begin by describing my development of the proximity detector dynamic susceptometer, a novel technique that can be used for magnetometery and transport measurements in high magnetic fields. This technique is highly compact and has no moving parts, making it suitable for use in pressure cells, hence opening the way for a variety of new experiments. Through high-field magnetometery and other measurements, I will demonstrate that the pressure can be used to directly control the magnetic properties of the polymeric magnet CuF₂(H₂O)₂(pyrazine). In particular, I observe a transition from quasi-two-dimensional to quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnetism at 9~kbar, driven by the rotation of the Jahn-Teller axis. I will then present a series of measurements on two coordination polymers, showing how a small chemical difference can lead to drastically different magnetic properties. I show that [Cu(pyrazine)H₂O(glycine)₂]ClO₄ is an excellent spin-chain, while the sister compound [Cu(pyrazine)(glycine)]ClO₄ is a dimerised material that shows a spin-gap and is disordered down to very low temperatures, but then undergoes a field-induced phase transition to an ordered phase. I will also describe a series of pulsed-field measurements of the upper critical field of the iron-based superconductors NaFe_1-xCo_xAs across the whole of the doping phase diagram. It is shown that paramagnetic pair-breaking effects dominate the critical field when the field is parallel to the crystal planes. In the parent compound the paramagnetic limit is equal to that expected from BCS theory, but becomes significantly enhanced above the BCS limit upon doping. It is shown that the multi-band nature of the superconductivity leads to a convex curvature in the evolution of the critical field as the temperature is reduced.

Fermi surface, the locus in momentum space of gapless low-energy excitations, is a concept of fundamental importance in solid state physics. Electronic properties of a material are determined by the long-lived low-energy excitations near the Fermi surface. Conventionally, Fermi surface is understood as a property exclusive to a metallic state, contoured by electronic bands crossed by the Fermi level, although there has been a continuing effort in searching for Fermi surface outside the conventional description. In this thesis, techniques developed to prepare high-quality single crystals of SmB$_6$ and YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (abbreviated as YBCO$_{6+x}$ hereinafter) are described. By utilising measurement techniques of exceptional sensitivity and exploring a wide range of temperatures, magnetic fields, and electrical currents, we found signatures of unconventional Fermi surfaces beyond the traditional description in these strongly correlated electronic systems. SmB$_6$ is a classic example of Kondo insulators whose insulating behaviour arises due to strong correlation between the itinerant $d$-electrons and localised $f$-electrons. The peculiar resistivity plateau onsets below 4 K has been a decades-long puzzle whose origin has been recently proposed as the manifestation of topological conducting surface states. We found that the insulating behaviour in electrical transport is robust against magnetic fields up to 45 T, while prominent quantum oscillations in magnetisation are observed above 10 T. Angular dependence of the quantum oscillations revealed a three-dimensional characteristics with an absolute amplitude consistent with a bulk origin, and temperature dependence showed a surprising departure from the conventional Lifshitz-Kosevich formalism. Complementary thermodynamic measurements showed results consistent with a Fermi surface originating from neutral itinerant low-energy excitations at low temperatures. Theoretical proposals of the unconventional ground state uncovered by our measurements in SmB$_6$ are discussed. YBCO$_{6+x}$ is a high-temperature superconductor with a maximum $T_{\rm c}$ of 93.5 K and the cleanest member in the family of copper-oxide, or {\it cuprate}, superconductors. The correct description of electronic ground state in the enigmatic pseudogap regime, where the antinodal density of states are suppressed below a characteristic temperature $T^*$ above $T_{\rm c}$, has been a subject of active debates. While the quantum oscillations observed in underdoped YBCO$_{6+x}$ have been predominately interpreted as a property of the normal state where the superconducting parameter is completely suppressed at $\approx$ 23 T, we made the discovery that YBCO$_{6.55}$ exhibits zero resistivity up to 45 T when a low electrical current is used, consistent with the observation of a hysteresis loop in magnetisation. Quantum oscillations in the underdoped YBCO$_{6+x}$ are thus seen to coexist with $d$-wave superconductivity. Characteristics of the quantum oscillations are consistent with an isolated Fermi pocket reconstructed by a charge density wave order parameter and unaccompanied by significant background density of states, suggesting the antinodal density of states is completely gapped out by a strong order parameter involving pairing correlations, potentially in addition to the other order parameters. Transport measurements performed over a wide doping range show signatures consistent with pairing correlations that persist up to the pseudogap temperature $T^*$. The surprising observation of quantum oscillations in insulating SmB$_6$ and superconducting YBCO$_{6+x}$ demonstrates a possible new paradigm of a Fermi surface without a conventional Fermi liquid. A new theoretical framework outside the realm of Fermi liquid theory may be needed to discuss the physics in these strongly correlated materials with enticing electronic properties.

We have studied the electronic properties of AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures by using Shubnikov¡Vde Haas(SdH) measurement. Two SdH oscillations were detected on the samples of x=0.35 and 0.31, due to the population of the first two subbands with the energy separations of 128 and 109 meV, respectively. For the sample of x=0.25, two SdH oscillations beat each other, probably due to a finite zero-field spin splitting. The spin-splitting energy is equal to 9.0 meV. The samples also showed a persistent photoconductivity effect after illuminating by blue light-emitting diode. For the part of experiment , we installed a "Regulator" on low temperature and high magnetic field system, in order to control the temperature of sample from 0.3K to 10K accurately. For the convenience of SdH measurements at different tempertures.

Fusion neutrons from high energy density plasmas generated by pulsed laser irradiation of nanoscale atomic clusters have been explored in recent experiments at the University of Texas at Austin. A sufficiently strong (~200 T) magnetic field is expected to produce a magnetized, high temperature (10 keV) plasma with beta [approximately equal to] 1. Such a field along the laser axis may confine the plasma’s radial expansion, thus increasing fusion yield. As part of a multi-stage project to implement this experiment, a scaled (~40 T, ~500 KA) version of the final 200 T, 2.2 MA pulsed power device has been designed and built by Sandia National Laboratories and is now at UT-Austin. This apparatus, named MegaGauss, is meant to serve as a preparation tool for the 200 T system; as such, its current pulse was recorded for analysis, and is compared to a theoretical model to verify its response parameters (e.g. peak current, time to peak). Techniques and results of this comparison are discussed, followed by explanations of basic construction of the 40 T device and current sensing instrumentation. Discussion of MegaGauss is completed with a survey of notable failure modes, and a description of the often severe effects the miniature field-generating Helmholtz coil experiences due to the current pulse and magnetic field. Finally, a novel data archive scheme, structured around the familiar MDSplus archive system, is implemented in Labview and integrated into the main pulsed power control program. Specifically, methods for linking MDSplus’s robust functionality with Labview’s intuitive development environment are realized by means of a specialized software bridge between the two. These methods are used in software that allows MDSplus archives to be written and read exclusively through Labview. / text

Disertacijoje nagrinėjami stipraus impulsinio magnetinio lauko induktoriai, kurių ilgaamžiškumas priklauso nuo daugelio jų fizikinių parametrų. Sukūrus induktorių geometrijos sintezės metodiką, sudaryti induktorių matematiniai ir kompiuteriniai modeliai, ištirti impulso metu skirtingų parametrų induktorių apvijose vykstantys procesai, atlikta daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių geometrijų paieška. Sukurtas programinis aprūpinimas induktorių skaičiavimams įgalina nustatyti induktorių, tinkamų daugkartiniam impulsiniam magnetiniam laukui generuoti, parametrus. Darbo rezultatai pritaikyti kuriant induktorių prototipus. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, keturi skyriai, bendrosios išvados, literatūros ir publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašas. Įvadiniame skyriuje aprašomas problemos aktualumas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas ir uždaviniai, pristatomi autoriaus pranešimai ir publikacijos, pateikiama disertacijos struktūra. Pirmajame skyriuje aptariama stipraus magnetinio lauko reikšmė šiuolaikiniam mokslui, pristatomi stipraus magnetinio lauko generavimo būdai, analizuojami impulsiniai induktoriai, jų kompiuterinių modelių sudarymo problematika, geometrijos optimizavimas. Antrajame skyriuje aprašoma induktorių geometrijos ir medžiagų sudėties sintezės metodika, sukuriamas induktoriaus matematinis-kompiuterinis modelis, apibrėžiama daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių pagrindinių parametrų visuma – „gyvavimo zona“, pateikiamas daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių geometrijų paieškos algoritmas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the dissertation is the analysis of high pulsed magnetic field inductors in order to determine their electrophysical parameters for non-destructive magnetic field generation. To obtain that effective method to synthesize inductor geometrical and material models was developed, inductor mathematical and computer models created, electrophysical processes during the pulse in windings of various inductors were examined. Finally, retrievals of nondestructive inductor geometrical configurations were performed. Software developed and results gained were successfully used to design new pulsed inductor prototypes. Dissertation content: introduction, four chapters, general conclusions, list of references and list of author’s publications on the subject of dissertation. The introduction contains the topicality of the problem, aim of the work, main tasks, scientific novelty, practical value, result approval, defended statements and structure description. Overview of different high magnetic field generation techniques, pulsed inductor design, geometry optimization problems and software used for these tasks are the objectives of the first chapter. The second chapter is dedicated to development of technique for inductor geometrical-material model synthesis, creation of mathematical-computer inductor model, definition of long-life operation inductor parameters – their “vitality zone” and design of non-destructive inductor geometries retrieval algorithm. In the third chapter... [to full text]

The aim of the dissertation is the analysis of high pulsed magnetic field in-ductors in order to determine their electrophysical parameters for non-destructive magnetic field generation. To obtain that effective method to synthe-size inductor geometrical and material models was developed, inductor mathe-matical and computer models created, electrophysical processes during the pulse in windings of various inductors were examined. Finally, retrievals of non-destructive inductor geometrical configurations were performed. Software de-veloped and results gained were successfully used to design new pulsed inductor prototypes. Dissertation content: introduction, four chapters, general conclusions, list of references and list of author’s publications on the subject of dissertation. The introduction contains the topicality of the problem, aim of the work, main tasks, scientific novelty, practical value, result approval, defended state-ments and structure description. Overview of different high magnetic field generation techniques, pulsed in-ductor design, geometry optimization problems and software used for these tasks are the objectives of the first chapter. The second chapter is dedicated to development of technique for inductor geometrical-material model synthesis, creation of mathematical-computer induc-tor model, definition of long-life operation inductor parameters – their “vitality zone” and design of non-destructive inductor geometries retrieval algorithm. In the third chapter... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjami stipraus impulsinio magnetinio lauko induktoriai, kurių ilgaamžiškumas priklauso nuo daugelio jų fizikinių parametrų. Sukūrus induktorių geometrijos sintezės metodiką, sudaryti induktorių matematiniai ir kompiuteriniai modeliai, ištirti impulso metu skirtingų parametrų induktorių ap-vijose vykstantys procesai, atlikta daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių geometrijų paieška. Sukurtas programinis aprūpinimas induktorių skaičiavimams įgalina nustatyti induktorių, tinkamų daugkartiniam impulsiniam magnetiniam laukui generuoti, parametrus. Darbo rezultatai pritaikyti kuriant induktorių prototipus. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, keturi skyriai, bendrosios išvados, literatūros ir publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašas. Įvadiniame skyriuje aprašomas problemos aktualumas, formuluojamas dar-bo tikslas ir uždaviniai, pristatomi autoriaus pranešimai ir publikacijos, patei-kiama disertacijos struktūra. Pirmajame skyriuje aptariama stipraus magnetinio lauko reikšmė šiuolaiki-niam mokslui, pristatomi stipraus magnetinio lauko generavimo būdai, analizuo-jami impulsiniai induktoriai, jų kompiuterinių modelių sudarymo problematika, geometrijos optimizavimas. Antrajame skyriuje aprašoma induktorių geometrijos ir medžiagų sudėties sintezės metodika, sukuriamas induktoriaus matematinis-kompiuterinis modelis, apibrėžiama daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių pagrindinių parametrų visuma – „gyvavimo zona“, pateikiamas daugkartinio naudojimo induktorių geometrijų paieškos algoritmas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Justin Schwartz, Florida State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 43 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis investigates a number of novel magnetic materials and high temperature superconductors using high-field magnetometry and muon spin spectroscopy (μSR). The main measurement techniques are briefly described and a study of the dimer material [Cu(pyrazine)(glycine)]ClO₄ is presented to demonstrate the use of the proximity detector oscillator as a susceptometer in high magnetic fields. μSR is a highly effective tool for probing magnetic order, spin freezing and spin dynamics. However, in some circumstances its performance may be impaired by the extent to which it perturbs the material under study. Using μSR, density functional theory and crystal field calculations, I identify an experimental situation in the family of candidate quantum spin ices Pr₂B₂O₇ (B = Sn, Zr, and Hf), in which the measured response is dominated by a muon-induced distortion of the local structure. This issue is also addressed in a study of the spin dynamics in the canonical spin ice Ho2Ti2O7. Although computational work indicates a similar muon-induced effect in both Ho₂Ti₂O₇ and Dy₂Ti₂O₇, the μSR data is not dominated by this perturbation. The remainder of this thesis is concerned with studying the superconducting properties of a number of Fe-based materials, including LiFeP which is found to have an enhanced superfluid stiffness in relation to its transition temperature. Also reported is the effect of structural disorder on the superconducting state in recently discovered Sr_0.3(NH₂)_y(NH₃)_1-yFe₂Se₂. Pulsed magnetic field measurements are used to probe the temperature dependence of the upper critical field, giving a maximum value of μ₀H_c2(0)≈33(2) T. I also investigate the effect of intercalating additional ammonia, via reversible adsorption and desorption in the related superconductor Li_x[(NH₂)_y(NH₃)_1-y]_zFe₂Se₂ (z = 1, 2). These reactions were carried out in situ on the muon beamline so that the superfluid stiffness could be measured using transverse-field μSR on a single sample.