Abstract
Spatial anisotropy generated spontaneously in the translationally invariant metallic phase, i.e. electron nematic effect, addresses a great challenge for both experimentalists and theoreticians. An interesting option for the realization of the electron nematic phase is provided by the system with orbital ordering, as long as both orbitally ordered states and electron nematic phases possess broken spatial symmetry. Here we report the detailed study of the angular dependences of the magnetoresistance in the orbitally ordered antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) phase of CeB6. Our data allowed revealing the electron nematic effect, which develops when magnetic field exceeds a critical value of 0.3–0.5T. As a result, new transition inside the AFQ phase corresponding to the change of the symmetry of magnetic scattering on spin fluctuations in CeB6 is discovered.
Highlights
In the past decade, investigating of spatial anisotropy that is generated spontaneously in the translationally invariant metallic phase, i.e. electron nematic or spin nematic effect, has addressed a great challenge for both experimentalists and theoreticians1–4
Several theoretical mechanisms were proposed to explain electron nematic effect including Pomeranchuk instability of Fermi liquid or melting of a stripe phase1,2,4. Another intriguing option for the realization of an electron nematic phase is provided by the crystal with orbital ordering, as long as both orbitally ordered states and electron nematic phases may be considered as systems with broken spatial symmetry1,4
This specific situation may occur in the phase with quadrupolar order, where the spin fluctuation magnitude varies along different crystallographic directions6, so that anisotropic spin fluctuations “mimic” molecules in the liquid crystal nematic phase
Summary
High quality single crystals of CeB6 identical to those studied earlier in were investigated. The initial ingots of single crystals of CeB6 were oriented with the help of X-rays. The resulting orientation was checked again by X-ray diffraction and, if necessary, the sample shape was corrected by additional cutting or polishing to get desirable accuracy of the crystal axes alignment with respect to the sample faces and edges. Mounting of the sample into the experimental setup, which allowed precise sample rotation and positioning in a magnetic field, was done under optical microscope control without adding additional errors in the sample alignment. The angular dependences of the magnetoresistance were measured with the help of the experimental setup, which allows 360° rotation of the sample by discrete steps of 1.8° in magnetic field B up to 8 T supplied by superconducting magnet. Magnetic field B, which is transverse to J, passes through the principal crystallographic axes when the sample is rotated around J direction (Fig. 1e,f)
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