Universal scaling laws can guide the understanding of new phenomena, and for cuprate high-temperature superconductivity the influential Uemura relation showed, early on, that the maximum critical temperature of superconductivity correlates with the density of the superfluid measured at low temperatures. Here we show that the charge content of the bonding orbitals of copper and oxygen in the ubiquitous CuO₂ plane, measured with nuclear magnetic resonance, reproduces this scaling. The charge transfer of the nominal copper hole to planar oxygen sets the maximum critical temperature. A three-dimensional phase diagram in terms of the charge content at copper as well as oxygen is introduced, which has the different cuprate families sorted with respect to their maximum critical temperature. We suggest that the critical temperature could be raised substantially if one were able to synthesize materials that lead to an increased planar oxygen hole content at the expense of that of planar copper.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments on single crystals of ${\mathrm{HgBa}}_2{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\delta }$ are presented that identify two distinct temperature-dependent spin susceptibilities: One is due to a spin component that is temperature-dependent above the critical temperature for superconductivity ($T_{\mathrm{c}}$) and reflects pseudogap behavior; the other is Fermi-liquid-like in that it is temperature independent above $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ and vanishes rapidly below $T_{\mathrm{c}}$. In addition, we demonstrate the existence of a third spin susceptibility: It is temperature independent at higher temperatures, vanishes at lower temperatures (below $T_0\ne T_{\mathrm{c}}$), and changes sign near optimal doping. This susceptibility either arises from the coupling between the two spin components, or it could be given by a distinct third spin component. Recent susceptibility data on single crystals support its presence in most cuprates.

While the highest pressures can be achieved with diamond anvil cells, limited sample size and anvil geometry have hampered their application in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments due to weak signal-to-noise. Here we report a new probe design that is based on having the resonant radio frequency coil that encloses the sample within the anvil cell inside the gasket hole. This increases the filling factor tremendously and results in greatly enhanced NMR sensitivity. The setup is described together with room temperature Na and Al NMR experiments.

Compounds containing Eu show a vast range of unique physical properties due to the interplay of electronic and magnetic properties, which can lead to a nontrivial electronic topology combined with magnetic order. We report on the growth of trigonal ( $$P\overline{3 }m1$$P 3 ¯ m 1 space group) EuZn₂As₂ single crystals and on the studies of their structural, electronic and magnetic properties. A range of experimental techniques was applied including X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, heat capacity and Mössbauer spectroscopy in the study. We found that Eu has solely a 2+ valence state and its magnetic moments below T_N = 19.2 K form a canted antiferromagnetic structure, tilted from the basal plane.

In this article, the results of a study of the magnetic dynamics of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) coatings are reported. The materials were prepared by the co-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering and scanning transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that the cores contain maghemite, and their hydrodynamic diameters vary from 49 nm for PEG-coated to 200 nm for chitosan-coated particles. The magnetic dynamics of the nanoparticles in terms of the function of temperature was studied with magnetic susceptometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Their superparamagnetic fluctuations frequencies, determined from the fits of Mössbauer spectra, range from tens to hundreds of megahertz at room temperature and mostly decrease in the applied magnetic field. For water suspensions of nanoparticles, maxima are observed in the absorption part of magnetic susceptibility and they shift to higher temperatures with increasing excitation frequency. A step-like decrease of the susceptibility occurs at freezing, and from that, the Brown’s and Néel’s contributions are extracted and compared for nanoparticles differing in core sizes and types of coating. The results are analyzed and discussed with respect to the tailoring of the dynamic properties of these nanoparticle materials for requirements related to the characteristic frequency ranges of MRI and electromagnetic field hyperthermia.