We have measured extremely large coercive magnetic fields of up to 55~T in Sr$_3$NiIrO$_6$, with a switched magnetic moment $approx 0.8~mu_{rm B}$ per formula unit. As far as we are aware, this is the largest coercive field observed thus far. This extraordinarily hard magnetism has a completely different origin from that found in conventional ferromagnets. Instead, it is due to the evolution of a frustrated antiferromagnetic state in the presence of strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy due to the overlap of spatially-extended Ir$^{4+}$ 5$d$ orbitals with oxygen 2$p$ and Ni$^{2+}$ 3$d$ orbitals. This work highlights the unusual physics that can result from combining the extended $5d$ orbitals in Ir$^{4+}$ with the frustrated behaviour of triangular lattice antiferromagnets.
We study magnetic and multiferroic behavior in Ca$_3$Co$_{2-x}$Mn$_{x}$O$_6$ ($x sim$0.97) by high-field measurements of magnetization ($M$), magnetostriction ($L$($H$)/$L$), electric polarization ($P$), and magnetocaloric effect. This study also gives insight into the zero and low magnetic field magnetic structure and magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms. We measured $M$ and $Delta$$L$/$L$ up to pulsed magnetic fields of 92 T, and determined the saturation moment and field. On the controversial topic of the spin states of Co$^{2+}$ and Mn$^{4+}$ ions, we find evidence for $S$ = 3/2 spins for both ions with no magnetic field-induced spin-state crossovers. Our data also indicate that Mn$^{4+}$ spins are quasi-isotropic and develop components in the $ab$-plane in applied magnetic fields of 10 T. These spins cant until saturation at 85 T whereas the Ising Co$^{2+}$ spins saturate by 25 T. Furthermore, our results imply that mechanism for suppression of electric polarization with magnetic fields near 10 T is flopping of the Mn$^{4+}$ spins into the $ab$-plane, indicating that appropriate models must include the coexistence of Ising and quasi-isotropic spins.
The study of abrupt increases in magnetization with magnetic field known as metamagnetic transitions has opened a rich vein of new physics in itinerant electron systems, including the discovery of quantum critical end points with a marked propensity to develop new kinds of order. However, the electric analogue of the metamagnetic critical end point, a metaelectric critical end point has not yet been realized. Multiferroic materials wherein magnetism and ferroelectricity are cross-coupled are ideal candidates for the exploration of this novel possibility using magnetic-field (emph{H}) as a tuning parameter. Herein, we report the discovery of a magnetic-field-induced metaelectric transition in multiferroic BiMn$_{2}$O$_{5}$ in which the electric polarization (emph{P}) switches polarity along with a concomitant Mn spin-flop transition at a critical magnetic field emph{H}$_{rm c}$. The simultaneous metaelectric and spin-flop transitions become sharper upon cooling, but remain a continuous crossover even down to 0.5 K. Near the emph{P}=0 line realized at $mu_{0}$emph{H}$_{rm c}$$approx$18 T below 20 K, the dielectric constant ($varepsilon$) increases significantly over wide field- and temperature (emph{T})-ranges. Furthermore, a characteristic power-law behavior is found in the emph{P}(emph{H}) and $varepsilon$(emph{H}) curves at emph{T}=0.66 K. These findings indicate that a magnetic-field-induced metaelectric critical end point is realized in BiMn$_2$O$_5$ near zero temperature.
