Mössbauer study of 1/8 anomaly in La_2−x Ba _x CuO₄

Abstract

The measurements of Mössbauer effect, magnetic susceptibility and muon spin relaxation have been carried out for the high-T _c superconductor La_2−x Ba _x CuO₄. The intensity of Mössbauer doublet spectrum of the sample of x∼1/8 begins to decrease rapidly at a certain temperature T _m, which we define as a magnetic transition temperature T _Möss. This temperature almost agrees with T _μSR determined from muon spin relaxation. The quadrupole doublet disappears at low temperature below T _m but a clearly splitted spectrum is not observed even at 4.2 K, which indicates a peculiar magnetic state with a wide distribution of internal magnetic field. Around x∼1/8, the superconducting critical temperature T _c and T _m are competed each other. In conclusion, superconductivity disappears around 1/8 hole concentration and a peculiar magnetic state such as spin density wave appears.