No Arabic abstract
FeCrAs displays an unusual electrical response that is neither metallic in character nor divergent at low temperatures, as expected for an insulating response, and therefore it has been termed a nonmetal-metal. We carried out neutron scattering experiments on powder and single crystal samples to study the magnetic dynamics and critical fluctuations in FeCrAs. Magnetic neutron diffraction measurements find Cr3+ magnetic order setting in at 115 K with the mean-field critical exponent. Neutron spectroscopy, however, observes gapless stiff magnetic fluctuations emanating from magnetic positions with propagation wave vector q_0=(1/3,1/3), which persists up to at least 80 meV. The magnetism in FeCrAs therefore displays a response which resembles that of itinerant magnets at high energy transfers, such as chromium alloys. We suggest that the presence of stiff high-energy spin fluctuations is the origin of the unusual temperature dependence of the resistivity.
We study the dynamical magnetic susceptibility of a strongly correlated electronic system in the presence of a time-dependent hopping field, deriving a generalized Bethe-Salpeter equation which is valid also out of equilibrium. Focusing on the single-orbital Hubbard model within the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation, we solve the equation in the non-equilibrium adiabatic regime, obtaining a closed expression for the transverse magnetic susceptibility. From this, we provide a rigorous definition of non-equilibrium (time-dependent) magnon frequencies and exchange parameters, expressed in terms of non-equilibrium single-electron Green functions and self-energies. In the particular case of equilibrium, we recover previously known results.
We present the results of x-ray scattering and muon-spin relaxation ($mu^{+}$SR) measurements on the iron-pnictide compound FeCrAs. Polarized non-resonant magnetic x-ray scattering results reveal the 120$^circ$ periodicity expected from the suggested three-fold symmetric, non-collinear antiferromagnetic structure. $mu^+$SR measurements indicate a magnetically ordered phase throughout the bulk of the material below $T_mathrm{N}$=105(5) K. There are signs of fluctuating magnetism in a narrow range of temperatures above $T_mathrm{N}$ involving low-energy excitations, while at temperatures well below $T_mathrm{N}$ behaviour characteristic of freezing of dynamics is observed, likely reflecting the effect of disorder in our polycrystalline sample. Using density functional theory we propose a distinct muon stopping site in this compound and assess the degree of distortion induced by the implanted muon.
An unusual, non-metallic resistivity of the 111 iron-pnictide compound FeCrAs is shown to be relatively unchanged under pressures of up to 17 GPa. Combined with our previous finding that this non-metallic behaviour persists from at least 80 mK to 800 K, this shows that the non-metallic phase is exceptionally robust. Antiferromagnetic order, with a Neel temperature T_N ~ 125 K at ambient pressure, is suppressed at a rate of 7.1 +/- 0.1 K/GPa, falling to below 50 K at 10 GPa. We conclude that formation of a spin-density wave gap at T_N does not play an important role in the non-metallic resistivity of FeCrAs at low temperatures.
Neutron scattering measurements were performed to investigate magnetic excitations in a single-crystal sample of the ternary iron arsenide BaFe2As2, a parent compound of a recently discovered family of Fe-based superconductors. In the ordered state, we observe low energy spin-wave excitations with a gap energy of 9.8(4) meV. The in-plane spin-wave velocity v_ab and out-of-plane spin-wave velocity v_c measured at 12 meV are 280(150) and 57(7) meV A, respectively. At high energy, we observe anisotropic scattering centered at the antiferromagnetic wave vectors. This scattering indicates two-dimensional spin dynamics, which possibly exist inside the Stoner continuum. At T_N=136(1) K, the gap closes, and quasi-elastic scattering is observed above T_N, indicative of short-range spin fluctuations. In the paramagnetic state, the scattering intensity along the L direction becomes rodlike, characteristic of uncorrelated out-of-plane spins, attesting to the two-dimensionality of the system.
Electron correlations tend to generate local magnetic moments that usually order if the lattices are not too frustrated. The hexagonal compound SrRu$_2$O$_6$ has a relatively high Neel temperature but small local moments, which seem to be at odds with the nominal valence of Ru$^{5+}$ in the $t_{2g}^3$ configuration. Here, we investigate the electronic property of SrRu$_2$O$_6$ using density functional theory (DFT) combined with dynamical-mean-field theory (DMFT). We find that the strong hybridization between Ru $d$ and O $p$ states results in a Ru valence that is closer to $+4$, leading to the small ordered moment $sim1.2mu_B$. While this is consistent with a DFT prediction, correlation effects are found to play a significant role. The local moment per Ru site remains finite $sim2.3mu_B$ in the whole temperature range investigated. Due to the lower symmetry, the $t_{2g}$ manifold is split and the quasiparticle weight is renormalized significantly in the $a_{1g}$ state, while the renormalization in $e_g$ states is about a factor of 2--3 weaker. Our theoretical Neel temperature $sim700$~K is in reasonable agreement with experimental observations. SrRu$_2$O$_6$ is a unique system in which localized and itinerant electrons coexist with the proximity to an orbitally-selective Mott transition within the $t_{2g}$ sector.