Field-induced magnetic states in geometrically frustrated SrEr2O4

Qureshi, Navid; Fabelo, Oscar; Manuel, P.; Khalyavin, Dmitry; Lhotel, E.; Riberolles, S.X.M.; Balakrishnan, Geetha; Petrenko, Oleg

doi:10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007

SciPost Physics

Field-induced magnetic states in geometrically frustrated SrEr2O4

N. Qureshi, O. Fabelo, P. Manuel, D. D. Khalyavin, E. Lhotel, S.X.M. Riberolles, G. Balakrishnan, O. A. Petrenko

SciPost Phys. 11, 007 (2021) · published 12 July 2021

doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007
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Abstract

We report an unusual in-field behaviour of SrEr2O4 for a magnetic field applied along two high-symmetry directions, the a and c axes. This geometrically frustrated magnet hosts two crystallographically inequivalent Er ions, Er1 and Er2, that are both located on triangular zigzag ladders, but only one site, Er1, forms a long-range magnetic order at low temperatures in a zero field. We follow the sequence of peculiar field induced states in SrEr2O4 with detailed single-crystal magnetisation and neutron diffraction experiments. On appli- cation of an external field along the c axis, the long-range antiferromagnetic order of the Er1 ions is rapidly destroyed and replaced, in fields between 2 and 5 kOe, by a state with shorter-range correlations. The change in correlation length coincides with a fast increase in magnetisation during the metamagnetic transition above which a long-range order is reestablished and maintained into the high fields. The high-field ferromagnet-like order is characterised by sig- nificantly different magnetic moments on the two Er sites, with the Er1 site dominating the magnetisation process. For the field applied parallel to the a axis, in the field range of 4 to 12 kOe, the planes of diffuse magnetic scat- tering observed in zero field due to the one-dimensional correlations between the Er2 moments are replaced by much more localised but still diffuse features corresponding to the establishment of an up-up-down structure associated with a one-third magnetisation plateau. Above 14 kOe, a ferromagnet-like high-field order is induced following another phase transition. For this direction of the field, the Er2 moments dictate the succession of transitions while the Er1 mo- ments remain significantly less polarised. A complete field polarisation of both Er sites is not achieved even at 50 kOe for either field direction, reflecting the strongly anisotropic nature of magnetisation process in SrEr2O4.

TY  - JOUR
PB  - SciPost Foundation
DO  - 10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007
TI  - Field-induced magnetic states in geometrically frustrated SrEr2O4
PY  - 2021/07/12
UR  - https://scipost.org/SciPostPhys.11.1.007
JF  - SciPost Physics
JA  - SciPost Phys.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
SP  - 007
A1  - Qureshi, Navid
AU  - Fabelo, Oscar
AU  - Manuel, P.
AU  - Khalyavin, Dmitry
AU  - Lhotel, E.
AU  - Riberolles, S.X.M.
AU  - Balakrishnan, Geetha
AU  - Petrenko, Oleg
AB  - We report an unusual in-field behaviour of SrEr2O4 for a magnetic field applied along two high-symmetry directions, the a and c axes. This geometrically frustrated magnet hosts two crystallographically inequivalent Er ions, Er1 and Er2, that are both located on triangular zigzag ladders, but only one site, Er1, forms a long-range magnetic order at low temperatures in a zero field. We follow the sequence of peculiar field induced states in SrEr2O4 with detailed single-crystal magnetisation and neutron diffraction experiments. On appli- cation of an external field along the c axis, the long-range antiferromagnetic order of the Er1 ions is rapidly destroyed and replaced, in fields between 2 and 5 kOe, by a state with shorter-range correlations. The change in correlation length coincides with a fast increase in magnetisation during the metamagnetic transition above which a long-range order is reestablished and maintained into the high fields. The high-field ferromagnet-like order is characterised by sig- nificantly different magnetic moments on the two Er sites, with the Er1 site dominating the magnetisation process. For the field applied parallel to the a axis, in the field range of 4 to 12 kOe, the planes of diffuse magnetic scat- tering observed in zero field due to the one-dimensional correlations between the Er2 moments are replaced by much more localised but still diffuse features corresponding to the establishment of an up-up-down structure associated with a one-third magnetisation plateau. Above 14 kOe, a ferromagnet-like high-field order is induced following another phase transition. For this direction of the field, the Er2 moments dictate the succession of transitions while the Er1 mo- ments remain significantly less polarised. A complete field polarisation of both Er sites is not achieved even at 50 kOe for either field direction, reflecting the strongly anisotropic nature of magnetisation process in SrEr2O4.
ER  -

@Article{10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007,
	title={{Field-induced magnetic states in geometrically frustrated SrEr2O4}},
	author={N. Qureshi and O. Fabelo and P. Manuel and D. D. Khalyavin and E. Lhotel and S.X.M. Riberolles and G. Balakrishnan and O. A. Petrenko},
	journal={SciPost Phys.},
	volume={11},
	pages={007},
	year={2021},
	publisher={SciPost},
	doi={10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007},
	url={https://scipost.org/10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.1.007},
}

Cited by 4

Authors / Affiliations: mappings to Contributors and Organizations

See all Organizations.

¹ Navid Qureshi,
¹ Oscar Fabelo,
² P. Manuel,
² Dmitry Khalyavin,
³ E. Lhotel,
¹ ⁴ S.X.M. Riberolles,
⁴ Geetha Balakrishnan,
⁴ Oleg Petrenko

Funder for the research work leading to this publication

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EPSRC]