1 research outputs found
Magnetic Field-Induced Spin Nematic Phase Up to Room Temperature in Epitaxial Antiferromagnetic FeTe Thin Films Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy
Electronic nematicity, where strong correlations drive
electrons
to align in a way that lowers the crystal symmetry, is ubiquitous
among unconventional superconductors. Understanding the interplay
of such a nematic state with other electronic phases underpins the
complex behavior of these materials and the potential for tuning their
properties through external stimuli. Here, we report magnetic field-induced
spin nematicity in a model system tetragonal FeTe, the parent compound
of iron chalcogenide superconductors, which exhibits a bicollinear
antiferromagnetic order. The studies were conducted on epitaxial FeTe
thin films grown on SrTiO3(001) substrates by molecular
beam epitaxy, where the bicollinear antiferromagnetic order was confirmed
by in situ atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy
imaging. A 2-fold anisotropy is observed in in-plane angle-dependent
magnetoresistance measurements, indicative of magnetic field-induced
nematicity. Such 2-fold anisotropy persists up to 300 K, well-above
the bicollinear antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of 75 K, indicating
a magnetic field-induced spin nematic phase up to room temperature
in the antiferromagnet FeTe