Electronic and magnetic properties of Lu and LuH2

Abstract

Clarifying the electronic and magnetic properties of lutetium, lutetium dihydride, and lutetium oxide is very helpful to understand the emergent phenomena in lutetium-based compounds (such as superconductivity-like transitions near room temperature). However, this kind of study is still scarce at present. Here, we report on the electronic and magnetic properties of lutetium metals, lutetium dihydride powders, and lutetium oxide powders. Crystal structures and chemical compositions of these samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, respectively. Electrical transport measurements show that the resistance of lutetium has a linear behavior depending on temperature, whereas the resistance of lutetium dihydride powders changes little with decreasing the temperature. More interestingly, paramagnetism-ferromagnetism-spin glass transitions were observed at near 240 and 200 K, respectively, in lutetium metals. To understand their origins, the measurement of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy was performed, revealing that the concentrations of dilute magnetic impurities in lutetium and lutetium dihydride are around 0.01%, which can lead to the presence of spin glassy behavior. Our work uncovers the complex magnetic properties of lutetium and lutetium dihydride and suggests their close connections to the electronic and magnetic transitions of Lutetium-based compounds (such as Lu–H–N).