Spin dynamics in the La1.85Sr0.15Cu1-xFexO4 system probed by ESR.

Abstract

We study the magnetic properties of the ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.85}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.15}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ system (x=0--0.1) in the vicinity of the metal-insulator (MI) transition using static-susceptibility measurements and the electron-spin resonance (ESR) of the Fe ions. Spin-glass (SG) freezing is present for all nonsuperconducting specimens. The iron ESR line broadens on approaching the freezing temperature, similarly to the effect observed in canonical spin glasses. This broadening can be attributed to the influence of the slowing down of spin fluctuations on the spin-spin relaxation rate. It depends differently on x on the two different sides of the MI transition suggesting the existence of two different SG phases: insulating (ISG) where the Fe spins couple to the Cu-spin array by superexchange interactions, and metallic (MSG), where there exists, in addition, Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-like coupling mediated by the free carriers. The proximity of the MI transition suppresses this coulping, giving rise to the observed dependence of the paramagnet -SG phase boundary on x. In the MSG phase, at high temperatures, the spin-lattice relaxation mechanism is also mediated by the free carriers. It differs from the analogous process observed in conventional metals in that the ESR linewidth increases with increasing T faster than linearly. We explain this behavior by assuming that the effective magnetic field felt by the Fe moments originates mainly from the spins of holes located on the nearest-neighbor oxygen ions. The linewidth divided by T which probes the dynamical susceptibility at the Fe site varies as a+bT. Here a goes to zero as the MI transition is approached and so plays the role of the Pauli susceptibility of the free carriers, whereas b is independent of x in the vicinity of the MI transition but decreases for small Fe dopings away from the MI transition and may be identified as originating from the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the system.