Pressure Effects on the Optical Properties of NdVO4

We report on optical spectroscopic measurements in pure NdVO4 crystals at pressures up to 12 GPa. The influence of pressure on the fundamental absorption band gap and Nd3+ absorption bands has been correlated with structural changes in the crystal. The experiments indicate that a phase transition takes place between 4.7 and 5.4 GPa. We have also determined the pressure dependence of the band-gap and discussed the behavior of the Nd3+ absorption lines under compression. Important changes in the optical properties of NdVO4 occur at the phase transition, which, according to Raman measurements, corresponds to a zircon to monazite phase change. In particular, in these conditions a collapse of the band gap occurs, changing the color of the crystal. The changes are not reversible. The results are analyzed in comparison with those deriving from previous studies on NdVO4 and related vanadates.

Оптическая спектроскопия и сверхпроводимость купратов (О б з о р)

The optical properties of low-dimensional dielectric cuprates, including parent systems for high-temperature superconductors, such as La_2CuO_4, Sr_2CuO_2Cl_2, and YBa_2Cu_3O_6 are briefly reviewed. The main focus is on the d – d and p – d charge transfer transitions, which determine the fundamental absorption band. The analysis of optical properties shows the instability of parent cuprates against the d – d charge transfer with the formation of metastable electron–hole (EH) dimers of the Cu^1+–Cu^3+-type pairs coupled by the two-particle transfer and characterized by the giant electric polarizability. The formation of a system of stable EH dimers upon nonisovalent substitution determines the unconventional properties of the pseudogap and superconducting phases of doped cuprates.