arXiv subjects

A. Podlesnyak

Publications and source records attributed to A. Podlesnyak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Anisotropy of spin waves in the field-polarized phase of Fe-doped MnSi

Chiral magnetic textures, such as skyrmions, are of great interest to the condensed matter community due to their novel transport properties. The stabilization of topologically non-trivial magnetic phases, like the skyrmion lattice in MnSi, is governed by underlying magnetic interactions which can be probed via measurements of spin-wave excitations. Here, we report high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements of the spin waves in Fe-doped Mn$_{0.9}$Fe$_{0.1}$Si deep within its field-polarized ferromagnetic state. We observe non-reciprocal spin waves with a parabolic dispersion that shifts linearly with magnetic field. Crucially, the spin-wave stiffness is highly anisotropic, with values of 14.7 meV $\rm{\mathring{A}}$$^2$ parallel to the applied field and 7.6 meV $\rm{\mathring{A}}$$^2$ perpendicular to it. This pronounced anisotropy in a cubic material is inconsistent with standard theoretical models for MnSi and indicates a necessity to revise our theoretical understanding.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

On the magnetic contribution of itinerant electrons to neutron diffraction in the topological antiferromagnet CeAlGe

We report a neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of CeAlGe, a candidate topological semimetal that hosts a non-collinear, multi-$\mathbf{k}$ magnetic phase. By measuring both low- and high-momentum-transfer magnetic Bragg peaks within a single experimental setup, we refine a magnetic structure model based solely on localized Ce moments. This model, which differs from that obtained using only high-$Q$ data, quantitatively reproduces the observed intensities, including the $(000)$ zeroth-order magnetic satellites that are especially sensitive to subtle components of the modulation. While a contribution from itinerant electrons to the zeroth satellite cannot be definitively excluded, our analysis reveals no unambiguous evidence for such effects within experimental uncertainty. The refined magnetic structures exhibit topologically nontrivial winding patterns, derived from the fitted magnetic parameters, that support localized, particle-like spin textures with half-integer topological charges. These features provide a natural microscopic origin for the observed topological Hall effect, establishing CeAlGe as a model system where magnetism and topology are intimately linked.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the spiral spin liquid in a triangular-lattice material

The spiral spin liquid (SSL) is a highly degenerate state characterized by a continuous contour or surface in reciprocal space spanned by a spiral propagation vector. Although the SSL state has been predicted in a number of various theoretical models, very few materials are so far experimentally identified to host such a state. Via combined single-crystal wide-angle and small-angle neutron scattering, we report observation of the SSL in the quasi-two-dimensional delafossite AgCrSe$_2$. We show that it is a very close realization of the ideal Heisenberg $J_1$--$J_2$--$J_3$ frustrated model on the triangular lattice. By supplementing our experimental results with microscopic spin-dynamics simulations, we demonstrate how such exotic magnetic states are driven by thermal fluctuations and exchange frustration.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Stripe magnetic order and field-induced quantum criticality in the perfect triangular-lattice antiferromagnet CsCeSe$_2$

The two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet (TLAF) is a textbook example of frustrated magnetic systems. Despite its simplicity, the TLAF model exhibits a highly rich and complex magnetic phase diagram, featuring numerous distinct ground states that can be stabilized through frustrated next-nearest-neighbor couplings or anisotropy. In this paper, we report low-temperature magnetic properties of the TLAF material CsCeSe$_2$. The inelastic neutron scattering (INS) together with specific heat measurements and density functional theory calculations of crystalline electric field suggest that the ground state of Ce ions is a Kramers doublet with strong easy-plane anisotropy. Elastic neutron scattering measurements demonstrate the presence of stripe-$yz$ magnetic order that develops below $T_{\rm N} = 0.35$ K, with the zero-field ordered moment of $m_{\rm Ce} \approx 0.65~μ_{\rm B}$. Application of magnetic field first increases the ordering temperature by about 20% at the intermediate field region and eventually suppresses the stripe order in favor of the field-polarized ferromagnetic state via a continuous quantum phase transition (QPT). The field-induced response demonstrates sizable anisotropy for different in-plane directions, $\mathbf{B}\parallel{}\mathbf{a}$ and $\mathbf{B}\perp{}\mathbf{a}$, which indicates the presence of bond-dependent coupling in the spin Hamiltonian. We further show theoretically that the presence of anisotropic bond-dependent interactions can change the universality class of QPT for $\mathbf{B}\parallel{}\mathbf{a}$ and $\mathbf{B}\perp{}\mathbf{a}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Quantum Spin Dynamics Due to Strong Kitaev Interactions in the Triangular-Lattice Antiferromagnet CsCeSe$_2$

The extraordinary properties of the Kitaev model have motivated an intense search for new physics in materials that combine geometrical and bond frustration. In this work, we employ inelastic neutron scattering, spin wave theory, and exact diagonalization to study the spin dynamics in the perfect triangular-lattice antiferromagnet (TLAF) CsCeSe$_2$. This material orders into a stripe phase, which is demonstrated to arise as a consequence of the off-diagonal bond-dependent terms in the spin Hamiltonian. By studying the spin dynamics at intermediate fields, we identify an interaction between the single-magnon state and the two-magnon continuum that causes decay of coherent magnon excitations, level repulsion, and transfer of spectral weight to the continuum that are controlled by the strength of the magnetic field. Our results provide a microscopic mechanism for the stabilization of the stripe phase in TLAF and show how complex many-body physics can be present in the spin dynamics in a magnet with strong Kitaev coupling even in an ordered ground state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Helical Spin Dynamics in Commensurate Magnets: a Study on Brochantite, Cu$_4$SO$_4$(OH)$_6$

We report the direct observation of a commensurate-ordered antiferromagnetic (AFM) state but incommensurate helical spin dynamics in the natural mineral brochantite Cu$_4$SO$_4$(OH)$_6$ through neutron diffraction and neutron spectroscopy measurements. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal magnon-like excitations with considerable dispersion along the c-axis and almost flat branches in other principal directions, indicating the strong one-dimensional character of the magnetic correlations. We experimentally observe the effect of the uniform Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, which elevates the degeneracy of the spin-wave modes shifting them in opposite directions in reciprocal space. The system has a commensurate AFM ground state, stabilized by the anisotropic symmetric Heisenberg exchange interactions, and quasi-one-dimensional chiral spin dynamics due to the antisymmetric DM interaction. Employing linear spin-wave theory, we were able to construct an effective Heisenberg Hamiltonian. We quantify both the symmetric exchange parameters and the DM vector components in Cu$_4$SO$_4$(OH)$_6$ and determine the mechanism of the magnetic frustration. Our work provides detailed insights into the complex dynamics of the spin chain in the presence of uniform DM interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Magnetic field-induced phases and spin Hamiltonian in Cs2CoBr4

Magnetic structures and spin excitations are studied across the phase diagram of the geometrically frustrated S = 3/2 quantum antiferromagnet Cs2CoBr4 in magnetic fields applied along the magnetic easy axis, using neutron diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering and THz absorption spectroscopy. The data are analyzed, where appropriate, using extended SU (4) linear spin wave theory. A minimal magnetic Hamiltonian is proposed based on measurements in the high field polarized state. It deviates considerably from the previously considered models. Additional dilatometry experiments highlight the importance of magnetoelastic coupling in this system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

A microscopic Kondo lattice model for the heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeIn$_3$

Electrons at the border of localization generate exotic states of matter across all classes of strongly correlated electron materials and many other quantum materials with emergent functionality. Heavy electron metals are a model example, in which magnetic interactions arise from the opposing limits of localized and itinerant electrons. This remarkable duality is intimately related to the emergence of a plethora of novel quantum matter states such as unconventional superconductivity, electronic-nematic states, hidden order and most recently topological states of matter such as topological Kondo insulators and Kondo semimetals and putative chiral superconductors. The outstanding challenge is that the archetypal Kondo lattice model that captures the underlying electronic dichotomy is notoriously difficult to solve for real materials. Here we show, using the prototypical strongly-correlated antiferromagnet CeIn$_3$, that a multi-orbital periodic Anderson model embedded with input from ab initio bandstructure calculations can be reduced to a simple Kondo-Heisenberg model, which captures the magnetic interactions quantitatively. We validate this tractable Hamiltonian via high-resolution neutron spectroscopy that reproduces accurately the magnetic soft modes in CeIn$_3$, which are believed to mediate unconventional superconductivity. Our study paves the way for a quantitative understanding of metallic quantum states such as unconventional superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Long range 3D magnetic structures of the spin $S$=1 hexamer cluster fedotovite-like A$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O(SO$_4$)$_3$ (A$_2$=K$_2$, NaK, Na$_2$): a neutron diffraction study

The crystal and magnetic structures of the spin $S$=1 hexamer cluster fedotovite-like A$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O(SO$_4$)$_3$ (A$_2$=K$_2$, NaK, Na$_2$) were studied by neutron powder diffraction at temperatures 1.6-290 K. The crystal structures in all compounds are well refined in the monoclinic space group C2/c. The basic magnetic units of the compounds are copper hexamers which are coupled by weak superexchange interactions giving rise to three-dimensional long-range magnetic order below $3.0 $ for the simplest symmetric spin Hamiltonian (obtained from inelastic neutron spectroscopy) of the isolated hexamers in the mean field, amounted to $\left<{s}\right>$=3/8 for side spins Cu1 and Cu2 and $\left<{s}\right>$=1/4 for Cu3 in the middle. The Cu spins are FM coupled in pairs and AFM between neighboring pairs. The experimental magnetic moments of the Cu$^{2+}$ ions turn out to be not completely collinear due to spin frustrations within the weak interhexamer interactions. The sizes of magnetic moments of Cu in the hexamers determined from the diffraction data are in fair agreement with the calculated values.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Quantum Spin Ice Response to a Magnetic Field in the Dipole-Octupole Pyrochlore Ce$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$

We report new heat capacity measurements on single crystal Ce$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ down to $\sim$ 0.1 K in a magnetic field along the $[1,\bar{1}, 0]$ direction. These new measurements show that the broad hump in the zero-field heat capacity moves higher in temperature with increasing field strength and is split into two humps by the $[1,\bar{1}, 0]$ field at $\sim$ 2 T. These separate features are due to the decomposition of the pyrochlore lattice into effectively decoupled chains for fields in this direction: one set of chains ($α$-chains) is polarized by the field while the other ($β$-chains) remains free. Our theoretical modelling suggests that the $β$-chains are close to a critical state, with nearly-gapless excitations. We also report new elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements on single crystal Ce$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ in $[1, \bar{1}, 0]$ and $[0, 0, 1]$ magnetic fields at temperatures down to 0.03 K. The elastic scattering behaves consistently with the formation of independent chains for a $[1, \bar{1}, 0]$ field, while the $[0, 0, 1]$ field produces a single field-induced magnetic Bragg peak at $(0, 2, 0)$ and equivalent wavevectors, indicating a polarized spin ice for fields above $\sim$ 3 T. For both $[1, \bar{1}, 0]$ and $[0, 0, 1]$ fields, our inelastic neutron scattering results show an approximately-dispersionless continuum of scattering that increases in both energy and intensity with increasing field strength. By modelling the complete set of experimental data using numerical linked cluster and semiclassical molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate the dominantly multipolar nature of the exchange interactions in Ce$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ and the smallness of the parameter $θ$ which controls the mixing between dipolar and octupolar degrees of freedom. These results support previous estimates of the microscopic exchange parameters.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Short-range magnetic correlations in quasicrystalline i-Tb-Cd

We report on elastic and inelastic neutron scattering from single-grain isotopically-enriched samples to elucidate the local magnetic correlations between Tb$^{3+}$ moments in quasicrystalline i-Tb-Cd. The inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the CEF excitations demonstrated that the Tb$^{3+}$ moments are directed primarily along the local five-fold axes of the Tsai-type cluster as was found for the TbCd6 approximant phase. Based on the inelastic measurements, we consider of a simple Ising-type model for the moment configurations on a single Tb$^{3+}$ icosahedron and enumerate the lowest energy moment configurations. We then calculate the diffuse scattering from these configurations and compare with the experimental magnetic diffuse scattering measurements to identify the most likely single cluster moment configurations and find reasonable agreement between the broad features observed in our scattering simulations. We further consider the role of higher-order (longer range) intercluster correlations for the magnetic scattering.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Confinement of many-body Bethe strings

Based on Bethe-ansatz approach and inelastic neutron scattering experiments, we reveal evolution of confinement of many-body Bethe strings in ordered regions of quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet $\rm YbAlO_3$. In the antiferromagnetic phase, the spin dynamics is dominated by the confined length-1 Bethe strings, whose dominancy in the high-energy branch of the excitation spectrum yields to the confined length-2 Bethe strings when the material is tuned to the spin-density-wave phase. In the thermal-induced disordered region, the confinement effect disappears, and the system restores the conventional quantum integrable physics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model. Our results establish a unified picture based on Bethe string for the spin dynamics in different magnetic phases of $\rm YbAlO_3$, and thus provide profound insight into the many-body quantum magnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Spin excitations in the kagome-lattice metallic antiferromagnet Fe$_{0.89}$Co$_{0.11}$Sn

Kagome-lattice materials have attracted tremendous interest due to the broad prospect for seeking superconductivity, quantum spin liquid states, and topological electronic structures. Among them, the transition-metal kagome lattices are high-profile objects for the combination of topological properties, rich magnetism, and multiple-orbital physics. Here we report an inelastic neutron scattering study on the spin dynamics of a kagome-lattice antiferromagnetic metal Fe$_{0.89}$Co$_{0.11}$Sn. Although the magnetic excitations can be observed up to $\sim$250 meV, well-defined spin waves are only identified below $\sim$90 meV and can be modeled using Heisenberg exchange with ferromagnetic in-plane nearest-neighbor coupling $J_1$, in-plane next-nearest-neighbor coupling $J_2$, and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interlayer coupling $J_c$ under linear spin-wave theory. Above $\sim$90 meV, the spin waves enter the itinerant Stoner continuum and become highly damped particle-hole excitations. At the K point of the Brillouin zone, we reveal a possible band crossing of the spin wave, which indicates a potential Dirac magnon. Our results uncover the evolution of the spin excitations from the planar AFM state to the axial AFM state in Fe$_{0.89}$Co$_{0.11}$Sn, solve the magnetic Hamiltonian for both states, and confirm the significant influence of the itinerant magnetism on the spin excitations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Interplay of itinerant electrons and Ising moments in a hybrid honeycomb quantum magnet TmNi$_3$Al$_9$

The interplay between itinerant electrons and local magnetic moments in quantum materials brings about rich and fascinating phenomena and stimulates various developments in the theoretical framework. In this work, thermodynamic, electric transport, and neutron diffraction measurements were performed on a newly synthesized honeycomb lattice magnet TmNi$_3$Al$_9$. Based on the experimental data, a magnetic field temperature phase diagram was constructed, exhibiting three essentially different magnetic regions. Below ${T_{\rm N}=2.97 \pm 0.02}\ \rm K$ Tm$^{3+}$ moments order antiferromagnetically in zero field. We found that the Tm$^{3+}$ ions form a pseudo-doublet ground state with the Ising-like moments lying normal to the two-dimensional honeycomb layers. Application of a magnetic field along the easy axis gradually suppresses the antiferromagnetic order in favor of an induced ferromagnetic state above the critical field ${B_c=0.92 \pm 0.05}\ \rm T$. In the vicinity of $B_c$, a strong enhancement of the quantum spin fluctuations was observed. The quantum Ising nature of the local moments and the coupling to itinerant electrons are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Slow spin dynamics and quantum tunneling of magnetization in the dipolar antiferromagnet DyScO$_3$

We present a comprehensive study of static and dynamic magnetic properties in the Ising-like dipolar antiferromagnet (AFM) DyScO$_3$\ by means of DC and AC magnetization measurements supported by classical Monte-Carlo calculations. Our AC-susceptibility data show that the magnetic dynamics exhibit a clear crossover from an Arrhenius-like regime to quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) at $T^* = 10$ K. Below $T_{\mathrm{N}} = 3.2$ K DyScO$_3$ orders in an antiferromagnetic $GxAy$-type magnetic structure and the magnetization dynamics slow down to the minute timescale. The low-temperature magnetization curves exhibit complex hysteretic behavior, which depends strongly on the magnetic field sweep rate. We demonstrate that the low-field anomalies on the magnetization curve are related to the metamagnetic transition, while the hysteresis at higher fields is induced by a strong magnetocaloric effect. Our theoretical calculations, which take into account dipolar interaction between Dy$^{3+}$ moments, reproduce essential features of the magnetic behavior of DyScO$_3$. We demonstrate that DyScO$_3$ represents a rare example of inorganic compound, which exhibits QTM at a single-ion level and magnetic order due to classical dipolar interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Imbalanced spin couplings in the copper hexameter compounds A2Cu3O(SO4)3 (A2=Na2, NaK, K2)

The minerals A2Cu3O(SO4)3 (A2=Na2, NaK, K2) constitute quantum spin systems with copper hexamers as basic structural units. Strong intra-hexamer spin couplings give rise to an effective triplet ground-state. Weak inter-hexamer spin couplings are responsible for two-dimensional long-range magnetic order in the (b,c)-plane below 3.0<Tc<4.7 K. We investigated the magnetic excitations at T=1.5 K by inelastic neutron scattering (INS). The INS technique was based on the observation of wavevector-dependent slices in reciprocal space in order to selectively probe the magnetic signals in different Brillouin zones with different weight. Due to the imbalance of the spin couplings, the data analysis relied on a model in which the inter-hexamer spin couplings are treated perturbatively on top of the exact S=1 ground state. The inter-hexamer spin couplings turn out to be ferromagnetic.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Anomalous spin waves in CsFeCl$_{3}$ and RbFeCl$_{3}$

We investigate magnetic excitations in the $S=1$ easy-plan-type triangular antiferromagnets CsFeCl$_{3}$ and RbFeCl$_{3}$ through a combination of inelastic neutron scattering measurements and spin-wave theory calculations based on an established exchange-coupling Hamiltonian. We show that in either material the model falls short of providing an adequate description of the measured intensities and for RbFeCl$_{3}$ even fails to reproduce the measured dispersion relation. The most striking discrepancy is a very anisotropic azimuthal intensity distribution in the acoustic spin-wave branches in the long-wavelength limit, which is incompatible with spin-wave theory on a fundamental level. The observed anomalies are attributed to long-range dipolar interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic field-induced softening of spin waves and hard-axis order in Kondo-lattice ferromagnet CeAgSb$_{2}$

A significant number of Kondo-lattice ferromagnets order perpendicular to the easy magnetization axis dictated by the crystalline electric field. The nature of this phenomenon has attracted considerable attention, but remains poorly understood. In the present paper we use inelastic neutron scattering supported by magnetization and specific heat measurements to study the spin dynamics in the hard-axis ferromagnet CeAgSb2. In the zero field state we observed two sharp magnon modes, which are associated with Ce ordering and extended up to $\approx 3 meV with a considerable spin gap of 0.6 meV. Application of a magnetic field perpendicular to the moment direction reduces the spectral intensity and suppresses the gap and significantly enhances the low-temperature specific heat at a critical field of Bc ~ 2.8 T via a mean-field-like transition. Above the transition, in the field polarized state, the gap eventually reopens due to the Zeeman effect. We modeled the observed dispersion using linear spin-wave theory (LSWT) taking into account the ground state Gamma 6 doublet and exchange anisotropy. Our model correctly captures the essential features of the spin dynamics including magnetic dispersion, distribution of the spectral intensity as well as the field-induced behavior, although several minor features remain obscure. The observed spectra do not show significant broadening due to the finite lifetime of the quasiparticles. Along with a moderate electronic specific heat coefficient gamma = 46 mJ/mol K2 this indicates that the Kondo coupling is relatively weak and the Ce moments are well localized. Altogether, our results provide profound insight into the spin dynamics of the hard-axis ferromagnet CeAgSb2 and can be used as solid ground for studying magnetic interactions in isostructural compounds including CeAuSb2, which exhibits nematicity and unusual mesoscale magnetic textures.

cond-mat.str-el↗