A muon spin-relaxation study of LaH<sub>x</sub> (x=2.75)
M R Chowdhury; G A Styles; E F W Seymour; S F J Cox; C A Scott; G H Eaton; M R Chowdhury; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK; G A Styles; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK; E F W Seymour; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK; S F J Cox; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK; C A Scott; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK; G H Eaton; Dept. of Phys., Warwick Univ., UK
Журнал:
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Дата:
1989-07-17
Аннотация:
Transverse-field muon spin-rotation measurements have been carried out on LaH<sub>2.75</sub> over the temperature range 15-300 K. The muon depolarisation rate sigma remains constant in the temperature range 15-160 K, indicating that in this region muons are immobile. The measured value of sigma is in good agreement with a rigid-lattice second-moment calculation based on the assumption that the muons occupy vacant octahedral interstitial sites. Motional averaging sets in about the same temperature (T>165 K) at which the NMR line narrowing due to proton diffusion occurs. The muon correlation time tau follows an Arrhenius-like behaviour up to T approximately= 240 K with an activation energy of 185 meV, which is very similar to that of the NMR value for the proton. The measured tau -value shows a sharp discontinuous drop by an order of magnitude at T approximately=241 K, a clear indication of a phase transition. The nature of this transition is discussed in relation to the heat capacity anomalies and lattice distortion observed at about the same temperature.
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