arXiv subjects

Jiří Pospíšil

Publications and source records attributed to Jiří Pospíšil.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Fermi-surface studies of altermagnetic CrSb from Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations

Within the family of altermagnets, CrSb is a metallic, collinearly ordered material that exhibits particularly strong symmetry-induced spin splitting in its band structure. In this study, we combine electrical magnetotransport measurements up to 68 T on microfabricated single-crystalline CrSb with first-principles calculations to investigate its Fermi surface. Notably, we study the temperature and field-orientation dependence of magnetic quantum oscillations observed in the magnetoresistance. The observed frequency spectrum agrees well with results from density-functional-theory calculations. Our results confirm the predicted electronic band structure of altermagnetic CrSb and highlight the importance of high magnetic fields for accurately mapping the Fermi surfaces of unconventional emergent materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Electrical and thermal magnetotransport in altermagnetic CrSb

Chromium antimonide has emerged as a key material platform for studying altermagnetism because of its simple binary composition, high Néel temperature, and semimetallic electronic structure. Here, we investigate electrical and thermal magnetotransport in single-crystalline CrSb using steady-and pulsed-magnetic fields up to 65 T, and complement these measurements with neutron diffraction and magnetization data. We confirm the compensated magnetic structure and observe a large nonsaturating magnetoresistance together with a pronounced nonlinear Hall response at low temperatures. Multicarrier modeling, supported by mobility-spectrum analysis, reveals coexisting electron- and hole-like charge carriers with mobilities up to ~3000 cm2/Vs and shows that the number of transport channels that can be resolved strongly depends on the accessible magnetic-field range. Thermal-transport measurements further reveal a nonlinear thermal Hall response and a thermal conductivity substantially exceeding a simple Wiedemann-Franz law. The broadly similar field and temperature evolution of electrical and thermal transport point to a dominant electronic contribution, while the remaining deviations indicate additional heat-carrying channels.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Phase transformations in metastable $β$ Zr15Nb alloy revealed by in-situ methods

This study examines the phase transitions occurring during linear heating of the Zr15Nb alloy through a comprehensive, multi-technique methodology comprising in-situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HEXRD), electrical resistance measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal expansion analysis, supplemented by ex-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The findings reveal a complex sequence of phase transformations and corresponding structural changes over a broad temperature range (from room temperature up to 800 $°$C). Two distinct body-centered cubic (bcc) $β$ phases - $β_{Zr}$ and $β_{Nb}$ - with closely related lattice parameters are identified. At room temperature, the microstructure is characterized by a mixture of the metastable $β_{Zr}$ + $ω_{ath}$ phase. Upon heating, $β_{Zr}$ progressively decomposes, giving rise to the formation of $β_{Nb}$. TEM observation revealed the cuboidal shape of the $ω_{iso}$ particles resulting from the high lattice misfit between $β$ and $ω$ phase. The $ω$ solvus temperature is determined to be approximately 555 $°$C, as evidenced by in situ HEXRD and abrupt changes in the alloy's thermal and electrical properties. The growth of the $α$ phase occurs after the dissolution of the $ω$ phase, resulting in a pronounced increase in thermal expansion.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Systematic Mapping of Altermagnetic Magnons by Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Circular Dichroism

Altermagnets, a unique class of magnetic materials that combines features of both ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, have garnered attention for their potential in spintronics and magnonics. While the electronic properties of altermagnets have been well studied, characterizing their magnon excitations is essential for fully understanding their behavior and enabling practical device applications. In this work, we introduce a measurement protocol combining resonant inelastic X-ray scattering with circular polarization and azimuthal scanning to probe the chiral nature of the altermagnetic split magnon modes in CrSb. This approach circumvents the challenges posed by domain averaging in macroscopic samples, allowing for precise measurements of the polarization and energy of the magnons in individual antiferromagnetic domains. Our findings demonstrate a pronounced circular dichroism in the magnon peaks, with an azimuthal dependence that is consistent with the theoretical predictions and the $g$-wave symmetry. By establishing a reliable and accessible method for probing altermagnetic magnons, this work opens new avenues for fundamental studies of these collective excitations and for developing next-generation magnonic device applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Multiferroic quantum criticality in (Eu,Ba,Sr)TiO$_3$ solid solution

Based on the earlier published theory (\textit{Nature Mat}. \textbf{18}, 223--228 (2019)), a comprehensive experimental investigation of multiferroic quantum critical behavior of (Eu,Ba,Sr)TiO$_3$ polycrystalline and single crystal samples was performed. Presence of the displacive ferroelectric quantum criticality is revealed through non-classical ($T^2$) temperature scaling of inverse dielectric susceptibility up to 60\,K. With increasing hydrostatic pressure, this ferroelectric quantum criticality is gradually suppressed. Inverse magnetic susceptibility follows classical Curie-Weiss law down to 4 K, but quantum fluctuations belonging to an antiferromagnetic phase transition ($T_{\mathrm{N}} < 0.8$ K) change its scaling below 3 K to $T^{(1.7\pm 0.1)}$ and $T^{(2.1\pm 0.2)}$ for samples containing 29\,\% and 25\,\% of Eu$^{2+}$ ions, respectively. Experimental indications of the coexisting ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic, i.e. multiferroic, quantum fluctuations and qualitative explanation why they could be seen only in the immediate proximity of $T_{\mathrm{N}}$ is given.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Dramatic elastic response at the critical end point in UTe$_2$

The first-order transition line in the \textit{H-T} phase diagram of itinerant electron metamagnets terminates at the critical end point-analogous to the critical point on the gas-liquid condensation line in the \textit{p-T} phase diagram. To unravel the impact of critical magnetic fluctuations on the crystal lattice of a metamagnet at the critical end point, we performed an ultrasonic study of the itinerant electron metamagnet UTe$_2$ across varying temperatures and magnetic fields. At temperatures exceeding 9 K, a distinct V-shaped anomaly emerges, precisely centered at the critical field of the metamagnetic transition in the isothermal field dependence of elastic constants. This anomaly arises from lattice instability, triggered by critical magnetic fluctuations via strong magnetoelastic interactions. Remarkably, this effect is maximized precisely at the critical-end-point temperature. Comparative measurements of another itinerant metamagnet, UCoAl, reveal intriguing commonalities. Despite significant differences in the paramagnetic ground state, lattice symmetry, and the expected metamagnetic transition process between UTe$_2$ and UCoAl, both exhibit similar anomalies in elastic properties near the critical end point. These shared aspects may hold universality for other itinerant electron metamagnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Robust intralayer antiferromagnetism and tricriticality in a van der Waals compound: VBr3 case

We studied magnetic states and phase transitions in the van der Waals antiferromagnet VBr3 by specific heat and magnetization measurements of single crystals in high magnetic fields and by ab initio density functional theory calculations focused on exchange interactions. The magnetization behavior resembles Ising antiferromagnets with magnetic moments kept in the out-of-plane direction by strong uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The out-of-plane magnetic field induces a spin-flip metamagnetic transition, which is of first-order type at low temperatures while at higher temperatures the transition becomes continuous. The first-order and continuous transition segments in the field-temperature phase diagram meet at a tricritical point at = 12 K. The magnetization response to the in-plane field manifests a continuous spin-flop transition, which at 2 K terminates at a field mu0Hc = 27 T that can serve as an estimate of the anisotropy field in VBr3. The magnetization curves above the metamagnetic transition saturate at the same value of magnetic moment musat = 1.2 muB/f.u., which is much smaller than the spin-only (S = 1) moment of the V3+ ion. The reduced moment can be explained by the existence of a significant orbital magnetic moment antiparallel to the spin. The orbital moment is a key ingredient of a mechanism responsible for the observed large anisotropy. The exact energy evaluation of possible magnetic orders unambiguously shows that the magnetic ground state of VBr3 is the intralayer zigzag antiferromagnetic order that renders the antiferromagnetic ground state significantly more stable against the spin-flip transition than the other options. The calculations also predict that a minimal distortion of the Br ion sublattice causes a radical change of the orbital occupation in the ground state, connected with the formation of the orbital moment and the stability of magnetic order.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Formation of Domains within Lower-to-higher Symmetry Structural Transition in CrI$_3$

CrI$_3$ represents one of the most important van der Waals systems on the route to understanding two-dimensional magnetic phenomena. Being arranged in a specific layered structure it also provides a unique opportunity to investigate structural transformations in dimension-confined systems. CrI$_3$ is dimorphic and possesses a higher symmetry low-temperature phase, which is quite uncommon. It contrasts with vanadium trihalides which show a higher symmetry high-temperature. An explanation of this distinct behavior together with a large cycle-dependent transition hysteresis is still an open question. Our low-temperature X-ray diffraction study conducted on CrI$_3$ single crystals complemented by magnetization and specific heat measurements was focused mainly on specific features of the structural transition during cooling. Our results manifest that the structural transition during cooling relates to the formation of structural domains despite the lower symmetry structure transforming to a higher symmetry one. We propose that these domains could control the transition temperature and also the size of thermal hysteresis.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

UI$_3$ -- 5f-electron magnetic van der Waals material

We grew high-quality single crystals of the 5f electron van der Waals compound UI$_3$ and investigated them by measurements of specific heat and magnetization as functions of temperature and magnetic field. UI$_3$ behaves as an antiferromagnet with a first-order magnetic phase transition at the Neél temperature $T_N$ = 2.65 K. It is characterized by a sharp symmetric specific-heat peak which is gradually shifted to lower temperatures by increasing magnetic field applied along either the a- or b-axis. The behavior in magnetic fields reveals orthorhombic magnetocrystalline anisotropy with the hard magnetization direction along the c-axis. The 2-K a- and b-axis magnetization curves exhibit a metamagnetic transition at the critical field $H_c$ = 3 T and 1.8 T, respectively. In higher fields, when the long-range antiferromagnetism is suppressed by a metamagnetic transition, signs of short-range magnetic ordering of antiferromagnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state show up both in specific heat and magnetization. The anomalous S-shape field dependence of a-axis magnetization well above $H_c$ can be understood as the crossover from the correlated paramagnetic regime to the high-field polarized paramagnet. The magnetic phase diagrams for the magnetic field applied along the a- and b-axis, respectively, designed using the mentioned experimental results are presented. We have also found that the UI$_3$ crystals are easily cleavable which predisposes this material for direct investigation of 5f electron magnetism in the 2D limit on exfoliated atomically thin samples.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Tricritical fluctuations and elastic properties of the Ising antiferromagnet UIrSi$_3$

Elastic constants, thermal expansion, magnetostriction and heat capacity measurements were performed with and without applied magnetic field on a single crystal of UIrSi$_3$. The elastic properties were interpreted within the theory of the strain-exchange effect. The exchange-striction model together with the Ising model for the behavior of magnetic localized 5$f$ electrons and itinerant electrons of uranium correctly reproduces the main features of our magneto-acoustic experiments in UIrSi$_3$. Data on thermal expansion and magnetostriction confirm the conclusion that the dominant contribution of the measured temperature and field change in the speed of sound comes from the change in the elastic modulus itself. Based on the analysis of heat capacity measurements in the magnetic field, we explain the significant anomalies at the second-order branch of the phase transition boundary as a manifestation of the tricritical fluctuations, dominating the region below the tricritical point. The outcome confirms the 3D Ising model, at zero and low magnetic fields, with a crossover to the mean-field tricritical behavior at fields close to the tricritical point, where tricritical fluctuations dominate the temperature evolution of the given property.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Electronic Structure of ThPd$_2$Al$_3$: an impact of the U $5f$ states in the electronic structure of UPd$_2$Al$_3$

The electronic structure of ThPd$_2$Al$_3$, which is isostructural to the heavy fermion superconductor UPd$_2$Al$_3$, was investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy. The band structure and Fermi surfaces of ThPd$_2$Al$_3$ were obtained by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES), and the results were well-explained by the band-structure calculation based on the local density approximation. The comparison between the ARPES spectra and the band-structure calculation suggests that the Fermi surface of ThPd$_2$Al$_3$ mainly consists of the Al $3p$ and Th $6d$ states with a minor contribution from the Pd $4d$ states. The comparison of the band structures between ThPd$_2$Al$_3$ and UPd$_2$Al$_3$ argues that the U $5f$ states form Fermi surfaces in UPd$_2$Al$_3$ through hybridization with the Al $3p$ state in the Al layer, suggesting that the Fermi surface of UPd$_2$Al$_3$ has a strong three-dimensional nature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magnetotransport as a probe of phase transformations in metallic antiferromagnets: the UIrSi$_3$ case

The electrical resistance, Hall resistance and thermoelectric power of the Ising-like antiferromagnet UIrSi3 were measured as functions of temperature and magnetic field. We have observed that the unequivocally different characters of first-order and second-order magnetic phase transitions lead to distinctly different magnetotransport properties in the neighborhood of corresponding critical temperatures and magnetic fields, respectively. The magnetic contributions to the electrical and Hall resistivity in the antiferromagnetic state, and the polarized and normal regimes of paramagnetic state are driven by different underlying mechanisms. Results of detailed measurements of magnetotransport in the vicinity of the tricritical point reveal that the Hall-resistivity steps at phase transitions change polarity just at this point. The jumps in field dependences of specific heat, electrical resistivity, Hall resistivity and Seebeck coefficient at the first-order metamagnetic transitions indicate a Fermi surface reconstruction, which is characteristic of a magnetic-field induced Lifshitz transition. The presented results emphasize the usefulness of measurements of electrical- and thermal-transport properties as sensitive probes of magnetic phase transformations in antiferromagnets sometimes hardly detectable by other methods.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Ordered array of $ω$ particles in $β$-Ti matrix studied by small-angle X-ray scattering

Nanosized particles of $ω$ phase in a $β$-Ti alloy were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation. We demonstrated that the particles are spontaneously weakly ordered in a three-dimensional cubic array along the $\langle 100\rangle$-directions in the $β$-Ti matrix. The small-angle scattering data fit well to a three-dimensional short-range-order model; from the fit we determined the evolution of the mean particle size and mean distance between particles during ageing. The self-ordering of the particles is explained by elastic interaction between the particles, since the relative positions of the particles coincide with local minima of the interaction energy. We performed numerical Monte Carlo simulation of the particle ordering and we obtained a good agreement with the experimental data.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Single crystal growth of TIMETAL LCB titanium alloy by a floating zone method

The methodology of single crystal growth of metastable $β$-Ti alloy TIMETAL LCB in an optical floating zone furnace is presented in this paper. Chemical compositions of both precursor material and single crystals were checked. It was found that the concentration of base alloying elements did not change significantly during the growth process, while the concentrations of interstitial elements O and N increased. DSC measurement determined that this concentration shift has a slight impact on ongoing phase transformations, as in the single-crystalline material peak associated with $α$ phase precipitation moves by a few degrees to a lower temperature and peak attributed to diffusion controlled growth of $ω$ particles shifts to a higher temperature. X-ray reciprocal space maps were measured and their simulation showed that the single crystal has a mosaic structure with mean size of mosaic blocks of approximately 60 nm.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Consecutive magnetic phase diagram of UCoGe-URhGe-UIrGe system

We prepared single crystals in UCo1-xRhxGe and UIr1-xRhxGe systems to establish a complex dU-U-T (dU-U is the shortest interatomic uranium distance and T is temperature) magnetic phase diagram. This recognized a characteristic maximum in magnetic susceptibility at temperature Tmax along the b axis as an important parameter. Three magnetically ordered regions can be distinguished within this scope; first a ferromagnetic region with Curie temperature < Tmax, second a ferromagnetic region with Curie temperature = Tmax and finally an antiferromagnetic region existing on the UIrGe side with Néel temperature < Tmax.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

ScPd2Al3 New Polymorphic Phase in Al-Pd-Sc System

We have discovered a new compound of the composition ScPd2Al3 crystallizing in unknown structure type. Moreover, ScPd2Al3 reveals polymorphism. We have found an orthorhombic crystal structure at room temperature and a high temperature cubic phase. The polymorphic phases are separated by a reversible first order transition at 1053°C with a hysteresis of 19°C. ScPd2Al3 exists as a very stable intermetallic phase just in the vicinity of the icosahedral quasicrystal Tsai-type i-phase Al54Pd30Sc16.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Wing structure in the phase diagram of the Ising Ferromagnet URhGe close to its tricritical point investigated by angle-resolved magnetization measurements

High-precision angle-resolved dc magnetization and magnetic torque studies were performed on a single-crystalline sample of URhGe, an orthorhombic Ising ferromagnet with the $c$ axis being the magnetization easy axis, in order to investigate the phase diagram around the ferromagnetic (FM) reorientation transition in a magnetic field near the $b$ axis. We have clearly detected first-order transition in both the magnetization and the magnetic torque at low temperatures, and determined detailed profiles of the wing structure of the three-dimensional $T$-$H_{b}$-$H_{c}$ phase diagram, where $H_{c}$ and $H_{b}$ denotes the field components along the $c$ and the $b$ axes, respectively. The quantum wing critical points are located at $μ_0H_c\sim\pm$1.1 T and $μ_0H_b\sim$13.5 T. Two second-order transition lines at the boundaries of the wing planes rapidly tend to approach with each other with increasing temperature up to $\sim 3$ K. Just at the zero conjugate field ($H_c=0$), however, a signature of the first-order transition can still be seen in the field derivative of the magnetization at $\sim 4$ K, indicating that the tricritical point exists in a rather high temperature region above 4 K. This feature of the wing plane structure is consistent with the theoretical expectation that three second-order transition lines merge tangentially at the triciritical point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Evolution of ferromagnetic and non-Fermi liquid state with doping:the case of Ru doped UCoGe

We have investigated the impact of Ru substitution for Co on the behavior of the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe by performing x-ray diffraction, magnetization, specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements on polycrystalline samples of the $\mathrm{UCo}_{1-x}\mathrm{Ru}_{x}\mathrm{Ge}$ series ($0\geq x\leq0.9$). The initial Ru substitution up to $x\approx0.1$ leads to a simultaneous sharp increase of the Curie temperature and spontaneous magnetization up to maximum values of $T_{\mathrm{C}}=8.6 K$ and $M_{\mathrm{S}}=0.1 μ_{\mathrm{B}}$ per formula unit, respectively, whereas superconductivity vanishes already for $x\approx0.03$. Further increase of the Ru content beyond $x\approx0.1$ leads to a precipitous decrease of both, $T_{\mathrm{C}}$ and $M_{\mathrm{S}}$ towards a ferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP) at $x_{\mathrm{cr}}=0.31$. Consequently the $T-x$ magnetic phase diagram consists of a well-developed ferromagnetic dome. We discuss the evolution of ferromagnetism with $x$ on the basis of band structure changes due to varying 5$f$-ligand hybridization. This scenario is supported by the results of electronic structure calculations and consideration of the simplified periodic Anderson model. The analysis of the temperature dependencies of the electrical resistivity and heat capacity at low temperatures of the samples in the vicinity of the QCP reveals a non-Fermi liquid behavior and assigns the ferromagnetic quantum phase transition to be most likely of a continuous Hertz-Millis type.

cond-mat.str-el↗