arXiv subjects

J. -M. Liu

Publications and source records attributed to J. -M. Liu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

High-field magnetoelectric coupling and successive magnetic transitions in Mn-doped polar antiferromagnet Ni3TeO6

Among the 3d transition metal ions doped polar Ni3TeO6, Mn-doped Ni3TeO6 has stimulated great interest due to its high magnetic ordering temperature and complex magnetic phases, but the mechanism of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling is far from understood. Herein we report our systematic investigation of the chemical control of magnetism, metamagnetic transition, and ME properties of Ni3-xMnxTeO6 single crystals in high magnetic field (H) up to 52 T. We present a previously unreported weak ferromagnetic behavior appeared in the ab plane below 9.5 K in addition to the incommensurate helical and commensurate collinear antiferromagnetic states. In the low-field region, a spin-flop type metamagnetic transition without any hysteresis occurs at Hc1 for H // c, while another metamagnetic transition accompanied with a change in electric polarization is observed at Hc2 in the high-field region both for H // c and H // ab above 30 K, which can be attributed to the sudden rotation of magnetic moments at Ni2 sites. The ME measurements reveal that a first-order ME effect is observed in the low-T and low-H regions, while a second-order ME coupling term appears above 30 K in the magnetic field range of Hc1 < H < Hc2 for H // c and H < Hc2 for H // ab, both becoming significant with increasing temperature. Eventually, they are dominated by the second-order ME effect near the antiferromagnetic transition temperature. The present work demonstrates that Ni3-xMnxTeO6 is an exotic magnetoelectric material compared with Ni3TeO6 and its derivatives, thereby providing insights to better understand the magnetism and ME coupling in Ni3TeO6 and its derivatives.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Magnetic structure and magnetoelectric coupling in antiferromagnet Co5(TeO3)4Cl2

The van der Waals (vdW) layered multiferroics, which host simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic orders, have attracted attention not only for their potentials to be utilized in nanoelectric devices and spintronics, but also offer alternative opportunities for emergent physical phenomena. To date, the vdW layered multiferroic materials are still very rare. In this work, we have investigated the magnetic structure and magnetoelectric effects in Co5(TeO3)4Cl2, a promising new multiferroic compound with antiferromagnetic (AFM) Neel point TN = 18 K. The neutron powder diffraction reveals the non-coplanar AFM state with preferred Neel vector along the c-axis, while a spin re-orientation occurring between 8 K and 15 K is identified, which results from the distinct temperature dependence of the non-equivalent Co sites moment in Co5(TeO3)4Cl2. What is more, it is found that Co5(TeO3)4Cl2 is one of the best vdW multiferroics studied so far in terms of the multiferroic performance. The measured linear ME coefficient exhibits the emergent oscillation dependence of the angle between magnetic field and electric field, and the maximal value is as big as 45 ps/m. It is suggested that Co5(TeO3)4Cl2 is an appreciated platform for exploring the emergent multiferroicity in vdW layered compounds.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Antiferromagnetic multi-level memristor using linear magnetoelectricity

The explosive growth of artificial intelligence and data-intensive computing has brought crucial challenge to modern information science and technology, i.e. conceptually new devices with superior properties are urgently desired. Memristor is recognized as a very promising circuit element to tackle the barriers, because of its fascinating advantages in imitating neural network of human brain, and thus realizing in-memory computing. However, there exist two core and fundamental issues: energy efficiency and accuracy, owing to the electric current operation of traditional memristors. In the present work, we demonstrate a new type of memristor, i.e. charge q and magnetic flux ϕ space memristor, enabled by linear magnetoelectricity of Co4Nb2O9. The memory states show distinctly linear magnetoelectric coefficients with a large ratio of about 10, ensuing exceptional accuracy of related devices. The present q-ϕ type memristor can be manipulated by magnetic and electric fields without involving electric current, paving the way to develop ultralow-energy-consuming devices. In the meanwhile, it is worth to mention that Co4Nb2O9 hosts an intrinsic compensated antiferromagnetic structure, which suggests interesting possibility of further integrating the unique merits of antiferromagnetic spintronics such as ultrahigh density and ultrafast switching. Linear magnetoelectricity is proposed to essential to the q-ϕ type memristor, which would be accessible in a broad class of multiferroics and other magnetoelectric materials such as topological insulators. Our findings could therefore advance memristors towards new levels of functionality.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic structure and multiferroicity of Sc-substituted hexagonal YbFeO$_3$

Hexagonal rare-earth ferrite RFeO$_3$ family represents a unique class of multiferroics exhibiting weak ferromagnetism, and a strong coupling between magnetism and structural trimerization is predicted. However, the hexagonal structure for RFeO$_3$ remains metastable in conventional condition. We have succeeded in stabilizing the hexagonal structure of polycrystalline YbFeO$_3$ by partial Sc substitution of Yb. Using bulk magnetometry and neutron diffraction, we find that Yb$_{0.42}$Sc$_{0.58}$FeO$_3$ orders into a canted antiferromagnetic state with the Neel temperature $T_N$ ~ 165 K, below which the $Fe^{3+}$ moments form the triangular configuration in the $ab$-plane and their in-plane projections are parallel to the [100] axis, consistent with magnetic space group $P$6$_{3}$$c'm'$. It is determined that the spin-canting is aligned along the $c$-axis, giving rise to the weak ferromagnetism. Furthermore, the $Fe^{3+}$ moments reorient toward a new direction below reorientation temperature $T_R$ ~ 40 K, satisfying magnetic subgroup $P$6$_{3}$, while the $Yb^{3+}$ moments order independently and ferrimagnetically along the $c$-axis at the characteristic temperature $T_{Yb}$ ~ 15 K. Interestingly, reproducible modulation of electric polarization induced by magnetic field at low temperature is achieved, suggesting that the delicate structural distortion associated with two-up/one-down buckling of the Yb/Sc-planes and tilting of the FeO$_5$ bipyramids may mediate the coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic orders under magnetic field. The present work represents a substantial progress to search for high-temperature multiferroics in hexagonal ferrites and related materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Properties of Radial Velocities measurement based on LAMOST-II Medium-Resolution Spectroscopic Observations

The radial velocity (RV) is a basic physical quantity which can be determined through Doppler shift of the spectrum of a star. The precision of RV measurement depends on the resolution of the spectrum we used and the accuracy of wavelength calibration. In this work, radial velocities of LAMOST-II medium resolution (R ~ 7500) spectra are measured for 1,594,956 spectra (each spectrum has two wavebands) through matching with templates. A set of RV standard stars are used to recalibrate the zero point of the measurement, and some reference sets with RVs derived from medium/high-resolution observations are used to evaluate the accuracy of the measurement. Comparing with reference sets, the accuracy of our measurement can get 0.0227 km s/1 with respect to radial velocities standard stars. The intrinsic precision is estimated with the multiple observations of single stars, which can achieve to 1.36 km s/1,1.08 km s/1, 0.91 km s/1 for the spectra at signal-to-noise levels of 10, 20, 50, respectively.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Strain Induced Slater Transition in Polar Metal LiOsO$_3$

LiOsO3 is the first experimentally confirmed polar metal. Previous works suggested that the ground state of LiOsO$_3$ is just close to the critical point of metal-insulator transition. In this work the electronic state of LiOsO$_3$ is tuned by epitaxial biaxial strain, which undergoes the Slater-type metal-insulator transition under tensile strain, i.e., the G-type antiferromagnetism emerges. The underlying mechanism of bandwidth tuning can be extended to its sister compound NaOsO$_3$, which shows an opposite transition from a antiferromagnetic insulator to a nonmagnetic metal under hydrostatic pressure. Our work suggests a feasible route for the manipulation of magnetism and conductivity of polar metal LiOsO$_3$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Possible origin of the absence of magnetic order in LiOsO$_3$: Spin-orbit coupling controlled ground state

LiOsO$_3$ is the first experimentally confirmed polar metal with ferroelectric-like distortion. One puzzling experimental fact is its paramagnetic state down to very low temperature with negligible magnetic moment, which is anomalous considering its $5d^3$ electron configuration since other osmium oxides (e.g. NaOsO$_3$) with $5d^3$ Os ions are magnetic. Here the magnetic and electronic properties of LiOsO$_3$ are re-investigated carefully using the first-principles density functional theory. Our calculations reveal that the magnetic state of LiOsO$_3$ can be completely suppressed by the spin-orbit coupling. The subtle balance between significant spin-orbit coupling and weak Hubbard $U$ of $5d$ electrons can explain both the nonmagnetic LiOsO$_3$ and magnetic NaOsO$_3$. Our work provides a reasonable understanding of the long-standing puzzle of magnetism in some osmium oxides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Structural transitions in hybrid improper ferroelectric Ca$_3$Ti$_2$O$_7$ tuned by site-selective iso-valent substitutions: a first-principles study

Ca$_3$Ti$_2$O$_7$ is an experimentally confirmed hybrid improper ferroelectric material, in which the electric polarization is induced by a combination of the coherent TiO$_6$ octahedral rotation and tilting. In this work, we investigate the tuning of ferroelectricity of Ca$_3$Ti$_2$O$_7$ using iso-valent substitutions on Ca-sites. Due to the size mismatch, larger/smaller alkaline earths prefer $A$'/$A$ sites respectively, allowing the possibility for site-selective substitutions. Without extra carriers, such site-selected iso-valent substitutions can significantly tune the TiO$_6$ octahedral rotation and tilting, and thus change the structure and polarization. Using the first-principles calculations, our study reveals that three substituted cases (Sr, Mg, Sr+Mg) show divergent physical behaviors. In particular, (CaTiO$_3$)$_2$SrO becomes non-polar, which can reasonably explain the suppression of polarization upon Sr substitution observed in experiment. In contrast, the polarization in (MgTiO$_3$)$_2$CaO is almost doubled upon substitutions, while the estimated coercivity for ferroelectric switching does not change. The (MgTiO$_3$)$_2$SrO remains polar but its structural space group changes, with moderate increased polarization and possible different ferroelectric switching paths. Our study reveals the subtle ferroelectricity in the $A_3$Ti$_2$O$_7$ family and suggests one more practical route to tune hybrid improper ferroelectricity, in addition to the strain effect.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Dynamics of distorted skyrmions in strained chiral magnets

In this work, we study the microscopic dynamics of distorted skyrmions in strained chiral magnets [K. Shibata et al., Nat. Nanotech. 10, 589 (2015)] under gradient magnetic field or electric current by Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert simulations of the anisotropic spin model. It is observed that the dynamical responses are also anisotropic, and the velocities of the distorted skyrmions are periodically dependent on the directions of the external stimuli. Furthermore, in addition to the uniform motion, our work also demonstrates anti-phase harmonic vibrations of the two skyrmions in nanostripes, and the frequencies are mainly determined by the exchange anisotropy. The simulated results are well explained by Thiele theory, which may provide useful information in understanding the dynamics of the distorted skyrmions in strained chiral magnets.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2017

Helical and skyrmion lattice phases in three-dimensional chiral magnets: Effect of anisotropic interactions

In this work, we study the magnetic orders of the classical spin model with the anisotropic exchange and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions in order to understand the uniaxial stress effect in chiral magnets such as MnSi. Variational zero temperature (T) calculated results demonstrate that various helical orders can be developed depending on the magnitude of the interaction anisotropy, consistent with the experimental observations at low T. Furthermore, the creation and annihilation of the skyrmions by the uniaxial pressure can be also qualitatively reproduced in our Monte Carlo simulations. Thus, our work suggests that the interaction anisotropy tuned by applied uniaxial stress may play an essential role in modulating the magnetic orders in strained chiral magnets.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

Magnetic excitations in quasi-one dimensional helimagnets: Magnon decays and in uence of the inter-chain interactions

We present a comprehensive study of the magnetic properties of the long-range ordered quasi-one dimensional $J_{1}$-$J_{2}$ systems with a newly developed torque equilibrium spin-wave expansion approach, which can describe the spin Casimir and magnon decay effects in a unified framework. While the framework does not lose the generality, our discussion will be restricted to two representative types of inter-chain coupling systems: $J_{3}$- or $J_{4}$-system respectively. In spite of the long-range spiral order, the dynamical properties of these systems turn out to be highly nontrivial due to the incommensurate noncollinear spin configuration and the strong quantum fluctuation effects enhanced by the frustration and low-dimensionality. Both the systems show prominent spin Casimir effects induced by the vacuum fluctuation of the spin waves and related modification of the ordering vector, Lifshitz point's position and sublattice magnetization. Significant and spontaneous magnon decay effects are manifested in the quantum corrections to the excitation spectrum. By adjusting the strength of magnetic anisotropy and varying the approximation scheme, it is revealed that these striking distinct features are quite robust and have deep connection with both the spin Casimir and the magnon decay effects. Thus these special consequences of the inter-chain coupling on the spin wave dynamics may be served as a set of probes for different types of inter-chain couplings in experiments. At last, to guide experimental measurements such as inelastic neutron scattering in realistic materials and complement our theoretical framework, we develop the analytical theory of the dynamical structure factor within the torque equilibrium formulism and provide the explicit results of the quasi-one dimensional $J_{1}$-$J_{2}$ systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Effect of further-neighbor interactions on the magnetization behaviors of the Ising model on a triangular lattice

In this work, we study the magnetization behaviors of the classical Ising model on the triangular lattice using Monte Carlo simulations, and pay particular attention to the effect of further-neighbor interactions. Several fascinating spin states are identified to be stabilized in certain magnetic field regions, respectively, resulting in the magnetization plateaus at 2/3, 5/7, 7/9 and 5/6 of the saturation magnetization MS, in addition to the well known plateaus at 0, 1/3 and 1/2 of MS. The stabilization of these interesting orders can be understood as the consequence of the competition between Zeeman energy and exchange energy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Role of further-neighbor interactions in modulating the critical behavior of the Ising model with frustration

In this work, we investigate the phase transitions and critical behaviors of the frustrated J1-J2-J3 Ising model on the square lattice using Monte Carlo simulations, and particular attention goes to the effect of the second next nearest neighbor interaction J3 on the phase transition from a disordered state to the single stripe antiferromagnetic state. A continuous Ashkin-Teller-like transition behavior in a certain range of J3 is identified, while the 4-state Potts-critical end point [J3/J1]C is estimated based on the analytic method reported in earlier work [Jin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 045702 (2012)]. It is suggested that the interaction J3 can tune the transition temperature and in turn modulate the critical behaviors of the frustrated model. Furthermore, it is revealed that an antiferromagnetic J3 can stabilize the staggered dimer state via a phase transition of strong first-order character.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2016

Hexagonal phase stabilization and magnetic orders of multiferroic Lu$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$FeO$_3$

Hexagonal LuFeO$_3$ has drawn a lot of research attention due to its contentious room-temperature multiferroicity. Due to the unstability of hexagonal phase in the bulk form, most experimental studies focused on LuFeO$_3$ thin films which can be stabilized by strain using proper substrates. Here we report on the hexagonal phase stabilization, magnetism, and magnetoelectric coupling of bulk LuFeO$_3$ by partial Sc-substitution of Lu. First, our first-principles calculations show that the hexagonal structure can be stabilized by partial Sc substitution, while the multiferroic properties including the noncollinear magnetic order and geometric ferroelectricity remain robustly unaffected. Therefore, Lu$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$FeO$_3$ can act as a platform to check the multiferroicity of LuFeO$_3$ and related materials in the bulk form. Second, the magnetic characterizations on bulk Lu$_{1-x}$Sc$_x$FeO$_3$ demonstrate a magnetic anomaly (probable antiferromagnetic ordering) above room temperature, $\sim425-445$ K, followed by magnetic transitions in low temperatures ($\sim167-172$ K). In addition, a magnetoelectric response is observed in the low temperature region. Our study provides useful information on the multiferroic physics of hexagonal $R$FeO$_3$ and related systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Spin Casimir Effect in Non-collinear Quantum Antiferromagnets

The Casimir effect is a general phenomenon in physics, which arises when the vacuum fluctuation of an arbitrary field is modified by static or slowly varying boundary. However, its spin version is rarely addressed, mainly due to the fact that a macroscopic boundary in quantum spin systems is hard to define. In this article, we explore the spin Casimir effect induced by the zero-point fluctuation of spin waves in a general non-collinear ordered quantum antiferromagnet. This spin Casimir effect results in a spin torque between local spins and further causes various singular and divergent results in the framework of spin-wave theory, which invalidate the standard $1/S$ expansion procedure. To avoid this dilemma, we develop a self-consistent spin-wave expansion approach, which preserves the spin-wave expansion away from singularities and divergence. A detailed spin-wave analysis of the antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on a spatially anisotropic triangular lattice is undertaken within our approach. Our results indicate that the spiral order is only stable in the region $0.5<α<1.2$, where $α$ is the ratio of the coupling constants. In addition, the instability in the region $1.2<α<2$ is owing to the spin Casimir effect instead of the vanishing sublattice magnetization. And this extended spiral instable region may host some quantum disordered phases besides the quantum order by disorder induced Neel phase. Furthermore, our method provides an efficient and convenient tool that can estimate the correct exchange parameters and outline the quantum phase diagrams, which can be useful for experimental fitting processes in frustrated quantum magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Experimental observation of magnetoelectricity in spin ice Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$

The intrinsic noncollinear spin patterns in rare-earth pyrochlore are physically interesting, hosting many emergent properties, e.g. spin ice and monopole-type excitation. Recently, the magnetic monopole excitation of spin ice systems was predicted to be magnetoelectric active, while rare experimental works have directly confirmed this scenario. In this work, we performed systematic experimental investigation on the magnetoelectricity of Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$ by probing the ferroelectricity, spin dynamics, and dielectric behaviors. Two ferroelectric transitions at $T_{c1}$=25 K and $T_{c2}$=13 K have been observed. Remarkable magnetoelectric coupling is identified below the lower transition temperature, with a significant suppression of the electric polarization upon applied magnetic field. It is surprised that the lower ferroelectric transition temperature just coincides with the Ising-spin paramagnetic transition point, below which the quasi-particle-like monopoles are populated, indicating implicit correlation between electric dipoles and spin moments. The possible magnetoelectric mechanisms have also been discussed although a decent theory remains unavailable up to date. Our results will stimulate more investigations to explore multiferroicity in these spin ice systems and other frustrated magnets.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Ferroelectricity driven magnetism at domain walls in LaAlO$_3$/PbTiO$_3$ superlattices

Charge dipole moment and spin moment rarely coexist in single-phase bulk materials except in some multiferroics. Despite the progress in the past decade, for most multiferroics their magnetoelectric performance remains poor due to the intrinsic exclusion between charge dipole and spin moment. As an alternative approach, the oxide heterostructures may evade the intrinsic limits in bulk materials and provide more attractive potential to realize the magnetoelectric functions. Here we perform a first-principles study on LaAlO$_3$/PbTiO$_3$ superlattices. Although neither of the components is magnetic, magnetic moments emerge at the ferroelectric domain walls of PbTiO$_3$ in these superlattices. Such a twist between ferroelectric domain and local magnetic moment, not only manifests an interesting type of multiferroicity, but also is possible useful to pursuit the electrical-control of magnetism in nanoscale heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Metallic ferroelectricity induced by anisotropic unscreened coulomb interaction in LiOsO3

As the first well-documented example of the ferroelectric metal, LiOsO3 has received extensive research attention recently. Using density-functional calculations, we perform a systematic study for LiOsO3. We address the controversy about the depth of the double well in the potential surface, and propose that the ferroelectric transition is order-disorder like. Moreover, we unambiguously demonstrate that the electric screening in this compound is highly anisotropic, and there is still unscreened dipole-dipole interaction in one special direction which results in the long range ferroelectric order despite the metallic nature of LiOsO3.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗