Temperature dependent 89Y NMR study on multiferroic YCrO3

Abstract

In this manuscript, we report the 89Y NMR measurement as a function of temperature on single phase and pure polycrystalline YCrO3 sample to study the magnetism and relaxation times on a microscopic level across the magnetic transition (T N ≃ 141 K) from paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic state. The NMR peak width broadens abruptly upon crossing T N due to the onset of internal magnetic fields, while peakshift slight decreases. A slight increase and subsequent anomalous decrease in the NMR peak intensity is observed on approaching T N from 300 K. There is also a significant increase in peak width. The temperature dependence of the 89Y NMR spin–lattice relaxation rates 1/T 1 indicates a phase transition at T N which is of magnetic origin due to Cr3+ ions, with an anomalously rise of fluctuations below T N. Above T N, this spin–lattice relaxation rate can be fitted to a power-law scaling behavior 1/T 1 ∼ T β with an exponent factor β ≈ 0.8, indicates low energy spin fluctuations. Moreover, Knight shift and 1/TT 1 scales linear with the bulk susceptibility which suggests the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation in the YCrO3 system.