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Title: Infrared optical properties of the quasi-one-dimensional conductors NbSe/sub 3/ and (TMTSF)/sub 2/ClO/sub 4/

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5750127

The technique of far-infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy has been used to study the properties of two materials, NbSe/sub 3/ and (TMTSF)/sub 2/ClO/sub 4/. NbSe/sub 3/ undergoes incommensurate charge-density-wave (CDW) transitions and exhibits electrical transport by sliding CDW's. (TMTSF)/sub 2/ClO/sub 4/ undergoes order-disorder, spin-density-wave, and superconducting transitions at ambient pressure. It is a member of the first class of organic materials to be synthesized which exhibit superconductivity. We have done a Kramers-Kronig analysis of the far-infrared reflectance of NbSe/sub 3/ to obtain an estimate of the optical constants. We have used models of the frequency-dependent conductivity to fit the data. General arguments show that at 2K a CDW energy gap exists between 120 and 190 cm/sup -1/, the relaxation time(s) of the free carriers and CDW pinned mode is >3 x 10/sup -12/s, and the ratio of the free-carrier concentration to band mass is <2 x 10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3//m/sub 0/. The strength of the pinned mode obtained from the detailed fit is inconsistent with the classical model of CDW transport. We have also measured the far-infrared reflectance of (TMTSF)/sub 2/ClO/sub 4/ and performed a Kramers-Kronig analysis to obtain the optical constants. A large peak in the conductivity occurs above 100 cm/sup -1/, and a smaller peak occurs at approx. 25 cm/sup -1/. We have no explanation at present for the large peak, but we believe that the small peak is a phase phonon. It occurs when the orientations of the ClO/sub 4/ anions order and thereby induce a charge-density wave in the lattice. Our data, however, are inconsistent with an interpretation based upon a theory of quasi-one-dimensional fluctuational superconductivity.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
5750127
Report Number(s):
LBL-16186; ON: DE84000940
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English