No Arabic abstract
Magnetic-field effect on the magnetic and electric properties in a chiral polar ordered corundum Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$ has been investigated. Single-crystal soft x-ray and neutron diffraction measurements confirm long-wavelength magnetic modulation. The modulation direction tends to align along the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the polar axis, suggesting that the nearly proper-screw type helicoid should be formed below 77,K. The application of a high magnetic field causes a metamagnetic transition. In a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the polar axis, a helix-to-canted antiferromagnetic transition takes place through the intermediate soliton lattice type state. On the other hand, a magnetic field applied along the polar axis induces a first-order metamagnetic transition. These metamagnetic transitions accompany a change in the electric polarization along the polar axis.
Complex systems with coexisting polarity, chirality and incommensurate magnetism are of great interest because they open new degrees of freedom in interaction between different subsystems and therefore they host a plethora of intriguing physical properties. Here we report on optical properties and lattice and spin dynamics of Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$ single crystals studied with the use of polarized optical microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range 10-300 K. Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$ crystallizes in a polar structure described by the noncentrosymmetric space group R3 and two types of structural domains were visualized due to natural optical activity of opposite chirality. Raman tensor elements of most A and E phonons along with their symmetry were determined. The manifestation of LO-TO splitting was observed for the A modes. By tracking the temperature dependencies of phonon frequencies the well pronounced spin-phonon interaction was observed for several modes below and above the Neel transition temperature TN = 76 K. In antiferromagnetic phase a wide excitation centred at 247 cm-1 was detected and assigned to the two-magnon mode and this value was used for estimating exchange parameters through linear spin-wave theory calculations.
In this paper, the magnetic and transport properties were systematically studied for EuAg$_4$As$_2$ single crystals, crystallizing in a centrosymmetric trigonal CaCu$_4$P$_2$ type structure. It was confirmed that two magnetic transitions occur at $textit{T}$$_{N1}$ = 10 K and $textit{T}$$_{N2}$ = 15 K, respectively. With the increasing field, the two transitions are noticeably driven to lower temperature. At low temperatures, applying a magnetic field in the $textit{ab}$ plane induces two successive metamagnetic transitions. For both $textit{H}$ $parallel$ $textit{ab}$ and $textit{H}$ $parallel$ $textit{c}$, EuAg$_4$As$_2$ shows a positive, unexpected large magnetoresistance (up to 202%) at low fields below 10 K, and a large negative magnetoresistance (up to -78%) at high fields/intermediate temperatures. Such anomalous field dependence of magnetoresistance may have potential application in the future magnetic sensors. Finally, the magnetic phase diagrams of EuAg$_{4}$As$_{2}$ were constructed for both $textit{H}$ $parallel$ $textit{ab}$ and $textit{H}$ $parallel$ $textit{c}$.
We report the discovery of a metamagnetic phase transition in a polar antiferromagnet Ni$_3$TeO$_6$ that occurs at 52 T. The new phase transition accompanies a colossal magnetoelectric effect, with a magnetic-field-induced polarization change of 0.3 $mu$C/cm$^2$, a value that is 4 times larger than for the spin-flop transition at 9 T in the same material, and also comparable to the largest magnetically-induced polarization changes observed to date. Via density-functional calculations we construct a full microscopic model that describes the data. We model the spin structures in all fields and clarify the physics behind the 52 T transition. The high-field transition involves a competition between multiple different exchange interactions which drives the polarization change through the exchange-striction mechanism. The resultant spin structure is rather counter-intuitive and complex, thus providing new insights on design principles for materials with strong magnetoelectric coupling.
Magnetism of the $S$ = 1 Heisenberg antiferromagnets on the spatially anisotropic square lattice has been scarcely explored. Here we report a study of the magnetism, specific heat, and thermal conductivity on Ni[SC(NH$_2$)$_2$]$_6$Br$_2$ (DHN) single crystals. Ni$^{2+}$ ions feature an $S$ = 1 rectangular lattice in the $bc$ plane, which can be viewed as an unfrustrated spatially anisotropic square lattice. A long-range antiferromagnetic order is developed at $T rm_N =$ 2.23 K. Below $Trm_N$, an upturn is observed in the $b$-axis magnetic susceptibility and the resultant minimum might be an indication for the $XY$ anisotropy in the ordered state. A gapped spin-wave dispersion is confirmed from the temperature dependence of the magnetic specific heat. Anisotropic temperature-field phase diagrams are mapped out and possible magnetic structures are proposed.
The nature of Na ion distribution, diffusion path, and the spin structure of $P2$-type Na$_2$Ni$_2$TeO$_6$ with a Ni honeycomb network has been explored. The nuclear density distribution of Na ions reveals a 2D chiral pattern within Na layers without breaking the original 3D crystal symmetry, which has been achieved uniquely via an inverse Fourier transform (iFT)-assisted neutron diffraction technique. The Na diffusion pathway described by the calculated iso-surface of Na ion bond valence sum (BVS) map is found consistent to a chiral diffusion mechanism. The Na site occupancy and Ni$^{2+}$ spin ordering were examined in detail with the electron density mapping, neutron diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, thermal conductivity and transport measurements. Signatures of both strong incommensurate (ICM) and weak commensurate (CM) antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin ordering were identified in the polycrystalline sample studied, and the CM-AFM spin ordering was confirmed by using a single crystal sample through the $k$-scan in the momentum space corresponding to the AFM peak of ($frac{1}{2}$, 0, 1).