arXiv subjects

A. T. M. N. Islam

Publications and source records attributed to A. T. M. N. Islam.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Single-Crystal Growth and Physical Properties of the Antiferromagnetic Double Perovskite Ba_2CoMoO_6

This work presents a comprehensive investigation of the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of the double perovskite Ba$_2$CoMoO$_6$ (BCMO). Single crystals were grown via floating-zone and Czochralski growth techniques and characterized using a set of complementary methods. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that BCMO crystallizes in a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure with space group $Fm\overline{3}m$. Magnetic susceptibility measurements exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering below $T_{\mathrm{N}} = 20.1(1)$~K. A spin-flop transition is observed at 26.5~kOe. Heat capacity measurements and entropy analysis are consistent with a $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 1/2$ ground state for Co$^{2+}$ ions. X-ray absorption spectroscopy provided insight into the local electronic structure, revealing the spin-orbit and crystal field effects. The cluster-model analysis yields a $g$-factor of 4.36, consistent with a spin-orbit-entangled ground state. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy demonstrates a strong near surface optical response with an onset near 1.5~eV and a pronounced feature at 2.65~eV, consistent with visible range Co--O--Mo transitions in line with related Ba-based double perovskites, highlighting its potential for spintronic and energy conversion applications.

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arXiv2026

Crystal growth and magnetic properties of spin-$1/2$ distorted triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuLa$_2$Ge$_2$O$_8$

CuLa$_2$Ge$_2$O$_8$ forms a distorted triangular lattice of quantum spin-1/2 Cu$^{2+}$ ions. A crystal growth method was developed using the traveling-solvent floating zone technique resulting in the synthesis of a large single crystal (4 mm$\times$4 mm$\times$10 mm). The crystal was characterized with regard to phase purity and crystallinity using powder X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Laue diffraction, and found to be of excellent quality. The magnetic properties were characterized using dc-susceptibility, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements which revealed weak magnetic frustration with long-range magnetic order occurring below $T_N=1.14(1)$~K. The magnetic structure determined using neutron powder diffraction is a commensurate, noncollinear antiferromagnetic, different from the 120$^{\circ}$ order of an equilateral triangular antiferromagnet. The ordered moments lie in the {\bf bc}-plane, with components $m_b=0.50(3)$~$μ_{B}$ and $m_c= 0.73(5)$~$μ_{B}$ along the {\bf b}- and {\bf c}-axes respectively, giving a total ordered moment of $M_{total}$= 0.89(6)$μ_{B}/$Cu$^{2+}$ at 20~mK.

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arXiv2024

Growth of Ba_2CoWO_6 Single Crystals and their Magnetic, Thermodynamic and Electronic Properties

This study explores the bulk crystal growth, structural characterization, and physical property measurements of the cubic double perovskite Ba_2CoWO_6(BCWO). In BCWO, Co+2 ions form a face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice with non-distorted cobalt octahedra. The compound exhibits long-range antiferromagnetic order below TN = 14 K. Magnetization data indicated a slight anisotropy along with a spin-flop transition at 10 kOe , a saturation field of 310 kOe and an ordered moment of 2.17 Mu_B at T = 1.6 K. Heat capacity measurements indicate an effective j = 1/2 ground state configuration, resulting from the combined effects of the crystal electric field and spin-orbit interaction. Surface photovoltage analysis reveals two optical gaps in the UV-Visible region, suggesting potential applications in photocatalysis and photovoltaics. The magnetic and optical properties highlight the significant role of orbital contributions within BCWO, indicating various other potential applications.

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arXiv2023

Magnetic structure and phase diagram of the Heisenberg-Ising spin chain antiferromagnetic PbCo$_{2}$V$_{2}$O$_{8}$

The effective spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain materials, ACo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$, A = Sr, Ba, are a rich source of exotic fundamental phenomena and have been investigated for their model magnetic properties both in zero and non-zero magnetic fields. Here we investigate a new member of the family, namely PbCo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$. We synthesize powder and single crystal samples of PbCo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ and determine its magnetic structure using neutron diffraction. Furthermore, the magnetic field/temperature phase diagrams for magnetic field applied along the c, a, and [110] crystallographic directions in the tetragonal unit cell are determined via magnetization and heat capacity measurements. A complex series of phases and quantum phase transitions are discovered that depend strongly on both the magnitude and direction of the field. Our results show that \pcvo is an effective spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain with properties that are in general comparable to those of SrCo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ and BaCo$_2$V$_2$O$_8$. One interesting departure from the results of these related compounds, is however, the discovery of a new field-induced phase for the field direction $H\|$[110] which has not been previously observed.

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arXiv2023

Magnetic excitation spectrum and Hamiltonian of the quantum spin chain BaCuTe2O6

The magnetic excitation spectrum and Hamiltonian of the quantum magnet BaCuTe2O6 is studied by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and density functional theory (DFT). INS on powder and single crystal samples reveals overlapping spinon continuua - the spectrum of an antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 spin chain - due to equivalent chains running along the a, b, and c directions. Long-range magnetic order onsets below TN = 6.3 K due to interchain interactions, and is accompanied by the emergence of sharp spin-wave excitations which replace the continuua at low energies. The spin-wave spectrum is highly complex and was successfully modelled achieving excellent agreement with the data. The extracted interactions reveal an intrachain interaction, J3 = 2.9 meV, while the antiferromagnetic hyperkagome interaction J2, is the sub-leading interaction responsible for coupling the chains together in a frustrated way. DFT calculations reveal a similar picture for BaCuTe2O6 of dominant J3 and sub-leading J2 antiferromagnetic interactions and also indicate a high sensitivity of the interactions to small changes of structure which could explain the very different Hamiltonians observed in the sister compounds SrCuTe2O6 and PbCuTe2O6.

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arXiv2022

Pinch points and half-moons in dipolar-octupolar Nd$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$

While it is established that the pinch point scattering pattern in spin ice arises from an emergent coulomb phase associated with magnetic moment that is divergence-free, more complex Hamiltonians can introduce a divergence-full part. If these two parts remain decoupled, they give rise to the co-existence of distinct features. Here we show that the moment in ${\rm Nd_2Hf_2O_7}$ forms a static long-range ordered ground state, a flat, gapped pinch point excitation and dispersive excitations. These results confirm recent theories which predict that the dispersive modes, which arise from the divergence-full moment, host a pinch point pattern of their own, observed experimentally as `half-moons'.

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arXiv2021

Crystal growth, characterization and phase transition of PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$

Single crystals of the three-dimensional frustrated magnet and spin liquid candidate compound PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$ were grown using both the Travelling Solvent Floating Zone (TSFZ) and the Top-Seeded Solution Growth (TSSG) techniques. The growth conditions were optimized by investigating the thermal properties. The quality of the crystals was checked by polarized optical microscopy, X-ray Laue and X-ray powder diffraction, and compared to the polycrystalline samples. Excellent quality crystals were obtained by the TSSG method. Magnetic measurements of these crystals revealed a small anisotropy for different crystallographic directions in comparison with the previously reported data. The heat capacity of both single crystal and powder samples reveal a transition anomaly around 1 K. Curiously the position and magnitude of the transition are strongly dependent on the crystallite size and it is almost entirely absent for the smallest crystallites. A structural transition is suggested which accompanies the reported ferroelectric transition, and a scenario whereby it becomes energetically unfavourable in small crystallites is proposed.

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arXiv2021

Weak three-dimensional coupling of Heisenberg quantum spin chains in SrCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$

The magnetic Hamiltonian of the Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet SrCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$ is studied by inelastic neutron scattering technique on powder and single crystalline samples above and below the magnetic transition temperatures at 8 K and 2 K. The high temperature spectra reveal a characteristic diffuse scattering corresponding to a multi-spinon continuum confirming the dominant quantum spin-chain behavior due to the third neighbour interaction J$_{intra}$ = 4.22 meV (49 K). The low temperature spectra exhibits sharper excitations at energies below 1.25 meV which can be explained by considering a combination of weak antiferromagnetic first nearest neighbour interchain coupling J$_1$ = 0.17 meV (1.9 K) and even weaker ferromagnetic second nearest neighbour J$_2$ = -0.037 meV (-0.4 K) or a weak ferromagnetic J$_2$ = -0.11 meV (-1.3 K) and antiferromagnetic J$_6$ = 0.16 meV (1.85 K) giving rise to the long-range magnetic order and spin-wave excitations at low energies. These results suggest that SrCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$ is a highly one-dimensional Heisenberg system with three mutually perpendicular spin-chains coupled by a weak ferromagnetic J$_2$ in addition to the antiferromagnetic J$_1$ or J$_6$ presenting a contrasting scenario from the highly frustrated hyper-hyperkagome lattice (equally strong antiferromagnetic J$_1$ and J$_2$) found in the iso-structural PbCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$.

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arXiv2021

Structural and magnetic properties of the new quantum magnet BaCuTe$_2$O$_6$

We investigate the structural and magnetic properties of the new quantum magnet BaCuTe$_2$O$_6$. This compound is synthesized for the first time in powder and single crystal form. Synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction reveal a cubic crystal structure (P4$_1$32) where the magnetic Cu$^{2+}$ ions form a complex network. Physical properties measurements suggest the presence of antiferromagnetic interactions with a Curie-Weiss temperature of -33K, while long-range magnetic order occurs at the much lower temperature of ~6.3K. The magnetic structure, solved using neutron diffraction, reveals antiferromagnetic order along chains parallel to the a, b and c crystal axes. This is consistent with the magnetic excitations which resemble the multispinon continuum typical of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain. A consistent intrachain interaction value of ~34K is achieved from the various techniques. Finally the magnetic structure provides evidence that the chains are coupled together in a non-colinear arrangement by a much weaker antiferromagnetic, frustrated hyperkagome interaction.

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arXiv2021

Signatures for Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless critical behaviour in the planar antiferromagnet BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$

We investigate the critical properties of the spin-$1$ honeycomb antiferromagnet BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$, both below and above the ordering temperature $T_N$ using neutron diffraction and muon spin rotation measurements. Our results characterize BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ as a two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnet across the entire temperature range, displaying a series of crossovers from 2D Ising-like to 2D XY and then to 2D Heisenberg behavior with increasing temperature. In particular, the extracted critical exponent of the order parameter reveals a narrow temperature regime close to $T_N$, in which the system behaves as a 2D XY antiferromagnet. Above $T_N$, evidence for Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless behavior driven by vortex excitations is obtained from the scaling of the correlation length. Our experimental results are in accord with classical and quantum Monte Carlo simulations performed for microscopic magnetic model Hamiltonians for BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$.

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arXiv2020

Enhanced spin correlations in the Bose-Einstein condensate compound Sr3Cr2O8

Combined experimental and modeling studies of the magnetocaloric effect, ultrasound, and magnetostriction were performed on single-crystal samples of the spin-dimer system Sr$_3$Cr$_2$O$_8$ in large magnetic fields, to probe the spin-correlated regime in the proximity of the field-induced XY-type antiferromagnetic order also referred to as a Bose-Einstein condensate of magnons. The magnetocaloric effect, measured under adiabatic conditions, reveals details of the field-temperature ($H,T$) phase diagram, a dome characterized by critical magnetic fields $H_{c1}$ = 30.4 T, $H_{c2}$ = 62 T, and a single maximum ordering temperature $T_{\rm max}(45~$T$)\simeq$8 K. The sample temperature was observed to drop significantly as the magnetic field is increased, even for initial temperatures above $T_{\rm max}$, indicating a significant magnetic entropy associated to the field-induced closure of the spin gap. The ultrasound and magnetostriction experiments probe the coupling between the lattice degrees of freedom and the magnetism in Sr$_3$Cr$_2$O$_8$. Our experimental results are qualitatively reproduced by a minimalistic phenomenological model of the exchange-striction by which sound waves renormalize the effective exchange couplings.

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arXiv2020

Evidence for a three-dimensional quantum spin liquid in PbCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$

The quantum spin liquid (QSL) is a highly entangled magnetic state characterized by the absence of static magnetism in its ground state. Instead, the spins fluctuate in a highly correlated way down to the lowest temperatures. The QSL is very rare and is confined to a few specific cases where the interactions between the magnetic ions cannot be simultaneously satisfied (known as frustration). Lattices with magnetic ions in triangular or tetrahedral arrangements which interact via isotropic antiferromagnetic interactions can generate such a frustration. Three-dimensional isotropic spin liquids have mostly been sought in materials where the magnetic ions form pyrochlore or hyperkagome lattices. Here we present a three-dimensional lattice called the hyper-hyperkagome that enables spin liquid behaviour and manifests in the compound PbCuTe$_{2}$O$_{6}$. Using a combination of experiment and theory we show that this system exhibits signs of being a quantum spin liquid with no detectable static magnetism together with the presence of diffuse continua in the magnetic spectrum suggestive of fractional spinon excitations.

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arXiv2019

Order out of a Coulomb phase and Higgs transtion: frustrated transverse interactions of Nd2Zr2O7

The pyrochlore material Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ with an "all-in-all-out" (AIAO) magnetic order shows novel quantum moment fragmentation with gapped flat dynamical spin ice modes. The parameterized spin Hamiltonian with a dominant frustrated ferromagnetic transverse term reveals a proximity to a U(1) spin liquid. Here we study magnetic excitations of Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ above the ordering temperature ($T_\text{N}$) using high-energy-resolution inelastic neutron scattering. We find strong spin ice correlations at zero energy with the disappearance of gapped magnon excitations of the AIAO order. It seems that the gap to the dynamical spin ice closes above $T_\text{N}$ and the system enters a quantum spin ice state competing with and suppressing the AIAO order. Classical Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics and quantum boson calculations support the existence of a Coulombic phase above $T_\text{N}$. Our findings relate the magnetic ordering of Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ with the Higgs mechanism and provide explanations for several previously reported experimental features.

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arXiv2019

Anisotropic exchange Hamiltonian, magnetic phase diagram and domain inversion of Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$

We present thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements on the quantum spin ice candidate Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$. The parameterization of the anisotropic exchange Hamiltonian is refined based on high-energy-resolution inelastic neutron scattering data together with thermodynamic data using linear spin wave theory and numerical linked cluster expansion. Magnetic phase diagrams are calculated using classical Monte Carlo simulations with fields along \mbox{[100]}, \mbox{[110]} and \mbox{[111]} crystallographic directions which agree qualitatively with the experiment. Large hysteresis and irreversibility for \mbox{[111]} is reproduced and the microscopic mechanism is revealed by mean field calculations to be the existence of metastable states and domain inversion. Our results shed light on the explanations of the recently observed dynamical kagome ice in Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ in \mbox{[111]} fields.

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arXiv2018

Optimization of single crystal growth of candidate quantum spin-ice Pr2Hf2O7 by optical floating-zone method

We report the optimized conditions for growing the high quality single crystals of candidate quantum spin-ice Pr2Hf2O7 using the optical floating-zone method. Large single crystals of Pr2Hf2O7 have been grown under different growth conditions using a four-mirror type optical floating-zone furnace and their microscopic structural differences have been probed by high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction (SXRD). The SXRD data reveal that the crystals grown under fowing argon (~ 2 L/h) atmosphere with slightly off-stoichiometric (optimized) starting composition yields the highest quality crystals. The magnetic susceptibility, isothermal magnetization and heat capacity data of optimally grown crystals are presented.

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arXiv2018

Inverted hysteresis and negative remanence in a homogeneous antiferromagnet

Magnetic remanence - found in bar magnets or magnetic storage devices - is probably the oldest and most ubiquitous phenomenon underpinning technological applications of magnetism. It is a macroscopic non-equilibrium phenomenon: a remanent magnetisation appears when a magnetic field is applied to an initially unmagnetised ferromagnet, and then taken away. Here, we present an inverted magnetic hysteresis loop in the pyrochlore compound Nd$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$: the remanent magnetisation points in a direction opposite to the applied field. This phenomenon is exquisitely tunable as a function of the protocol in field and temperature, and it is reproducible as in a quasi-equilibrium setting. We account for this phenomenon in considerable detail in terms of the properties of non-equilibrium population of domain walls which exhibit a magnetic moment between domains of an ordered antiferromagnetic state which itself has zero net magnetisation. Properties and (non-equilibrium) dynamics of topological defects play an important role in modern spintronics, and our study adds an instance where a uniform field couples selectively to domain walls rather than the bulk.

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arXiv2018

Investigation of the spin-1 honeycomb antiferromagnet BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ with easy plane anisotropy

The magnetic properties of the two-dimensional, S=1 honeycomb antiferromagnet BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ have been comprehensively studied using DC susceptibility measurements and inelastic neutron scattering techniques. The magnetic excitation spectrum is found to be dispersionless within experimental resolution between the honeycomb layers, while it disperses strongly within the honeycomb plane where it consists of two gapped spin-wave modes. The magnetic excitations are compared to linear spin-wave theory allowing the Hamiltonian to be determined. The first- and second-neighbour magnetic exchange interactions are antiferromagnetic and lie within the ranges 10.90meV$\le$J$_n$$\le$13.35 meV and 0.85meV$\le$J$_{nn}$$\le$1.65 meV respectively. The interplane coupling J$_{out}$ is four orders of magnitude weaker than the intraplane interactions, confirming the highly two-dimensional magnetic behaviour of this compound. The sizes of the energy gaps are used to extract the magnetic anisotropies and reveal substantial easy-plane anisotropy and a very weak in-plane easy-axis anisotropy. Together these results reveal that BaNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ is a candidate compound for the investigation of vortex excitations and Berezinsky-Kosterliz-Thouless phenomenona.

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arXiv2017

Spinon confinement in a quasi one dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg magnet

Confinement is a process by which particles with fractional quantum numbers bind together to form quasiparticles with integer quantum numbers. The constituent particles are confined by an attractive interaction whose strength increases with increasing particle separation and as a consequence, individual particles are not found in isolation. This phenomenon is well known in particle physics where quarks are confined in baryons and mesons. An analogous phenomenon occurs in certain magnetic insulators; weakly coupled chains of spins S=1/2. The collective excitations in these systems is spinons (S=1/2). At low temperatures weak coupling between chains can induce an attractive interaction between pairs of spinons that increases with their separation and thus leads to confinement. In this paper, we employ inelastic neutron scattering to investigate the spinon confinement in the quasi-1D S=1/2 XXZ antiferromagnet SrCo2V2O8. Spinon excitations are observed above TN in quantitative agreement with established theory. Below TN the pairs of spinons are confined and two sequences of meson-like bound states with longitudinal and transverse polarizations are observed. Several theoretical approaches are used to explain the data. A new theoretical technique based on Tangent-space Matrix Product States gives a very complete description of the data and provides good agreement not only with the energies of the bound modes but also with their intensities. We also successfully explained the effect of temperature on the excitations including the experimentally observed thermally induced resonance between longitudinal modes below TN ,and the transitions between thermally excited spinon states above TN. In summary, our work establishes SrCo2V2O8 as a beautiful paradigm for spinon confinement in a quasi-1D quantum magnet and provides a comprehensive picture of this process.

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