arXiv subjects

Christian Pfleiderer

Publications and source records attributed to Christian Pfleiderer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Non-reciprocal magnons in non-centrosymmetric MnSi

Using two cold-neutron triple-axis spectrometers we have succeeded in fully mapping out the field-dependent evolution of the non-reciprocal magnon dispersion relations in all magnetic phases of MnSi. The non-reciprocal nature of the dispersion manifests itself in a full asymmetry (non-reciprocity) of the dynamical structure factor $S(q, E, μ_0 H_{int})$ with respect to flipping either the direction of the applied magnetic field $μ_0 H_{int}$, the reduced momentum transfer $q$, or the energy transfer $E$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Field dependence of non-reciprocal magnons in chiral MnSi

Spin waves in chiral magnetic materials are strongly influenced by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction resulting in intriguing phenomena like non-reciprocal magnon propagation and magnetochiral dichroism. Here, we study the non-reciprocal magnon spectrum of the archetypical chiral magnet MnSi and its evolution as a function of magnetic field covering the field-polarized and conical helix phase. Using inelastic neutron scattering, the magnon energies and their spectral weights are determined quantitatively after deconvolution with the instrumental resolution. In the field-polarized phase the imaginary part of the dynamical susceptibility $χ''(\varepsilon, {\bf q})$ is shown to be asymmetric with respect to wavevectors ${\bf q}$ longitudinal to the applied magnetic field ${\bf H}$, which is a hallmark of chiral magnetism. In the helimagnetic phase, $χ''(\varepsilon, {\bf q})$ becomes increasingly symmetric with decreasing ${\bf H}$ due to the formation of helimagnon bands and the activation of additional spinflip and non-spinflip scattering channels. The neutron spectra are in excellent quantitative agreement with the low-energy theory of cubic chiral magnets with a single fitting parameter being the damping rate of spin waves.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Quantum Tricritical Points in NbFe$_2$

Quantum critical points (QCPs) emerge when a 2nd order phase transition is suppressed to zero temperature. In metals the quantum fluctuations at such a QCP can give rise to new phases including unconventional superconductivity. Whereas antiferromagnetic QCPs have been studied in considerable detail ferromagnetic (FM) QCPs are much harder to access. In almost all metals FM QCPs are avoided through either a change to 1st order transitions or through an intervening spin-density-wave (SDW) phase. Here, we study the prototype of the second case, NbFe$_2$. We demonstrate that the phase diagram can be modelled using a two-order-parameter theory in which the putative FM QCP is buried within a SDW phase. We establish the presence of quantum tricritical points (QTCPs) at which both the uniform and finite $q$ susceptibility diverge. The universal nature of our model suggests that such QTCPs arise naturally from the interplay between SDW and FM order and exist generally near a buried FM QCP of this type. Our results promote NbFe$_2$ as the first example of a QTCP, which has been proposed as a key concept in a range of narrow-band metals, including the prominent heavy-fermion compound YbRh$_2$Si$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Positron spectroscopy of point defects in the skyrmion-lattice compound MnSi

Outstanding crystalline perfection is a key requirement for the formation of new forms of electronic order in a vast number of widely different materials. Whereas excellent sample quality represents a standard claim in the literature, there are, quite generally, no reliable microscopic probes to establish the nature and concentration of lattice defects such as voids, dislocations and different species of point defects on the level relevant to the length and energy scales inherent to these new forms of order. Here we report an experimental study of the archetypical skyrmion-lattice compound MnSi, where we relate the characteristic types of point defects and their concentration to the magnetic properties by combining different types of positron spectroscopy with ab-initio calculations and bulk measurements. We find that Mn antisite disorder broadens the magnetic phase transitions and lowers their critical temperatures, whereas the skyrmion lattice phase forms for all samples studied underlining the robustness of this topologically non-trivial state. Taken together, this demonstrates the unprecedented sensitivity of positron spectroscopy in studies of new forms of electronic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

RESPECT: Neutron Resonance Spin-Echo Spectrometer for Extreme Studies

We propose the design of a Resonance SPin-echo spECtrometer for exTreme studies, RESPECT, that is ideally suited for the exploration of non-dispersive processes such as diffusion, crystallization, slow dynamics, tunneling processes, crystal electric field excitations, and spin fluctuations. It is a variant of the conventional neutron spin-echo technique (NSE) by i) replacing the long precession coils by pairs of longitudinal neutron spin-echo coils combined with RF-spin flippers and ii) by stabilizing the neutron polarization with small longitudinal guide fields that can in addition be used as field subtraction coils thus allowing to adjust the field integrals over a range of 8 orders of magnitude. Therefore, the dynamic range of RESPECT can in principle be varied over 8 orders of magnitude in time, if neutrons with the required energy are made available. Similarly as for existing NSE-spectrometers, spin echo times of up to approximately 1 microsecond can be reached if the divergence and the correction elements are properly adjusted. Thanks to the optional use of neutron guides and the fact that the currents for the correction coils are much smaller than in standard NSE, intensity gains of at least one order of magnitude are expected , making the concept of RESPECT also competitive for operation at medium flux neutron sources. RESPECT can also be operated in a MIEZE configuration allowing the investigation of relaxation processes in depolarizing environments as they occur when magnetic fields are applied at the sample position, i.e. for the investigation of the dynamics of flux lines in superconductors, magnetic fluctuations in ferromagnetic materials, and samples containing hydrogen.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Ultra-high vacuum compatible induction-heated rod casting furnace

We report the design of a radio-frequency induction-heated rod casting furnace that permits the preparation of polycrystalline ingots of intermetallic compounds under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. The central part of the system is a bespoke water-cooled Hukin crucible supporting a casting mold. Depending on the choice of mold, typical rods have a diameter between 6 mm and 10 mm and a length up to 90 mm, suitable for single-crystal growth by means of float-zoning. The setup is all-metal sealed and may be baked out. We find that the resulting ultra-high vacuum represents an important precondition for processing compounds with high vapor pressures under a high-purity argon atmosphere up to 3 bar. Using the rod casting furnace, we succeeded to prepare large high-quality single crystals of two half-Heusler compounds, namely the itinerant antiferromagnet CuMnSb and the half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Neutron depolarization imaging of the hydrostatic pressure dependence of inhomogeneous ferromagnets

The investigation of fragile and potentially inhomogeneous forms of ferromagnetic order under extreme conditions, such as low temperatures and high pressures, is of central interest for areas such as geophysics, correlated electron systems, as well as the optimization of materials synthesis for applications where particular material properties are required. We report neutron depolarization imaging measurements on the weak ferromagnet Ni$_3$Al under pressures up to 10kbar using a Cu:Be clamp cell. Using a polychromatic neutron beam with wavelengths $λ\geq$ 4Åin combination with $^3$He neutron spin filter cells as polarizer and analyzer we were able to track differences of the pressure response in inhomogeneous samples by virtue of high resolution neutron depolarization imaging. This provides spatially resolved and non-destructive access to the pressure dependence of the magnetic properties of inhomogeneous ferromagnetic materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

History dependence of the magnetic properties of single-crystal Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$Si

We report the magnetization, ac susceptibility, and specific heat of optically float-zoned single crystals of Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$Si, $0.20 \leq x \leq 0.50$. We determine the magnetic phase diagrams for all major crystallographic directions and cooling histories. After zero-field cooling, the phase diagrams resemble that of the archetypal stoichiometric cubic chiral magnet MnSi. Besides the helical and conical state, we observe a pocket of skyrmion lattice phase just below the helimagnetic ordering temperature. At the phase boundaries between these states evidence for slow dynamics is observed. When the sample is cooled in small magnetic fields, the phase pocket of skyrmion lattice may persist metastably down to lowest temperatures. Taken together with the large variation of the transition temperatures, transition fields, and the helix wavelength as a function of composition, this hysteresis identifies Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$Si as an ideal material for future experiments exploring, for instance, the topological unwinding of the skyrmion lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Generic aspects of skyrmion lattices in chiral magnets

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically non-trivial spin whirls that may not be transformed continuously into topologically trivial states such as ferromagnetic spin alignment. In recent years lattice structures composed of skyrmions have been discovered in certain bulk chiral magnets with non-centrosymmetric crystal structures. The magnetic phase diagrams of these materials share remarkable similarities despite great variations of the characteristic temperature, field, and length scales and regardless whether the underlying electronic state is that of a metal, semiconductor, or insulator.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Spin-resolved Fermi surface of the localized ferromagnetic Heusler compound Cu$_2$MnAl measured with spin-polarized positron annihilation

We determined the bulk electronic structure in the prototypical Heusler compound Cu$_2$MnAl by measuring the Angular Correlation of Annihilation Radiation (2D-ACAR) using spin-polarized positrons. To this end, a new algorithm for reconstructing 3D densities from projections is introduced that allows us to corroborate the excellent agreement between our electronic structure calculations and the experimental data. The contribution of each individual Fermi surface sheet to the magnetization was identified, and summed to a total spin magnetic moment of $3.6\,\pm\,0.5\,μ_B/\mathrm{f.u.}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Spectroscopic study of the magnetic ground state of Nb$_{1-y}$Fe$_{2+y}$

We have investigated single crystals and polycrystals from the series Nb$_{1-y}$Fe$_{2+y}$, $-0.004 \leq y \leq 0.018$ by electron spin resonance, muon spin relaxation and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Our data establish that at lowest temperatures all samples exhibit bulk magnetic order. Slight Fe-excess induces low-moment ferromagnetism, consistent with bulk magnetometry ($\simeq 0.06 ~μ_B/{\rm Fe}$), Nb--rich and stoichiometric NbFe$_2$ display spin density wave order with small magnetic moment amplitudes of the order $\sim 0.001 - 0.01 ~μ_B/{\rm Fe}$. This provides microscopic evidence for a modulated magnetic state on the border of ferromagnetism in NbFe$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Low-temperature properties of single-crystal CrB$_{2}$

We report the low-temperature properties of $^{11}$B-enriched single-crystal CrB$_{2}$ as prepared from high-purity Cr and B powder by a solid-state reaction and optical float zoning. The electrical resistivity, $ρ_{\rm xx}$, Hall effect, $ρ_{\rm xy}$, and specific heat, $C$, are characteristic of an exchange-enhanced Fermi liquid ground state, which develops a slightly anisotropic spin gap $Δ\approx 220\,{\rm K}$ below $T_{\rm N}=88\,{\rm K}$. This observation is corroborated by the absence of a Curie dependence in the magnetization for $T\to0$ reported in the literature. Comparison of $C$ with $dρ_{\rm xx}/dT$, where we infer lattice contributions from measurements of VB$_2$, reveals strong antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations with a characteristic spin fluctuation temperature $T_{\rm sf}\approx 257\,{\rm K}$ in the paramagnetic state, followed by a pronounced second-order mean-field transition at $T_{\rm N}$, and unusual excitations around $\approx T_{\rm N}/2$. The pronounced anisotropy of $ρ_{\rm xx}$ above $T_{\rm N}$ is characteristic of an easy-plane anisotropy of the spin fluctuations consistent with the magnetization. The ratio of the Curie-Weiss to the N$\acute{\rm{e}}$el temperatures, $f=-Θ_{\rm CW}/T_{\rm N}\approx 8.5$, inferred from the magnetization, implies strong geometric frustration. All physical properties are remarkably invariant under applied magnetic fields up to $14\,\,{\rm T}$, the highest field studied. In contrast to earlier suggestions of local-moment magnetism our study identifies CrB$_{2}$ as a weak itinerant antiferromagnet par excellence with strong geometric frustration.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Low-temperature structural investigations of the frustrated quantum antiferromagnets Cs2CuCl(4-x)Br(x)

Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and single-crystal neutron scattering were used to study in detail the structural properties of the Cs2CuCl(4-x)Br(x) series, good realizations of layered triangular antiferromagnets. Detailed temperature-dependent PXRD reveal a pronounced anisotropy of the thermal expansion for the three different crystal directions of the orthorhombic structure without any structural phase transition down to 20 K. Remarkably, the anisotropy of the thermal expansion varies for different $x$, leading to distinct changes of the geometry of the local Cu environment as a function of temperature and composition. The refinement of the atomic positions confirms that for x=1 and 2, the Br atoms occupy distinct halogen sites in the [CuX4]-tetrahedra (X = Cl, Br). The precise structure data are used to calculate the magnetic exchange couplings using density functional methods for x=0. We observe a pronounced temperature dependence of the calculated magnetic exchange couplings, reflected in the strong sensitivity of the magnetic exchange couplings on structural details. These calculations are in good agreement with the experimentally established values for Cs2CuCl4 if one takes the low-temperature structure data as a starting point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Scanning probe microscopy in an ultra-low vibration closed-cycle cryostat

We report on state-of-the-art scanning probe microscopy measurements performed in a pulse tube based top-loading closed-cycle cryostat with a base temperature of 4 K and a 9 T magnet. We decoupled the sample space from the mechanical and acoustic noise from the cryocooling system to enable scanning probe experiments. The extremely low vibration amplitudes in our system enabled successful imaging of 0.39 nm lattice steps on single crystalline SrTiO$_{3}$ as well as magnetic vortices in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+x}$ superconductor. Fine control over sample temperature and applied magnetic field further enabled us to probe the helimagnetic and the skyrmion-lattice phases in Fe$_{0.5}$Co$_{0.5}$Si with unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio of 20:1. Finally, we demonstrate for the first time quartz-crystal tuning fork shear-force microscopy in a closed-cycle cryostat.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Specific heat of the skyrmion lattice phase and field-induced tricritical point in MnSi

We report high-precision measurements of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat, C(T,H), across the magnetic phase diagram of MnSi. Clear anomalies establish the skyrmion lattice unambiguously as a thermodynamic phase. The evolution of the specific heat anomalies, the field dependence of the entropy released at the phase transitions, and the temperature versus field dependence of crossover lines provide striking evidence of a tricritical point at an internal magnetic field of 340mT and temperature of 28.5K. The existence of this tricritical point represents strong support of a helimagnetic Brazovskii transition, i.e., a fluctuation-induced first order transition at H = 0.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Optical floating zone growth of high-quality Cu2MnAl single crystals

We report the growth of large single-crystals of Cu2MnAl, a ferromagnetic Heusler compound suitable for polarizing neutron monochromators, by means of optical floating zone under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. Unlike Bridgman or Czochralsky grown Cu2MnAl, our floating zone grown single-crystals show highly reproducible magnetic properties and an excellent crystal quality with a narrow and homogeneous mosaic spread as examined by neutron diffraction. An investigation of the polarizing properties in neutron scattering suggests a high polarization efficiency, limited by the relatively small sample dimensions studied. Our study identifies optical floating zone under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions as a highly reproducible method to grow high-quality single-crystals of Cu2MnAl.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2012

Fluctuation-induced first-order phase transition in Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya helimagnets

Two centuries of research on phase transitions have repeatedly highlighted the importance of critical fluctuations that abound in the vicinity of a critical point. They are at the origin of scaling laws obeyed by thermodynamic observables close to second-order phase transitions resulting in the concept of universality classes, that is of paramount importance for the study of organizational principles of matter. Strikingly, in case such soft fluctuations are too abundant they may alter the nature of the phase transition profoundly; the system might evade the critical state altogether by undergoing a discontinuous first-order transition into the ordered phase. Fluctuation-induced first-order transitions have been discussed broadly and are germane for superconductors, liquid crystals, or phase transitions in the early universe, but clear experimental confirmations remain scarce. Our results from neutron scattering and thermodynamics on the model Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) helimagnet (HM) MnSi show that such a fluctuation-induced first-order transition is realized between its paramagnetic and HM state with remarkable agreement between experiment and a theory put forward by Brazovskii. While our study clarifies the nature of the HM phase transition in MnSi that has puzzled scientists for several decades, more importantly, our conclusions entirely based on symmetry arguments are also relevant for other DM-HMs with only weak cubic magnetic anisotropies. This is in particular noteworthy in light of a wide range of recent discoveries that show that DM helimagnetism is at the heart of problems such as topological magnetic order, multiferroics, and spintronics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Normal and intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in Nb1-yFe2+y

The Hall effect on selected samples of the dilution series Nb1-yFe2+y is studied. Normal and anomalous contributions are observed, with positive normal Hall effect dominating at high temperatures. Consistent analysis of the anomalous contribution is only possible for Fe-rich Nb0.985Fe2.015 featuring a ferromagnetic ground state. Here, a positive normal Hall coefficient is found at all temperatures with a moderate maximum at the spin-density-wave transition. The anomalous Hall effect is consistent with an intrinsic (Berry-phase) contribution which is constant below the ordering temperature TC and continuously vanishes above TC. For stoichiometric NbFe2 and Nb-rich Nb1.01Fe1.99 - both having a spin-density-wave ground state - an additional contribution to the Hall resistivity impedes a complete analysis and indicates the need for more sophisticated models of the anomalous Hall effect in itinerant antiferromagnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗