Photon Hall Pinwheel Radiation of Angular Momentum by a Diffusing Magneto-Optical Medium.

We present a new optical effect that exchanges angular momentum between light and matter. The matter consists of an optically thick spherical, rigid agglomerate of magneto-optical scatterers placed in a homogeneous magnetic field. The light comes from an unpolarized, coherent central light source. The photon Hall effect induces a spiraling Poynting vector, both inside and outside the medium. Optical orbital angular momentum leaks out and induces a torque proportional to the injection power of the source and the photon Hall angle.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Signature of the Spin-Nematic Phase in LiCuVO_{4} at High Magnetic Fields.

We report a ^{51}V nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the frustrated spin-1/2 chain compound LiCuVO_{4}, performed in pulsed magnetic fields and focused on high-field phases up to 56 T. For the crystal orientations H∥c and H∥b, we find a narrow field region just below the magnetic saturation where the local magnetization remains uniform and homogeneous, while its value is field dependent. This behavior is the first microscopic signature of the spin-nematic state, breaking spin-rotation symmetry without generating any transverse dipolar order, and is consistent with theoretical predictions for the LiCuVO_{4} compound.

Ab initio study of the enantio-selective magnetic-field-induced second harmonic generation in chiral molecules.

We present a systematic ab initio study of enantio-selective magnetic-field-induced second harmonic generation (MFISHG) on a set of chiral systems ((l)-alanine, (l)-arginine and (l)-cysteine; 3,4-dehydro-(l)-proline; (S)-α-phellandrene; (R,S)- and (S,S)-cystine disulphide; N-(4-nitrophenyl)-(S)-prolinol, N-(4-(2-nitrovinyl)-phenyl)-(S)-prolinol, N-(4-tricyanovinyl-phenyl)-(S)-prolinol, (R)-BINOL, (S)-BINAM and 6-(M)-helicene). The needed electronic frequency dependent cubic response calculations are performed within a density functional theory (DFT) approach. A study of the dependence of the property on the choice of electron correlation, on one-electron basis set extension and on the choice of magnetic gauge origin is carried out on a prototype system (twisted oxygen peroxide). The magnetic gauge dependence analysis is extended also to the molecules of the set. An attempt to analyze the structure-property relationships is also made, based on the results obtained for biphenyl (in a frozen twisted conformation), for prolinol and for some of their derivatives. The strength of the effect is discussed, in order to establish its measurability with a proposed experimental setup.

High magnetic field reveals the nature of excitons in a single GaAs/AlAs core/shell nanowire.

Magneto-photoluminescence measurements of individual zinc-blende GaAs/AlAs core/shell nanowires are reported. At low temperature, a strong emission line at 1.507 eV is observed under low power (nW) excitation. Measurements performed in high magnetic field allowed us to detect in this emission several lines associated with excitons bound to defect pairs. Such lines were observed before in epitaxial GaAs of very high quality, as reported by Kunzel and Ploog. This demonstrates that the optical quality of our GaAs/AlAs core/shell nanowires is comparable to the best GaAs layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Moreover, strong free exciton emission is observed even at room temperature. The bright optical emission of our nanowires in room temperature should open the way for numerous optoelectronic device applications.

Observation of displacement momentum in normal and chiral dielectrics.

We argue that displacement currents in dielectrics are in general accompanied by mechanical momentum through total momentum conservation, quite analogous to the Einstein-de Haas effect. We report the first observation of such displacement momentum, generated by a time varying electric field in a dielectric, and by a time varying magnetic field in a chiral dielectric.

Casimir momentum of a chiral molecule in a magnetic field.

In a classical description, a neutral, polarizable object acquires a kinetic momentum when exposed to crossed electric and magnetic fields. In the presence of only a magnetic field no such momentum exists classically, although it is symmetry allowed for an object lacking mirror symmetry. We perform a full QED calculation to show that the quantum vacuum coupled to a chiral molecule provides it with a kinetic "Casimir" momentum directed along the magnetic field, and proportional to its molecular rotatory power and to the fine structure constant.

Magnetic structure of phase II in U(Ru(0.96)Rh(0.04))2Si2 determined by neutron diffraction under pulsed high magnetic fields.

We report neutron diffraction measurements on U(Ru(0.96)Rh(0.04))(2)Si(2) single crystal under pulsed high magnetic fields up to 30 T applied along the tetragonal c axis. The high-field experiments revealed that the field-induced phase II above 26 T corresponds to a commensurate up-up-down ferrimagnetic structure characterized by the wave vector q=(2/3,0,0) with the magnetic moments parallel to the c axis, which naturally explains the one-third magnetization plateau and the substantially changed Fermi surface in phase II. This a-axis modulated magnetic structure indicates that the phase II near the hidden order phase is closely related to the characteristic incommensurate magnetic fluctuations at Q(1)=(0.6,0,0) in the pure system URu(2)Si(2), in contrast to the pressure-induced antiferromagnetic order at Q(0)=(1,0,0).

Comparing Electrical Magnetochiral Anisotropy and Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity.

The combination of chirality and magnetism has steadily grown over the past decennia into an area of intense research that evolves around two distinct manifestations and in two nonoverlapping communities: electrical magnetochiral anisotropy (eMChA) and chirality-induced spin-selectivity (CISS). Here, we discuss the similarities and differences of these two effects. Whereas the original CISS reports suggest an intimate relation with eMChA, magnetoresistance (MR) results on two-terminal chiral devices attributed to CISS have symmetry properties that are different from those of eMChA. At the same time, the magnitudes of CISS MR and eMChA turn out to be similar when normalized to current density and spin polarization, suggesting a common underlying mechanism.

Observation of the intrinsic Abraham force in time-varying magnetic and electric fields.

The Abraham force exerted by a time-dependent electromagnetic field on neutral, polarizable matter has two contributions. The one induced by a time-varying magnetic field and a static electric field is reported here for the first time. We discuss our results in the context of the radiative momentum in matter. Our observations are consistent with Abraham's and Nelson's versions for radiative momentum.

Magnetotransport signatures of antiferromagnetism coexisting with charge order in the trilayer cuprate HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ.

Multilayered cuprates possess not only the highest superconducting temperature transition but also offer a unique platform to study disorder-free CuO2 planes and the interplay between competing orders with superconductivity. Here, we study the underdoped trilayer cuprate HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ and we report quantum oscillation and Hall effect measurements in magnetic field up to 88 T. A careful analysis of the complex spectra of quantum oscillations strongly supports the coexistence of an antiferromagnetic order in the inner plane and a charge order in the outer planes. The presence of an ordered antiferromagnetic metallic state that extends deep in the superconducting phase is a key ingredient that supports magnetically mediated pairing interaction in cuprates.

Measurement of the Abraham force and its predicted QED corrections in crossed electric and magnetic fields.

We report the observation by a new method of mechanical momentum transferred to gas phase atoms and molecules upon application of crossed oscillating electric and static magnetic fields. We identify this momentum as the microscopic analogue of the classical Abraham force. Two QED predictions of additional magnetoelectrically induced mechanical momentum are addressed. One of them is experimentally refuted; the other is found to be currently below our experimental detection.

NMR in pulsed magnetic field.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments in pulsed magnetic fields up to 30.4 T focused on (1)H and (93)Nb nuclei are reported. Here we discuss the advantage and limitation of pulsed field NMR and why this technique is able to become a promising research tool.

Validation of microscopic magnetochiral dichroism theory.

Magnetochiral dichroism (MChD), a fascinating manifestation of the light-matter interaction characteristic for chiral systems under magnetic fields, has become a well-established optical phenomenon reported for many different materials. However, its interpretation remains essentially phenomenological and qualitative, because the existing microscopic theory has not been quantitatively confirmed by confronting calculations based on this theory with experimental data. Here, we report the experimental low-temperature MChD spectra of two archetypal chiral paramagnetic crystals taken as model systems, tris(1,2-diaminoethane)nickel(II) and cobalt(II) nitrate, for light propagating parallel or perpendicular to the c axis of the crystals, and the calculation of the MChD spectra for the Ni(II) derivative by state-of-the-art quantum chemical calculations. By incorporating vibronic coupling, we find good agreement between experiment and theory, which opens the way for MChD to develop into a powerful chiral spectroscopic tool and provide fundamental insights for the chemical design of new magnetochiral materials for technological applications.

Photon regeneration experiment for axion search using x-rays.

In this Letter we describe our novel photon regeneration experiment for the axionlike particle search using an x-ray beam with a photon energy of 50.2 and 90.7 keV, two superconducting magnets of 3 T, and a Ge detector with a high quantum efficiency. A counting rate of regenerated photons compatible with zero has been measured. The corresponding limits on the pseudoscalar axionlike particle-two-photon coupling constant is obtained as a function of the particle mass. Our setup widens the energy window of purely terrestrial experiments devoted to the axionlike particle search by coupling to two photons. It also opens a new domain of experimental investigation of photon propagation in magnetic fields.

Universal magnetic structure of the half-magnetization phase in Cr-based spinels.

Using an elastic neutron scattering technique under a pulsed magnetic field up to 30 T, we determined the magnetic structure in the half-magnetization plateau phase in the spinel CdCr2O4. The magnetic structure has a cubic P4{3}32 symmetry, which is the same as that observed in HgCr2O4. This suggests that despite their different zero-field ground states a universal field-induced spin-lattice coupling mechanism is at work in the Cr-based spinels.

New high homogeneity 55T pulsed magnet for high field NMR.

Pulsed magnets can produce magnetic fields largely exceeding those achieved with resistive or even hybrid magnets. This kind of magnet is indispensable in studies of field-induced phenomena which occur only in high magnetic field. A new high homogeneous pulsed magnet capable of producing field up to 55T and specially designed for NMR experiments was built and tested. Experimentally observed homogeneity of magnetic field in central part of the magnet is 10ppm over a sample volume of 2-3mm(3) at 12T and 30ppm at 47T, which are the best values ever reported for a pulsed magnet. Reasons which affect the field profile and reduce homogeneity at high field are discussed.

Transfer of linear momentum from the quantum vacuum to a magnetochiral molecule.

In a recent publication we have shown using a QED approach that, in the presence of a magnetic field, the quantum vacuum coupled to a chiral molecule provides a kinetic momentum directed along the magnetic field. Here we explain the physical mechanisms which operate in the transfer of momentum from the vacuum to the molecule. We show that the variation of the molecular kinetic energy originates from the magnetic energy associated with the vacuum correction to the magnetization of the molecule. We carry out a semiclassical calculation of the vacuum momentum and compare the result with the QED calculation.

A multichannel magneto-chiral dichroism spectrometer.

In this work, we describe a multichannel magneto-chiral dichroism spectrometer for the visible and near infrared wavelength ranges. The optical signal acquisition is based on commercially available Czerny-Turner spectrograph systems equipped with solid state detector arrays. The signal analysis method is based on post-processing phase sensitive detection, where the optical properties of the sample are modulated by an alternating external magnetic field. As an illustration of the performance of this spectrometer, magneto-chiral dichroism was measured in crystals of α - NiSO4 · 6H2O and good agreement with literature results was obtained.

A 31 T split-pair pulsed magnet for single crystal x-ray diffraction at low temperature.

We have developed a pulsed magnet system with panoramic access for synchrotron x-ray diffraction in magnetic fields up to 31 T and at low temperature down to 1.5 K. The apparatus consists of a split-pair magnet, a liquid nitrogen bath to cool the pulsed coil, and a helium cryostat allowing sample temperatures from 1.5 up to 250 K. Using a 1.15 MJ mobile generator, magnetic field pulses of 60 ms length were generated in the magnet, with a rise time of 16.5 ms and a repetition rate of 2 pulses/h at 31 T. The setup was validated for single crystal diffraction on the ESRF beamline ID06.

NMR in pulsed high-field magnets and application to high-T(C) superconductors.

This article deals with the implementation of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments in pulsed magnetic fields at the pulsed-field facility of the Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses and its application to the high-T(C) superconductor YBa2Cu3O6.51. The experimental setup is described in detail, including a low-temperature probe head adapted for pulsed fields. An entire paragraph is dedicated to the discussion of NMR in pulsed field and the introduction of an advanced deconvolution technique making use of the induction voltage in an additional pick-up coil. The (63)Cu/(65)Cu NMR experiments on an YBa2Cu3O6.51 single crystal were performed at 2.5K during a field pulse of 46.8-T-amplitude. In the recorded spectrum the (63)Cu center line and high-frequency satellites as well as the (65)Cu center line are identified and are compared with results in literature.