No Arabic abstract
The Fe electronic structure and magnetism in (i) monoclinic Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$ with a metal-insulator transition at $T_{MI} sim 140$ K and (ii) quasi-cubic half-metallic Ba$_2$FeReO$_6$ ceramic double perovskites are probed by soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). These materials show distinct Fe $L_{2,3}$ XAS and XMCD spectra, which are primarily associated with their different average Fe oxidation states (close to Fe$^{3+}$ for Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$ and intermediate between Fe$^{2+}$ and Fe$^{3+}$ for Ba$_2$FeReO$_6$) despite being related by an isoelectronic (Ca$^{2+}$/Ba$^{2+}$) substitution. For Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$, the powder-averaged Fe spin moment along the field direction ($B = 5$ T), as probed by the XMCD experiment, is strongly reduced in comparison with the spontaneous Fe moment previously obtained by neutron diffraction, consistent with a scenario where the magnetic moments are constrained to remain within an easy plane. For $B=1$ T, the unsaturated XMCD signal is reduced below $T_{MI}$ consistent with a magnetic transition to an easy-axis state that further reduces the powder-averaged magnetization in the field direction. For Ba$_2$FeReO$_6$, the field-aligned Fe spins are larger than for Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$ ($B=5$ T) and the temperature dependence of the Fe magnetic moment is consistent with the magnetic ordering transition at $T_C^{Ba} = 305$ K. Our results illustrate the dramatic influence of the specific spin-orbital configuration of Re $5d$ electrons on the Fe $3d$ local magnetism of these Fe/Re double perovskites.
We have carried out inelastic neutron scattering experiments to study magnetic excitations in ordered double perovskite Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$. We found a well-defined magnon mode with a bandwidth of $sim$50meV below the ferri-magnetic ordering temperature ($T_csim$520K), similar to previously studied Ba$_2$FeReO$_6$. The spin excitation is gapless for most temperatures within the magnetically ordered phase. However, a spin gap of $sim$10meV opens up below $sim$150K, which is well below the magnetic ordering temperature but coincides with a previously reported metal-insulator transition and onset of structural distortion. The observed temperature dependence of spin gap provides strong evidence for ordering of Re orbitals at $sim$150~K, in accordance with earlier proposal put forward by Oikawa $it{et.,al}$ based on neutron diffraction [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., $bf{72}$, 1411 (2003)] as well as recent theoretical work by Lee and Marianetti [Phys. Rev. B, $bf{97}$, 045102 (2018)]. The presence of separate orbital and magnetic ordering in Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$ suggests weak coupling between spin and orbital degrees of freedom and hints towards a sub-dominant role played by spin orbit coupling in describing its magnetism. In addition, we observed only one well-defined magnon band near magnetic zone boundary, which is incompatible with simple ferrimagnetic spin waves arising from Fe and Re local moments, but suggests a strong damping of Re magnon mode.
We have investigated the electronic structure of polycrystalline Ca$_2$FeReO$_6$ using photoemission spectroscopy and band-structure calculations within the local-density approximation+$U$ (LDA+$U$) scheme. In valence-band photoemission spectra, a double-peak structure which is characteristic of the metallic double perovskite series has been observed near the Fermi level ($E_{rm F}$), although it is less distinct compared to the Sr$_2$FeMoO$_6$ case. The leading near-$E_{rm F}$ structure has a very weak spectral weight at $E_{rm F}$ above the metal-insulator transition (MIT) temperature $T_{rm MI}$ of $sim$140 K, and it loses the $E_{rm F}$ weight below $T_{rm MI}$, forming a small energy gap. To reproduce this small energy gap in the calculation, we require a very large effective $U$ ($U_{rm eff}$) for Re (4 eV) in addition to a relatively large $U_{rm eff}$ for Fe (4 eV). Although the most of the experimental features can be interpreted with the help of the band theory, the overall agreement between the theory and the experiment was not satisfactory. We demonstrate that the effective transfer integral between Fe and Re is actually smaller than that between Fe and Mo in Ca$_2$FeMoO$_6$, which can explain both MIT and very high ferrimagnetic transition temperature.
B-site ordered A$_2$BBO$_6$ double perovskites have a variety of applications as magnetic materials. Here we show that diamagnetic $d^{10}$ and $d^0$ B cations have a significant effect on the magnetic interactions in these materials. We present a neutron scattering and theoretical study of the Mn$^{2+}$ double perovskite Ba$_2$MnTeO$_6$ with a $4d^{10}$ Te$^{6+}$ cation on the B-site. It is found to be a Type I antiferromagnet with a dominant nearest-neighbor $J_1$ interaction. In contrast, the $5d^0$ W$^{6+}$ analogue Ba$_2$MnWO$_6$ is a Type II antiferromagnet with a significant next-nearest-neighbor $J_2$ interaction. This is due to a $d^{10}$/$d^0$ effect, where the different orbital hybridization with oxygen 2p results in different superexchange pathways. We show that $d^{10}$ B cations promote nearest neighbor and $d^0$ cations promote next-nearest-neighbor interactions. The $d^{10}$/$d^0$ effect could be used to tune magnetic interactions in double perovskites.
We present detailed calculations of the electric field gradient (EFG) using a point charge approximation in Ba$_2$NaOsO$_6$, a Mott insulator with strong spin-orbit interaction. Recent $^{23}$Na nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements found that the onset of local point symmetry breaking, likely caused by the formation of quadrupolar order, precedes the formation of long range magnetic order in this compound. An extension of the static $^{23}$Na NMR measurements as a function of the orientation of a 15 T applied magnetic field at 8 K in the magnetically ordered phase is reported. Broken local cubic symmetry induces a non-spherical electronic charge distribution around the Na site and thus finite EFG, affecting the NMR spectral shape. We combine the spectral analysis as a function of the orientation of the magnetic field with calculations of the EFG to determine the exact microscopic nature of the lattice distortions present in low temperature phases of this material. We establish that orthorhombic distortions, constrained along the cubic axes of the perovskite reference unit cell, of oxygen octahedra surrounding Na nuclei are present in the magnetic phase. Other common types of distortions often observed in oxide structures are considered as well.
We investigate the antiferromagnetic insulating state of the recently discovered double perovskites Sr$_2$XOsO$_6$ (X$=$Sc, Mg) by using ab-initio calculations (based on Density Functional Theory and Dynamical Mean-Field Theory) to elucidate the interplay between electronic correlations and spin-orbit coupling. The structural details of Sr$_2$XOsO$_6$ (X$=$Sc, Mg) induce band narrowing effects which enhance local electronic correlations. The half-filled $5d^3$ orbitals of Os in Sr$_2$ScOsO$_6$ fall into a magnetically ordered correlated regime, which is slightly affected and reduced by the spin-orbit coupling. The electronic configuration $5d^2$ of Os in Sr$_2$MgOsO$_6$ responses differently to electronic correlations promoting a less localized state than Sr$_2$ScOsO$_6$ at the same strength of electronic interactions. We find that the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling drives Sr$_2$MgOsO$_6$ toward insulating behaviour and promotes a large tendency in formation of orbital magnetization antiparallel to the spin moment. The formation of the AFM state is linked to the evidence of correlated Hubbard bands in the paramagnetic solution of Sr$_2$XOsO$_6$ (X$=$Sc, Mg).