We show that a superstructure of antiferromagnetically interacting Fe$^{3+}$ ($S=5/2$) ions in double perovskites AFe$_{1/2}$M$_{1/2}$O$_{3}$ exhibits a ferrimagnetic ordering below $T_{fe} approx 5.6J_1$ ($J_1/k_B sim 50$~K), which is close to room temperature. Small clusters of the same structure exhibit a superparamagnetic behavior at $T lesssim T_{fe}$. The possibility of formation of such clusters explains the room-temperature (superpara)magnetism in 3$d$-metal based oxides.
We report on atomic ordering of B-site transition-metals and magnetic properties of epitaxial La2CrFeO6 double-perovskite films grown by pulsed-laser deposition under various conditions. The highest ordered sample exhibited a fraction of antisite-disorder of only 0.05 and a saturation magnetization of ~2mu_{B} per formula unit at 5 K. The result is consistent with the antiferromagnetic ordering of local spin moment (3d^{3}_{downarrow}3d^{5}_{uparrow}; S = -3/2+5/2 = 1). Therefore, the magnetic ground state of La2CrFeO6 double-perovskite that has been long debate is unambiguously revealed to be ferrimagnetic. Our results present a wide opportunity to explore novel magnetic properties of binary transition-metal perovskites upon epitaxial stabilization of the ordered phase.
The spin ordering and spin-charge coupling in LuFe2O4 were investigated on the basis of density functional calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. The 2:1 ferrimagnetism arises from the strong antiferromagnetic intra-sheet Fe3+-Fe3+ and Fe3+ -Fe2+ as well as some substantial antiferromagnetic Fe2+-Fe3+ inter-sheet spin exchange interactions. The giant magnetocapacitance at room temperature and the enhanced electric polarization at 240 K of LuFe2O4 are explained by the strong spin-charge coupling.
The non-stoichiometric double perovskite oxide La2Ni1.19Os0.81O6 was synthesized by solid state reaction and its crystal and magnetic structures were investigated by powder x-ray and neutron diffraction. La2Ni1.19Os0.81O6 crystallizes in the monoclinic double perovskite structure (general formula A2BBO6) with space group P21/n, where the B site is fully occupied by Ni and the B site by 19 % Ni and 81 % Os atoms. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy an Os4.5+ oxidation state was established, suggesting presence of about 50 % paramagnetic Os5+ (5d3, S = 3/2) and 50 % non-magnetic Os4+ (5d4, Jeff = 0) ions at the B sites. Magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements on La2Ni1.19Os0.81O6 provide evidence for a ferrimagnetic transition at 125 K. The analysis of the neutron data suggests a canted ferrimagnetic spin structure with collinear Ni2+ spin chains extending along the c axis but a non-collinear spin alignment within the ab plane. The magnetization curve of La2Ni1.19Os0.81O6 features a hysteresis with a very high coercive field, HC = 41 kOe, at T = 5 K, which is explained in terms of large magnetocrystalline anisotropy due to the presence of Os ions together with atomic disorder. Our results are encouraging to search for rare earth free hard magnets in the class of double perovskite oxides.
The inability of systems of interacting objects to satisfy all constraints simultaneously leads to frustration. A particularly important consequence of frustration is the ability to access certain protected parts of a system without disturbing the others. For magnets such protectorates have been inferred from theory and from neutron scattering, but their practical consequences have been unclear. We show that a magnetic analogue of optical hole-burning can address these protected spin clusters in a well-known, geometrically frustrated Heisenberg system, gadolinium gallium garnet. Our measurements additionally provide a resolution of a famous discrepancy between the bulk magnetometry and neutron diffraction results for this magnetic compound.
With their broad range of magnetic, electronic and structural properties, transition metal perovskite oxides ABO3 have long served as a platform for testing condensed matter theories. In particular, their insulating character - found in most compounds - is often ascribed to dynamical electronic correlations through the celebrated Mott-Hubbard mechanism where gaping arises from a uniform, symmetry-preserving electron repulsion mechanism. However, structural distortions are ubiquitous in perovskites and their relevance with respect to dynamical correlations in producing this rich array of properties remains an open question. Here, we address the origin of band gap opening in the whole family of 3d perovskite oxides. We show that a single-determinant mean-field approach such as density functional theory (DFT) successfully describes the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of the whole series, at low and high temperatures. We find that insulation occurs via energy-lowering crystal symmetry reduction (octahedral rotations, Jahn-Teller and bond disproportionation effects), as well as intrinsic electronic instabilities, all lifting orbital degeneracies. Our work therefore suggests that whereas ABO3 oxides may be complicated, they are not necessarily strongly correlated. It also opens the way towards systematic investigations of doping and defect physics in perovskites, essential for the full realization of oxide-based electronics.