Magnetic-field-induced spin reorientation in TmFeO<sub>3</sub> single crystals

Abstract

TmFeO<sub>3</sub> exhibits rich physical properties such as magneto-optical effect, multiferroicity, and spin reorientation, making it possess significant research value in condensed matter physics and materials science. In this study, we utilize a time-domain terahertz magneto-optical spectroscopy system to investigate the changes in spin resonance frequency of TmFeO<sub>3</sub> single crystal at <i>T</i> = 1.6 K under external magnetic fields in a range of 0–7 T. The TmFeO<sub>3</sub> sample is grown in an optical floating zone furnace and its crystallographic orientation is determined by using back-reflection Laue X-ray photography with a tungsten target. The measurement setup is a self-built time-domain terahertz magneto-optical spectroscopy system, with magnetic fields in a range of 0–7 T, temperatures in a range of 1.6–300 K, and a spectral range of 0.2–2.0 THz. A pair of 1 mm-thick ZnTe nonlinear crystals is used to generate and detect terahertz signals through optical rectification and electro-optic sampling technique. The system variable temperature and magnetic field are controlled by a superconducting magnet. In experiments, a linearly polarized terahertz wave is vertically incident on the sample surface, and its magnetic component <i>H</i><sub>THz</sub> is parallel to the sample surface. By rotating the sample, the angle (<i>θ</i>) between macroscopic magnetic moment <i> <b>M</b> </i> and <i>H</i><sub>THz</sub> can be tuned, achieving selective excitations of the two modes, that is, <i>θ</i> = 0 for q-AFM mode and 90° for q-FM mode. Terahertz absorption spectrum results indicate that as the magnetic field increases, the quasi-ferromagnetic resonance (q-FM) of TmFeO<sub>3</sub> single crystal shifts towards high frequencies, and quasi-antiferromagnetic resonance (q-AFM) transits to q-FM under low critical magnetic fields (2.2–3.6 T). Through magnetic structure analysis and theoretical fitting, it is confirmed that the magnetic moment of the single crystal undergoes magnetic field induced spin reorientation. This study is helpful in better understanding of the regulation mechanism of the internal magnetic structure of rare earth ferrite under the combined action of external magnetic field and temperature field, and also in developing related spin electronic devices.