arXiv subjects

P. Böni

Publications and source records attributed to P. Böni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

KOMPASS: the new cold neutron triple-axis-spectrometer specialized for polarization analysis

KOMPASS is a polarized triple-axis cold neutron spectrometer recently installed at the FRM II neutron source. The instrument is designed to operate exclusively with polarized neutrons and is specialized in longitudinal polarization analysis using Helmholtz coils and spherical zero-field neutron polarimetry using a Cryopad device. The advanced guide system polarizes and focuses flexibly in the scattering plane. A first, fixed parabolic focusing part contains a series of three polarizing supermirror V-cavities that produce a highly polarized beam. By exchanging straight and parabolic front-end guide sections, the resolution of the instrument can be optimized to meet experimental requirements. Large, double-focusing monochromator and analyzer units with pyrolytic graphite crystals enable efficient and adaptive energy selection, and a compact supermirror cavity analyzes the final neutron polarization. Alternatively, or in combination with this cavity, a Heusler polarization analyzer can be used. KOMPASS offers full- and half-polarized configurations with or without secondary energy analysis and provides a wide range of polarization options. Therefore, KOMPASS is well suited for various studies of static and dynamic magnetic correlations with energy transfers on the neutron energy loss side up to ~12 meV.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Spin-orbital correlations from complex orbital order in MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$

MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$ is a spinel based on magnetic V$^{3+}$ ions which host both spin ($S=1$) and orbital ($l_{eff}=1$) moments. Owing to the underlying pyrochlore coordination of the magnetic sites, the spins in MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$ only antiferromagnetically order once the frustrating interactions imposed by the $Fd\overline{3}m$ lattice are broken through an orbitally-driven structural distortion at T$_{S}$ $\simeq$ 60 K. Consequently, a Néel transition occurs at T$_{N}$ $\simeq$ 40 K. Low temperature spatial ordering of the electronic orbitals is fundamental to both the structural and magnetic properties, however considerable discussion on whether it can be described by complex or real orbital ordering is ambiguous. We apply neutron spectroscopy to resolve the nature of the orbital ground state and characterize hysteretic spin-orbital correlations using x-ray and neutron diffraction. Neutron spectroscopy finds multiple excitation bands and we parameterize these in terms of a multi-level (or excitonic) theory based on the orbitally degenerate ground state. Meaningful for the orbital ground state, we report an "optical-like" mode at high energies that we attribute to a crystal-field-like excitation from the spin-orbital $j_{eff}$=2 ground state manifold to an excited $j_{eff}$=1 energy level. We parameterize the magnetic excitations in terms of a Hamiltonian with spin-orbit coupling and local crystalline electric field distortions resulting from deviations from perfect octahedra surrounding the V$^{3+}$ ions. We suggest that this provides compelling evidence for complex orbital order in MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$. We then apply the consequences of this model to understand hysteretic effects in the magnetic diffuse scattering where we propose that MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$ displays a high temperature orbital memory of the low temperature spin order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Topological magnon band structure of emergent Landau levels in a skyrmion lattice

The motion of a spin excitation across topologically non-trivial magnetic order exhibits a deflection that is analogous to the effect of the Lorentz force on an electrically charged particle in an orbital magnetic field. We used polarized inelastic neutron scattering to investigate the propagation of magnons (i.e., bosonic collective spin excitations) in a lattice of skyrmion tubes in manganese silicide. For wave vectors perpendicular to the skyrmion tubes, the magnon spectra are consistent with the formation of finely spaced emergent Landau levels that are characteristic of the fictitious magnetic field used to account for the nontrivial topological winding of the skyrmion lattice. This provides evidence of a topological magnon band structure in reciprocal space, which is borne out of the nontrivial real-space topology of a magnetic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Takin: An open-source software for experiment planning, visualisation, and data analysis

Due to the instrument's non-trivial resolution function, measurements on triple-axis spectrometers require extra care from the experimenter in order to obtain optimal results and to avoid unwanted spurious artefacts. We present a free and open-source software system that aims to ease many of the tasks encountered during the planning phase, in the execution and in data treatment of experiments performed on neutron triple-axis spectrometers. The software is currently in use and has been successfully tested at the MLZ, but can be configured to work with other triple-axis instruments and instrument control systems.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Universal behavior of the IMS domain formation in superconducting niobium

In the intermediate mixed state (IMS) of type-II/1 superconductors, vortex lattice (VL) and Meissner state domains coexist due to a partially attractive vortex interaction. Using a neutron-based multiscale approach combined with magnetization measurements, we study the continuous decomposition of a homogeneous VL into increasingly dense domains in the IMS in bulk niobium samples of varying purity. We find a universal temperature dependence of the vortex spacing, closely related to the London penetration depth and independent of the external magnetic field. The rearrangement of vortices occurs even in the presence of a flux freezing transition, i.e. pronounced pinning, indicating a breakdown of pinning at the onset of the vortex attraction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Transverse acoustic phonon anomalies at intermediate wavevectors in MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$

Magnetic spinels (with chemical formula $AX_{2}$O$_{4}$, with $X$ a 3$d$ transition metal ion) that also have an orbital degeneracy are Jahn-Teller active and hence possess a coupling between spin and lattice degrees of freedom. At high temperatures, MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$ is a cubic spinel based on V$^{3+}$ ions with a spin $S$=1 and a triply degenerate orbital ground state. A structural transition occurs at T$_{OO}$=63 K to an orbitally ordered phase with a tetragonal unit cell followed by an antiferromagnetic transition of T$_{N}$=42 K on cooling. We apply neutron spectroscopy in single crystals of MgV$_{2}$O$_{4}$ to show an anomaly for intermediate wavevectors at T$_{OO}$ associated with the acoustic phonon sensitive to the shear elastic modulus $\left(C_{11}-C_{12}\right)/2$. On warming, the shear mode softens for momentum transfers near close to half the Brillouin zone boundary, but recovers near the zone centre. High resolution spin-echo measurements further illustrate a temporal broadening with increased temperature over this intermediate range of wavevectors, indicative of a reduction in phonon lifetime. A subtle shift in phonon frequencies over the same range of momentum transfers is observed with magnetic fields. We discuss this acoustic anomaly in context of coupling to orbital and charge fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Reciprocal space mapping of magnetic order in thick epitaxial MnSi films

We report grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (GISANS) and complementary off-specular neutron reflectometry (OSR) of the magnetic order in a single-crystalline epitaxial MnSi film on Si(111) in the thick film limit. Providing a means of direct reciprocal space mapping, GISANS and OSR reveal a magnetic modulation perpendicular to the films under magnetic fields parallel and perpendicular to the film, where additional polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) and magnetization measurements are in excellent agreement with the literature. Regardless of field orientation, our data does not suggest the presence of more complex spin textures, notably the formation of skyrmions. This observation establishes a distinct difference with bulk samples of MnSi of similar thickness under perpendicular field, in which a skyrmion lattice dominates the phase diagram. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements suggest that small shifts of the Si positions within the unstrained unit cell control the magnetic state, representing the main difference between the films and thin bulk samples.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

The multi-purpose three-axis spectrometer (TAS) MIRA at FRM II

The cold-neutron three-axis spectrometer MIRA is an instrument optimized for low-energy excitations. Its excellent intrinsic $Q$-resolution makes it ideal for studying incommensurate magnetic systems (elastic and inelastic). MIRA is at the forefront of using advanced neutron focusing optics such as elliptic guides, which enable the investigation of small samples under extreme conditions. Another advantage of MIRA is the modular assembly allowing for instrumental adaption to the needs of the experiment within a few hours. The development of new methods such as the spin-echo technique MIEZE is another important application at MIRA. Scientific topics include the investigation of complex inter-metallic alloys and spectroscopy on incommensurate magnetic structures.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Band structure of helimagnons in MnSi resolved by inelastic neutron scattering

A magnetic helix realizes a one-dimensional magnetic crystal with a period given by the pitch length $λ_h$. Its spin-wave excitations -- the helimagnons -- experience Bragg scattering off this periodicity leading to gaps in the spectrum that inhibit their propagation along the pitch direction. Using high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering the resulting band structure of helimagnons was resolved by preparing a single crystal of MnSi in a single magnetic-helix domain. At least five helimagnon bands could be identified that cover the crossover from flat bands at low energies with helimagnons basically localized along the pitch direction to dispersing bands at higher energies. In the low-energy limit, we find the helimagnon spectrum to be determined by a universal, parameter-free theory. Taking into account corrections to this low-energy theory, quantitative agreement is obtained in the entire energy range studied with the help of a single fitting parameter.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Versatile module for experiments with focussing neutron guides

We report the development of a versatile module that permits fast and reliable use of focussing neutron guides under varying scattering angles. A simple procedure for setting up the module and neutron guides is illustrated by typical intensity patterns to highlight operational aspects as well as typical parasitic artefacts. Combining a high-precision alignment table with separate housings for the neutron guides on kinematic mounts, the change-over between neutron guides with different focussing characteristics requires no readjustments of the experimental set-up. Exploiting substantial gain factors, we demonstrate the performance of this versatile neutron scattering module in a study of the effects of uniaxial stress on the domain populations in the transverse spin density wave phase of single crystal Cr.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Neutron Resonance Spin Flippers: Static Coils Manufactured by Electrical Discharge Machining

Radiofrequency spin flippers (RFSF) are key elements of Neutron Resonance Spin Echo (NRSE) spectrometers, which allow performing controlled manipulations of the beam polarization. We report on the design and test of a new type of RFSF which originality lies in the new manufacturing technique for the static coil. The largely automated procedure ensures reproducible construction as well as an excellent homogeneity of the neutron magnetic resonance condition over the coil volume. Two salient features of this concept are the large neutron window and the closure of the coil by a $μ$-metal yoke which prevents field leakage outside of the coil volume. These properties are essential for working with large beams and enable new applications with coils tilted with respect to the beam axis such as neutron Larmor diffraction or the study of dispersive excitations by inelastic NRSE.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Neutron spin echo spectroscopy under 17T magnetic field at RESEDA

We report proof-of-principle measurements at the neutron resonance spin echo spectrometer RESEDA (MLZ) under large magnetic fields by means of Modulation of IntEnsity with Zero Effort (MIEZE). Our study demonstrates the feasibility of applying strong magnetic fields up to 17\,T at the sample while maintaining unchanged sub-$μ$eV resolution. We find that the MIEZE-spin-echo resolution curve remains essentially unchanged as a function of magnetic field up to the highest fields available, promising access to high fields without need for additional fine-tuning of the instrument. This sets the stage for the experimental investigation of subtle field dependent phenomena, such as magnetic field-driven phase transitions in hard and soft condensed matter physics.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Critical spin-flip scattering at the helimagnetic transition of MnSi

We report spherical neutron polarimetry (SNP) and discuss the spin-flip scattering cross sections as well as the chiral fraction $η$ close to the helimagnetic transition in MnSi. For our study, we have developed a miniaturised SNP device that allows fast data collection when used in small angle scattering geometry with an area detector. Critical spin-flip scattering is found to be governed by chiral paramagnons that soften on a sphere in momentum space. Carefully accounting for the incoherent spin-flip background, we find that the resulting chiral fraction $η$ decreases gradually above the helimagnetic transition reflecting a strongly renormalised chiral correlation length with a temperature dependence in excellent quantitative agreement with the Brazovskii theory for a fluctuation-induced first order transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Monte-Carlo Simulations for the optimisation of a TOF-MIEZE Instrument

The MIEZE (Modulation of Intensity with Zero Effort) technique is a variant of neutron resonance spin echo (NRSE), which has proven to be a unique neutron scattering technique for measuring with high energy resolution in magnetic fields. Its limitations in terms of flight path differences have already been investigated analytically for neutron beams with vanishing divergence. In the present work Monte-Carlo simulations for quasi-elastic MIEZE experiments taking into account beam divergence as well as the sample dimensions are presented. One application of the MIEZE technique could be a dedicated NRSE-MIEZE instrument at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Sweden. The optimisation of a particular design based on Montel mirror optics with the help of Monte Carlo simulations will be discussed here in detail.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

New Diluted Ferromagnetic Semiconductor isostructural to 122 type iron pnictide superconductor with TC up to 180 K

Diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) have received much attention due to its potential applications to spintronics devices. A prototypical system (Ga,Mn)As has been widely studied since 1990s. The simultaneous spin and charge doping via hetero-valence (Ga3+,Mn2+) substitution, however, resulted in severely limited solubility without availability of bulk specimens. Previously we synthesized a new diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor of bulk Li(Zn,Mn)As with Tc up to 50K, where isovalent (Zn,Mn) spin doping was separated from charge control via Li concentrations. Here we report the synthesis of a new diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ba1-xKx)(Zn1-yMny)2As2, isostructural to iron 122 system, where holes are doped via (Ba2+, K1+), while spins via (Zn2+,Mn2+) substitutions. Bulk samples with x=0.1-0.3 and y=0.05-0.15 exhibit ferromagnetic order with TC up to 180K, comparable to that of record high Tc for Ga(MnAs), significantly enhanced than Li(Zn,Mn)As. Moreover the (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2As2 shares the same 122 crystal structure with semiconducting BaZn2As2, antiferromagnetic BaMn2As2, and superconducting (Ba,K)Fe2As2, which makes them promising to the development of multilayer functional devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Tests of Modulated Intensity Small Angle Scattering in time of flight mode

We report results of tests of the MISANS technique at the CG-1D beamline at High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A chopper at 40 Hz simulated a pulsed neutron source at the beamline. A compact turn-key MISANS module operating with the pulsed beam was installed and a well characterised MnSi sample was tested. The feasibility of application of high magnetic fields at the sample position was also explored. These tests demonstrate the great potential of this technique, in particular for examining magnetic and depolarizing samples, under extreme sample environments at pulsed sources, such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) or the planned European Spallation Source (ESS).

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Large Scales - Long Times: Adding High Energy Resolution to SANS

The Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) variant MIEZE (Modulation of IntEnsity by Zero Effort), where all beam manipulations are performed before the sample position, offers the possibility to perform low background SANS measurements in strong magnetic fields and depolarising samples. However, MIEZE is sensitive to differences \DeltaL in the length of neutron flight paths through the instrument and the sample. In this article, we discuss the major influence of \DeltaL on contrast reduction of MIEZE measurements and its minimisation. Finally we present a design case for enhancing a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument at the planned European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, using a combination of MIEZE and other TOF options, such as TISANE offering time windows from ns to minutes. The proposed instrument allows studying fluctuations in depolarizing samples, samples exposed to strong magnetic fields, and spin-incoherently scattering samples in a straightforward way up to time scales of \mus at momentum transfers up to 0.01 Å-1, while keeping the instrumental effort and costs low.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Long-range crystalline nature of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi

We report small angle neutron scattering of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi using an experimental set-up that minimizes the effects of demagnetizing fields and double scattering. Under these conditions the skyrmion lattice displays resolution-limited Gaussian rocking scans that correspond to a magnetic correlation length in excess of several hundred μm. This is consistent with exceptionally well-defined long-range order. We further establish the existence of higher-order scattering, discriminating parasitic double-scattering with Renninger scans. The field and temperature dependence of the higher-order scattering arises from an interference effect. It is characteristic for the long-range crystalline nature of the skyrmion lattice as shown by simple mean field calculations.

cond-mat.str-el↗