Elastic anomalies associated with structural and magnetic phase transitions in single crystal hexagonal YMnO3

Abstract

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy has been used to measure the elastic and anelastic behaviour through known structural and magnetic phase transitions in single crystal hexagonal YMnO3. Anomalous elastic behaviour is observed at the high temperature structural transition at ∼1260 K, with a discontinuity in the elastic constants and nonlinear recovery below Tc, consistent with coupling. There is no change in dissipation associated with this high temperature transition, and no evidence in the elastic or anelastic behaviour for any secondary transition at ∼920 K, thus supporting the thesis of a single high temperature transformation. Elastic stiffening is observed on cooling through TN, in accordance with previous studies, and the excess elastic constant appears to scale with the square of the magnetic order parameter. The strains incurred at TN are a factor of ∼20 smaller than those at the structural transition, implying very weak coupling and a dominant contribution to the variation in the elastic constants from . The increased acoustic dissipation above TN is consistent with an order–disorder process.