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We have performed elastic neutron scattering experiments under uniaxial stress sigma applied along the tetragonal [100], [110] and [001] directions for the heavy electron compound URu2Si2. We found that antiferromagnetic (AF) order with large moment is developed with sigma along the [100] and [110] directions. If the order is assumed to be homogeneous, the staggered ordered moment mu_o continuously increases from 0.02 mu_B (sigma=0) to 0.22 mu_B (0.25 GPa). The rate of increase partial mu_o/partial sigma is ~ 1.0 mu_B/GPa, which is four times larger than that for the hydrostatic pressure (partial mu_o/partial P sim 0.25 mu_B/GPa). Above 0.25 GPa, mu_o shows a tendency to saturate, similar to the hydrostatic pressure behavior. For sigma||[001], mu_o shows only a slight increase to 0.028 mu_B (sigma = 0.46 GPa) with a rate of ~ 0.02 mu_B/GPa, indicating that the development of the AF state highly depends on the direction of sigma. We have also found a clear hysteresis loop in the isothermal mu_o(sigma) curve obtained for sigma||[110] under the zero-stress-cooled condition at 1.4 K. This strongly suggests that the sigma-induced AF phase is metastable, and separated from the hidden order phase by a first-order phase transition. We discuss these experimental results on the basis of crystalline strain effects and elastic energy calculations, and show that the c/a ratio plays a key role in the competition between these two phases.
We have performed elastic and inelastic neutron scattering experiments on the solid solutions U(Ru_{1-x}Rh_x)_2Si_2 for the Ru rich concentrations: x=0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.025, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05. Hidden order is suppressed with increasing x, and correspondingly the onset temperature T_m (~ 17.5 K at x=0) of weak antiferromagnetic (AF) Bragg reflection decreases. For x=0.04 and 0.05, no magnetic order is detected in the investigated temperature range down to 1.4 K. In the middle range, 0.02 <= x <= 0.03, we found that the AF Bragg reflection is strongly enhanced. At x=0.02, this takes place at ~ 7.7 K (=T_M), which is significantly lower than T_m (~ 13.7 K). T_M increases with increasing x, and seems to merge with T_m at x=0.03. If the AF state is assumed to be homogeneous, the staggered moment mu_o estimated at 1.4 K increases from 0.02(2) mu_B/U (x=0) to 0.24(1) mu_B/U (x=0.02). The behavior is similar to that observed under hydrostatic pressure (mu_o increases to ~ 0.25 mu_B/U at 1.0 GPa), suggesting that the AF evolution induced by Rh doping is due to an increase in the AF volume fraction. We also found that the magnetic excitation observed at Q=(1,0,0) below T_m disappears as T is lowered below T_M.
The nature of competition between incommensurate (IC) and commensurate (C) antiferromagnetic (AF) orders in UPd2Si2 was investigated by performing elastic neutron scattering experiments under uniaxial stress sigma. It is found that applying sigma along tetragonal [010] direction reduces the IC-AF order, and then stabilizes the C-AF order. The transition temperature from IC- to C-AF phases T_Nl is enhanced from 109 K (sigma=0) to 112.5 K (0.8 GPa), while the onset of IC-AF transition T_Nh is unchanged from 132 K under sigma. In addition, c-axis component q_z of the IC-AF modulation at 115 K also increases from 0.736 (sigma=0) to 0.747 (0.8 GPa). The magnitude of C-AF moment at 5 K is estimated to be 2.2 mu_B/U in the entire sigma range presently investigated (sigma <= 0.8 GPa). These features are similar to those obtained from the investigations using hydrostatic pressure p, indicating that applications of p and sigma||[010] commonly induce the crystal strains which inherently affect a delicate balance of frustrated magnetic interactions between uranium 5f moments.
Complex electronic matter exhibit subtle forms of self organization which are almost invisible to the available experimental tools, but which have dramatic physical consequences. One prominent example is provided by the actinide based heavy fermion material URu_2Si_2. At high temperature, the U-5f electrons in URu_2Si_2 carry a very large entropy. This entropy is released at 17.5K via a second order phase transition to a state which remains shrouded in mystery, and which was termed a hidden order state. Here we develop a first principles theoretical method to analyze the electronic spectrum of correlated materials as a function of the position inside the unit cell of the crystal, and use it to identify the low energy excitations of the URu_2Si_2. We identify the order parameter of the hidden order state, and show that it is intimately connected with magnetism. We present first principles results for the temperature evolution of the electronic states of the material. At temperature below 70K U-5f electrons undergo a multichannel Kondo effect, which is arrested at low temperature by the crystal field splitting. At lower temperatures, two broken symmetry states emerge, characterized by a complex order parameter psi. A real $psi$ describes the hidden order phase, and an imaginary psi corresponds to the large moment antiferromagnetic phase, thus providing a unified picture of the two broken symmetry phases, which are realized in this material.
Magnetic order and excitations in multiferroic DyMnO3 were studied by neutron scattering experiments using a single crystal prepared with enriched 162Dy isotope. The ordering of Mn moments exhibits pronounced hysteresis arising from the interplay between Mn and Dy magnetism which possesses a strong impact on the ferroelectric polarization. The magnon dispersion resembles that reported for TbMnO3. We identify the excitations at the magnetic zone center and near the zone boundary in the b direction, which can possess electromagnon character. The lowest frequency of the zone-center magnons is in good agreement with a signal in a recent optical measurement so that this mode can be identified as the electromagnon coupled by the same Dzyaloshinski-Moriya interaction as the static multiferroic phase.
We have performed the elastic neutron scattering experiments under uniaxial stress sigma along the tetragonal [100], [110] and [001] directions for URu2Si2. For sigma // [100] and [110], the antiferromagnetic moment mu_o is strongly enhanced from 0.02 mu_B (sigma=0) to 0.22 mu_B (sigma=2.5 kbar) at 1.5 K. The rate of increase dmu_o/dsigma is roughly estimated to be ~ 0.1 mu_B/kbar, which is much larger than that for the hydrostatic pressure (~ 0.025 mu_B/kbar). Above 2.5 kbar, mu_o shows a tendency to saturate similar to the behavior in the hydrostatic pressure. For sigma // [001], on the other hand, mu_o shows only a slight increase to 0.028 mu_B (sigma = 4.6 kbar) with a rate of ~ 0.002 mu_B/kbar. The observed anisotropy suggests that the competition between the hidden order and the antiferromagnetic state in URu2Si2 is strongly coupled with the tetragonal four-fold symmetry and the c/a ratio, or both.