Prokhnenko, O. | Search NASA

DOE OSTI2021

High-field spin-flop state in green dioptase

The high-field magnetic properties and magnetic order of the gem mineral green dioptase Cu 6 [Si 6 O 18 ] .6 H 2 O have been studied by means of single-crystal neutron diffraction in magnetic fields up to 21 T and magnetization measurements up to 30 T. In zero field, the Cu 2+ moments in the antiferromagnetic chains are oriented along the c axis with a small off-axis tilt. For a field applied parallel to the c axis, the magnetization shows a spin-flop-like transition at B*=12.2 T at 1.5 K. Neutron diffraction experiments show a smooth behavior in the intensities of the magnetic reflections without any change in the periodicity of the magnetic structure. Bulk and microscopic observations are well described by a model of ferromagnetically coupled antiferromagnetic X X Z spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ chains, taking into account a change of the local easy-axis direction. We demonstrate that the magnetic structure evolves smoothly from a deformed Néel state at low fields to a deformed spin-flop state in a high field via a strong crossover around B*. The results are generalized for different values of interchain coupling and spin anisotropy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic field induced antiferromagnetic cone structure in multiferroic BiFeO 3

Neutron diffraction measurements were performed under high magnetic fields up to 17 T in a multiferroic BiFeO 3 single crystal, in which an intermediate magnetic (IM) phase has been found between the cycloid and canted antiferromagnetic phases [S. Kawachi et al., Phys. Rev. Mater. 1, 024408 (2017)]. We clearly found that the incommensurate magnetic peaks, which split perpendicular to the magnetic field in the cycloid phase, rotate by 90 deg to align parallel to the field in the IM phase. The magnetic structure in the IM phase can be best described by an antiferromagnetic cone (AF cone) structure. The transition from the cycloid to AF cone is of first order and the direction of the magnetic wave vector and the easy plane of the cycloidal component are rotated by 90 deg without changing the cycloidal modulation period, whereas the transition from the AF cone to canted antiferromagnetic phase is gradual and the cone angle becomes smaller gradually without changing the modulation period. Interestingly, the cycloidal component as well as the cone angle in the IM phase shows a large hysteresis between the field increasing and decreasing processes. Finally, this result, combined with the magnetostriction with a large hysteresis previously reported in the IM phase, suggests a strong magnetoelastic coupling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗