arXiv subjects

D. F. McMorrow

Publications and source records attributed to D. F. McMorrow.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Robustness of basal-plane antiferromagnetic order and the $J_{eff}=1/2$ state in single-layer iridate spin-orbit Mott insulators

The magnetic structure and electronic groundstate of the layered perovskite Ba2IrO4 have been investigated using x-ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS). Our results are compared with those for Sr2IrO4, for which we provide supplementary data on its magnetic structure. We find that the dominant, long-range antiferromagnetic order is remarkably similar in the two compounds, and that the electronic groundstate in Ba2IrO4, deduced from an investigation of the XRMS $L_3/L_2$ intensity ratio, is consistent with a $J_{eff}=1/2$ description. The robustness of these two key electronic properties to the considerable structural differences between the Ba and Sr analogues is discussed in terms of the enhanced role of the spin-orbit interaction in 5d transition metal oxides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

The J_{eff}=1/2 insulator Sr3Ir2O7 studied by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The low-energy electronic structure of the J_{eff}=1/2 spin-orbit insulator Sr3Ir2O7 has been studied by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. A comparison of the results for bilayer Sr3Ir2O7 with available literature data for the related single-layer compound Sr2IrO4 reveals qualitative similarities and similar J_{eff}=1/2 bandwidths for the two materials, but also pronounced differences in the distribution of the spectral weight. In particuar, photoemission from the J_{eff}=1/2 states appears to be suppressed. Yet, it is found that the Sr3Ir2O7 data are in overall better agreement with band-structure calculations than the data for Sr2IrO4.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Magnetically driven metal-insulator transition in NaOsO3

The metal-insulator transition (MIT) is one of the most dramatic manifestations of electron correlations in materials. Various mechanisms producing MITs have been extensively considered, including the Mott (electron localization via Coulomb repulsion), Anderson (localization via disorder) and Peierls (localization via distortion of a periodic 1D lattice). One additional route to a MIT proposed by Slater, in which long-range magnetic order in a three dimensional system drives the MIT, has received relatively little attention. Using neutron and X-ray scattering we show that the MIT in NaOsO3 is coincident with the onset of long-range commensurate three dimensional magnetic order. Whilst candidate materials have been suggested, our experimental methodology allows the first definitive demonstration of the long predicted Slater MIT. We discuss our results in the light of recent reports of a Mott spin-orbit insulating state in other 5d oxides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Antiferromagnetic order and domains in Sr3Ir2O7 probed by x-ray resonant scattering

This article reports a detailed x-ray resonant scattering study of the bilayer iridate compound, Sr3Ir2O7, at the Ir L2 and L3 edges. Resonant scattering at the Ir L3 edge has been used to determine that Sr3Ir2O7 is a long-range ordered antiferromagnet below TN 230K with an ordering wavevector, q=(1/2,1/2,0). The energy resonance at the L3 edge was found to be a factor of ~30 times larger than that at the L2. This remarkable effect has been seen in the single layer compound Sr2IrO4 and has been linked to the observation of a Jeff=1/2 spin-orbit insulator. Our result shows that despite the modified electronic structure of the bilayer compound, caused by the larger bandwidth, the effect of strong spin-orbit coupling on the resonant magnetic scattering persists. Using the programme SARAh, we have determined that the magnetic order consists of two domains with propagation vectors k1=(1/2,1/2,0) and k2=(1/2,-1/2,0), respectively. A raster measurement of a focussed x-ray beam across the surface of the sample yielded images of domains of the order of 100 microns size, with odd and even L components, respectively. Fully relativistic, monoelectronic calculations (FDMNES), using the Green's function technique for a muffin-tin potential have been employed to calculate the relative intensities of the L2,3 edge resonances, comparing the effects of including spin-orbit coupling and the Hubbard, U, term. A large L3 to L2 edge intensity ratio (~5) was found for calculations including spin-orbit coupling. Adding the Hubbard, U, term resulted in changes to the intensity ratio <5%.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Femtoscale magnetically induced lattice distortions in multiferroic TbMnO3

Magneto-electric multiferroics exemplified by TbMnO3 possess both magnetic and ferroelectric long-range order. The magnetic order is mostly understood, whereas the nature of the ferroelectricity has remained more elusive. Competing models proposed to explain the ferroelectricity are associated respectively with charge transfer and ionic displacements. Exploiting the magneto-electric coupling, we use an electric field to produce a single magnetic domain state, and a magnetic field to induce ionic displacements. Under these conditions, interference charge-magnetic X-ray scattering arises, encoding the amplitude and phase of the displacements. When combined with a theoretical analysis, our data allow us to resolve the ionic displacements at the femtoscale, and show that such displacements make a significant contribution to the zero-field ferroelectric moment.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Strong coupling of Sm and Fe magnetism in SmFeAsO as revealed by magnetic x-ray scattering

The magnetic structures adopted by the Fe and Sm sublattices in SmFeAsO have been investigated using element specific x-ray resonant and non-resonant magnetic scattering techniques. Between 110 and 5 K, the Sm and Fe moments are aligned along the c and a directions, respectively according to the same magnetic representation $Γ_{5}$ and the same propagation vector (1, 0, 0.5). Below 5 K, magnetic order of both sublattices change to a different magnetic structure and the Sm moments reorder in a magnetic unit cell equal to the chemical unit cell. Modeling of the temperature dependence for the Sm sublattice as well as a change in the magnetic structure below 5 K provide a clear evidence of a surprisingly strong coupling between the two sublattices, and indicate the need to include anisotropic exchange interactions in models of SmFeAsO and related compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Comparative study of the phonons in non-superconducting BaC6 and superconducting CaC6 using inelastic x-ray scattering

The low energy phonons of two different graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have been measured as a function of temperature using inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS). In the case of the non-superconductor BaC6, the phonons observed are significantly higher (up to 20 %) in energy than those predicted by theory, in contrast to the reasonable agreement found in superconducting CaC6. Additional IXS intensity is observed below 15 meV in both BaC6 and CaC6. It has been previously suggested that this additional inelastic intensity may arise from defect or vacancy modes in these compounds, unpredicted by theory (d'Astuto et al, Phys. Rev. B 81 104519 (2010)). Here it is shown that this additional intensity can arise directly from the large disorder of the available samples. Our results show that future theoretical work is required to understand the relationship between the crystal structure, the phonons and the superconductivity in GICs.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Phonons and superconductivity in YbC$_6$ and related compounds

The out-of-plane intercalate phonons of superconducting YbC6 have been measured with inelastic x-ray scattering. Model fits to this data, and previously measured out-of-plane intercalate phonons in graphite intercalation compounds (GICs), reveal surprising trends with the superconducting transition temperature. These trends suggest that superconducting GICs should be viewed as electron-doped graphite.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Helical spin-waves, magnetic order, and fluctuations in the langasite compound Ba3NbFe3Si2O14

We have investigated the spin fluctuations in the langasite compound Ba3NbFe3Si2O14 in both the ordered state and as a function of temperature. The low temperature magnetic structure is defined by a spiral phase characterized by magnetic Bragg peaks at q=(0,0,tau ~ 1/7) onset at TN=27 K as previously reported by Marty et al. The nature of the fluctuations and temperature dependence of the order parameter is consistent with a classical second order phase transition for a two dimensional triangular antiferromagnet. We will show that the physical properties and energy scales including the ordering wavevector, Curie-Weiss temperature, and the spin-waves can be explained through the use of only symmetric exchange constants without the need for the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. This is accomplished through a set of ``helical" exchange pathways along the c direction imposed by the chiral crystal structure and naturally explains the magnetic diffuse scattering which displays a strong vector chirality up to high temperatures well above the ordering temperature. This illustrates a strong coupling between magnetic and crystalline chirality in this compound.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Neutron scattering study of the high energy graphitic phonons in superconducting CaC$_6$

We present the results of a neutron scattering study of the high energy phonons in the superconducting graphite intercalation compound CaC$_6$. The study was designed to address hitherto unexplored aspects of the lattice dynamics in CaC$_6$, and in particular any renormalization of the out-of-plane and in-plane graphitic phonon modes. We present a detailed comparison between the data and the results of density functional theory (DFT). A description is given of the analysis methods developed to account for the highly-textured nature of the samples. The DFT calculations are shown to provide a good description of the general features of the experimental data. This is significant in light of a number of striking disagreements in the literature between other experiments and DFT on CaC$_6$. The results presented here demonstrate that the disagreements are not due to any large inaccuracies in the calculated phonon frequencies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Antiferromagnetically spin polarized oxygen observed in magneto-electric TbMn2O5

We report the direct measurement of antiferromagnetic spin polarization at the oxygen sites in the multiferroic TbMn2O5, through resonant soft x-ray magnetic scattering. This supports recent theoretical models suggesting that the oxygen spin polarization is key to the magnetoelectric coupling mechanism. The spin polarization is observed through a resonantly enhanced diffraction signal at the oxygen K edge at the commensurate antiferromagnetic wavevector. Using the fdmnes code we have accurately reproduced the experimental data. We have established that the resonance arises through the spin polarization on the oxygen sites hybridized with the square based pyramid Mn3+ ions. Furthermore we have discovered that the position of the Mn3+ ion directly influences the oxygen spin polarization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Inelastic x-ray scattering investigations of lattice dynamics in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ superconductors

We report measurements of the phonon density of states as measured with inelastic x-ray scattering in SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ powders. An unexpected strong renormalization of phonon branches around 23 meV is observed as fluorine is substituted for oxygen. Phonon dispersion measurements on SmFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_y$ single crystals allow us to identify the 21 meV A$_{1g}$ in-phase (Sm,As) and the 26 meV B$_{1g}$ (Fe,O) modes to be responsible for this renormalization, and may reveal unusual electron-phonon coupling through the spin channel in iron-based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Electric field control of multiferroic domains in Ni$_3$V$_2$O$_8$ imaged by X-ray polarization enhanced topography

The magnetic structure of multiferroic Ni$_3$V$_2$O$_8$ has been investigated using non-resonant X-ray magnetic scattering. Incident circularly polarized X-rays combined with full polarization analysis of the scattered beam is shown to yield high sensitivity to the components of the cycloidal magnetic order, including their relative phases. New information on the magnetic structure in the ferroelectric phase is obtained, where it is found that the magnetic moments on the "cross-tie" sites are quenched relative to those on the "spine" sites. This implies that the onset of ferroelectricity is associated mainly with spine site magnetic order. We also demonstrate that our technique enables the imaging of multiferroic domains through polarization enhanced topography. This approach is used to image the domains as the sample is cycled by an electric field through its hysteresis loop, revealing the gradual switching of domains without nucleation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Inelastic X-ray Scattering Study of superconducting SmFeAs(O$_{1-x}$F$_{y}$) Single Crystals: Evidence for Strong Momentum-Dependent Doping-Induced Renormalizations of Optical Phonons

We report inelastic x-ray scattering experiments on the lattice dynamics in SmFeAsO and superconducting SmFeAsO$_{0.6}$F$_{0.35}$ single crystals. Particular attention was paid to the dispersions along the [100] direction of three optical modes close to 23 meV, polarized out of the FeAs planes. Remarkably, two of these modes are strongly renormalized upon fluorine doping. These results provide significant insight into the energy and momentum dependence of the coupling of the lattice to the electron system and underline the importance of spin-phonon coupling in the superconducting iron-pnictides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Pressure dependence of phonon modes across the tetragonal to collapsed tetragonal phase transition in CaFe2As2

The pressure dependence of a large number of phonon modes in CaFe2As2 with energies covering the full range of the phonon spectrum has been studied using inelastic x-ray and neutron scattering. The observed phonon frequency changes are in general rather small despite the sizable changes of the lattice parameters at the phase transition. This indicates that the bonding properties are not profoundly altered by the phase transition. The transverse acoustic phonons propagating along the c-direction are an exception because they stiffen very significantly in response to the large contraction of the c-axis. The lattice parameters are found to change significantly as a function of pressure before, during and after the first-order phase transition. However, the frequencies change nearly uniformly with the change in the lattice parameters due to pressure, with no regard specifically to the first-order phase transition. Density functional theory describes the frequencies in both the zero pressure and in the collapsed phase in a satisfactory way if based on the respective crystal structures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Nature of the magnetic order and origin of induced ferroelectricity in TbMnO$_3$

The magnetic structures which endow TbMnO$_3$ with its multiferroic properties have been reassessed on the basis of a comprehensive soft x-ray resonant scattering (XRS) study. The selectivity of XRS facilitated separation of the various contributions (Mn $L_2$ edge, Mn 3d moments; Tb M$_4$ edge, Tb 4f moments), while its variation with azimuth provided information on the moment direction of distinct Fourier components. When the data are combined with a detailed group theory analysis, a new picture emerges of the ferroelectric transition at 28 K. Instead of being driven by the transition from a collinear to a non-collinear magnetic structure, as has previously been supposed, it is shown to occur between two non-collinear structures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Experimental Proof of a Magnetic Coulomb Phase

Spin ice materials are magnetic substances in which the spin directions map onto hydrogen positions in water ice. Recently this analogy has been elevated to an electromagnetic equivalence, indicating that the spin ice state is a Coulomb phase, with magnetic monopole excitations analogous to ice's mobile ionic defects. No Coulomb phase has yet been proved in a real magnetic material, as the key experimental signature is difficult to resolve in most systems. Here we measure the scattering of polarised neutrons from the prototypical spin ice Ho2Ti2O7. This enables us to separate different contributions to the magnetic correlations to clearly demonstrate the existence of an almost perfect Coulomb phase in this material. The temperature dependence of the scattering is consistent with the existence of deconfined magnetic monopoles connected by Dirac strings of divergent length.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Circularly polarised X-rays as a probe of non-collinear magnetic order in multiferroic TbMnO3

Non-resonant X-ray magnetic scattering has been used to study the magnetic structure of multiferroic TbMnO3 in its ferroelectric phase. Circularly polarized X-rays were combined with a full polarization analysis of the scattered beam to reveal important new information on the magnetic structure of this canonical multiferroic. An applied electric field is shown to create a magnetic nearly mono-domain state in which the cylcoidal order on the Mn sublattice rotates either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on the sign of the field. It is demonstrated how this technique provides sensitivity to the absolute sense of rotation of the Mn moments, and to components of the ordering on the Tb sublattice and phase shifts that earlier neutron diffraction experiments could not resolve.

cond-mat.str-el↗