Spiral magnetic structure in spin-5/2 frustrated trimerized chains in SrMn3P4O14

We study a spin-5/2 antiferromagnetic trimerized chain substance SrMn3P4O14 using neutron powder diffraction experiments. The coplanar spiral magnetic structure appears below T_N1 = 2.2(1) K. Values of several magnetic structure parameters change rapidly at T_N2 = 1.75(5) K, indicating another phase transition, although the magnetic structures above and below T_N2 are the qualitatively same. The spiral magnetic structure can be explained by frustration between nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor exchange interactions in the trimerized chains.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Magnetic structures and magnetoelastic coupling of Fe-doped hexagonal manganites LuMn1-xFexO3 (0 < x < 0.3)

We have studied the crystal and magnetic structures of Fe-doped hexagonal manganites LuMn1-xFexO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) by using bulk magnetization and neutron powder diffraction methods. The samples crystalize consistently in a hexagonal structure and maintain the space group P63cm from 2 to 300 K. The N\'eel temperature TN increases continuously with increasing Fe-doping. In contrast to a single {\Gamma}4 representation in LuMnO3, the magnetic ground state of the Fe-doped samples can only be described with a spin configuration described by a mixture of {\Gamma}3 (P63'cm') and {\Gamma}4 (P63'c'm) representations, whose contributions have been quantitatively estimated. The drastic effect of Fe-doping is highlighted by composition-dependent spin reorientations. A phase diagram of the entire composition series is proposed based on the present results and those reported in literature. Our result demonstrates the importance of tailoring compositions in increasing magnetic transition temperatures of multiferroic systems.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Negative magnetization of Li2Ni2Mo3O12 having a spin system composed of distorted honeycomb lattices and linear chains

We study themagnetism of a spin-1 substance Li2Ni2Mo3O12. The spin system consists of distorted honeycomb lattices and linear chains of Ni2+ spins. Li+ ions enter about 25% and 50% of the honeycomb and chain Ni sites, respectively, creating disorder in both spin subsystems. A magnetic phase transition occurs at Tc = 8.0 K in the zero magnetic field. In low magnetic fields, the magnetization increases rapidly below Tc, decreases below 7 K, and finally becomes negative at low temperatures. We determine the magnetic structure using neutron powder diffraction results. The honeycomb lattices and linear chains show antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic long-range order, respectively. We investigate static and dynamic magnetic properties using the local probe technique of muon spin relaxation. We discuss the origin of the negative magnetization

Evidence for Large Electric Polarization From Collinear Magnetism in TmMnO\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e

There has been tremendous research activity in the field of magneto-electric (ME) multiferroics after Kimura et al (2003 Nature 426 55) showed that antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric orders coexist in orthorhombically distorted perovskite TbMnO3 and are strongly coupled. It is now generally accepted that ferroelectricity in TbMnO3 is induced by magnetic long-range order that breaks the symmetry of the crystal and creates a polar axis (Kenzelmann et al 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 95 087206). One remaining key question is whether magnetic order can induce ferroelectric polarization that is as large as that of technologically useful materials. We show that ferroelectricity in orthorhombic (o) TmMnO3 is induced by collinear magnetic order, and that the lower limit for its electric polarization is larger than in previously investigated orthorhombic heavy rare-earth manganites. The temperature dependence of the lattice constants provides further evidence of large spin–lattice coupling effects. Our experiments suggest that the ferroelectric polarization in the orthorhombic perovskites with commensurate magnetic ground states could pass the 1 μC cm-2 threshold, as predicted by theory (Sergienko et al 2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 227204; Picozzi et al 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 227201)

The effect of compressive strain on the Raman modes of the dry and hydrated BaCe0.8Y0.2O3 proton conductor

The BaCe0.8Y0.2O3-{\delta} proton conductor under hydration and under compressive strain has been analyzed with high pressure Raman spectroscopy and high pressure x-ray diffraction. The pressure dependent variation of the Ag and B2g bending modes from the O-Ce-O unit is suppressed when the proton conductor is hydrated, affecting directly the proton transfer by locally changing the electron density of the oxygen ions. Compressive strain causes a hardening of the Ce-O stretching bond. The activation barrier for proton conductivity is raised, in line with recent findings using high pressure and high temperature impedance spectroscopy. The increasing Raman frequency of the B1g and B3g modes thus implies that the phonons become hardened and increase the vibration energy in the a-c crystal plane upon compressive strain, whereas phonons are relaxed in the b-axis, and thus reveal softening of the Ag and B2g modes. Lattice toughening in the a-c crystal plane raises therefore a higher activation barrier for proton transfer and thus anisotropic conductivity. The experimental findings of the interaction of protons with the ceramic host lattice under external strain may provide a general guideline for yet to develop epitaxial strained proton conducting thin film systems with high proton mobility and low activation energy

Synthesis and anisotropic magnetic properties of LiCrTe₂ single crystals with a triangular-lattice antiferromagnetic structure

We report on the synthesis of LiCrTe 2 single crystals and on their anisotropic magnetic properties. We have obtained these single crystals by employing a Te/Li-flux synthesis method. We find LiCrTe 2 to crystallize in a TlCdS 2 -type structure with cell parameters of a = 3.9512(5) Å and c = 6.6196(7) Å at T = 175 K. The content of lithium in these crystals was determined to be neary stoichiometric by means of neutron diffraction. We find a pronounced magnetic transition at T N a b = 144 K and T N c = 148 K, respectively. These transition temperatures are substantially higher than earlier reports on polycrystalline samples. We have performed neutron powder diffraction measurements that reveal that the long-range low-temperature magnetic structure of single crystalline LiCrTe 2 is an A-type antiferromagnetic structure. Our DFT calculations are in good agreement with these experimental observations. We find the system to be easy axis with moments oriented along the c -direction experimentally as well as in our calculations. Thereby, the magnetic Hamiltonian can be written as H = H H e i s e n b e r g + ∑ i K c ( S i z ) 2 with K c = − 0.34 K (where | S z | = 3 2 ). We find LiCrTe 2 to be highly anisotropic, with a pronounced metamagnetic transition for H ⊥ a b with a critical field of μ H M M (5 K) ≈ 2.5 T. Using detailed orientation-dependent magnetization measurements, we have determined the magnetic phase diagram of this material. Our findings suggest that LiCrTe 2 is a promising material for exploring the interplay between crystal structure and magnetism, and could have potential applications in spin-based 2D devices.</p

Dynamic magnetic crossover at the origin of the hidden-order in van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr

The van-der-Waals material CrSBr stands out as a promising two-dimensional magnet. Here, we report on its detailed magnetic and structural characteristics. We evidence that it undergoes a transition to an A-type antiferromagnetic state below T N ≈ 140 K with a pronounced two-dimensional character, preceded by ferromagnetic correlations within the monolayers. Furthermore, we unravel the low-temperature hidden-order within the long-range magnetically-ordered state. We find that it is associated to a slowing down of the magnetic fluctuations, accompanied by a continuous reorientation of the internal field. These take place upon cooling below T s ≈ 100 K, until a spin freezing process occurs at T * ≈ 40 K. We argue this complex behavior to reflect a crossover driven by the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, which is ultimately caused by its mixed-anion character. Our findings reinforce CrSBr as an important candidate for devices in the emergent field of two-dimensional magnetic materials.</p