High-field Phase Research Articles

Order-by-disorder in the antiferromagnetic J1−J2−J3 transverse-field Ising model on the ruby lattice

We investigate the quantum phase diagram of the J1−J2−J3 antiferromagnetic transverse-field Ising model on the ruby lattice. In the low-field limit we derive an effective quantum dimer model, analyzing how the extensive ground-state degeneracy at zero field is lifted by an order-by-disorder scenario. We support our analysis by studying the gap closing of the high-field phase using series expansions. For J2>J3, we find a columnar phase at low fields, followed by a clock-ordered phase stabilized by resonating plaquettes at intermediate field values, and an emergent three-dimensional (3D)-XY quantum phase transition to the polarized high-field phase. For J3>J2, an order-by-disorder mechanism stabilizes a distinct k=(0,0) order and a quantum phase transition in the 3D-Ising universality class is observed. Further, we discuss the possible implementation of the columnar- and clock-ordered phase in existing Rydberg atom quantum simulators. When taking into account the full algebraically decaying long-range interactions on the ruby lattice, we find that long-range interactions favor the same ground state as the quantum fluctuations induced by a transverse field, which could make the ruby lattice a promising candidate for the realization of a clock-ordered phase. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Anisotropic magnetic and quadrupolar H−T phase diagram of CeRh2As2

The tetragonal heavy-fermion compound CeRh2As2 has intriguing low-temperature symmetry-breaking phases whose nature is unclear. The unconventional superconducting phase is complemented by other normal-state phases which presumably involve ordering of 4f electron multipoles supported by the Kramers doublets split by the tetragonal crystal electric field (CEF). The most striking aspect is the pronounced anisotropic H−T phase boundary for in-plane and out-of plane field directions. Using a localized 4f CEF model we demonstrate that its essential features can be understood as the result of competing low-field easy-plane magnetic order and field-induced quadrupolar order of xy type. We present calculations based on coupled multipole random phase approximation response function approach as well as molecular field treatment in the ordered regime. We use an analytical approach for a reduced quasiquartet model and numerical calculations for the complete CEF level scheme. We discuss the quantum critical properties as function of multipolar control parameters and explain the origin of a pronounced ac anisotropy of the H−T phase diagram. Finally, the field and temperature evolution of multipolar order parameters is derived and the high-field phase diagram is predicted. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Stabilizirovannye polem magnitnye fazy v treugol'nom antiferromagnetike RbFe(MoO4)2

The magnetic H–T phase diagram of a quasi-two-dimensional easy plane antiferromagnet RbFe(MoO4)2 (S = 5/2) with an equilateral triangular lattice structure is studied with 87Rb NMR technique for field directed along hard axis C3. The studies confirm the two step transition from the low field umbrella-like incommensurate magnetic phase to the paramagnetic state observed recently (H. Mitamura et al., J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 400, 70 (2016)). The transitions were identified as a lambda anomaly in the spin-lattice relaxation rate and a step increase of magnetic susceptibility at intermediate transition. The 87Rb NMR study precludes the possibility of either V or fan spin textures in the new high field phase. The additional transition is presumably associated with loss of inter plane magnetic order before the transition to paramagnetic state of individual triangular planes.

Theory of the low- and high-field superconducting phases of UTe2

Recent nuclear magnetic resonance and calorimetric experiments have observed that ${\mathrm{UTe}}_{2}$ exhibits a transition between two distinct superconducting phases as a function of magnetic field strength for a field applied along the crystalline $b$ axis. To determine the nature of these phases, we employ a microscopic two-band minimal Hamiltonian with the essential crystal symmetries and structural details. We also adopt anisotropic ferromagnetic exchange terms. We study the resulting pairing symmetries and properties of these low- and high-field phases in mean-field theory.

Thermodynamic insights into the intricate magnetic phase diagram of EuAl4

The tetragonal intermetallic compound EuAl$_{4}$ hosts an exciting variety of low temperature phases. In addition to a charge density wave below 140 K, four ordered magnetic phases are observed below 15.4 K. Recently, a skyrmion phase was proposed based on Hall effect measurements under a $c$-axis magnetic field. We present a detailed investigation of the phase transitions in EuAl$_{4}$ under $c$-axis magnetic field. Our dilatometry, heat capacity, DC magnetometry, AC magnetic susceptibility, and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy measurements reveal three magnetic phase transitions not previously reported. We discuss what our results reveal about the character of the magnetic phases. Our first key result is a detailed $H \parallel [001]$ magnetic phase diagram mapping the seven phases we observe. Second, we identify a new high-field phase, phase VII, which directly corresponds to the region were skyrmions have been suggested. Our results provide guidance for future studies exploring the complex magnetic interactions and spin structures in EuAl$_{4}$.

Distinguishing dxz+idyz and dx2−y2 pairing in Sr2RuO4 by high magnetic field H−T phase diagrams

Employing a realistic tight-binding model describing the Fermi surface in the normal state of $Sr_2RuO_4$ we map out magnetic field versus temperature phase diagrams for $d_{x^2-y^2} (B_{1g})$ and $d_{xz}+id_{yz} (E_g)$ pairing types. Both produce (i) a similar Knight shift suppression of $\sim\!80\%$ and (ii) a bicritical point at $T=0.88$K separating low field second order phase transitions from high field Pauli limiting first order transitions. We find, however, strikingly different phase behaviour within the high field Pauli limiting region. For $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry an additional lower critical line of first order transitions is found (terminating in a critical point at $T=0.09-0.22$K depending on the choice of Hubbard U parameters) while for $d_{xz}+id_{yz}$ no such additional high field phase transitions are found for any choice of Hubbard U. In conjunction with our earlier finding [{\it Physical Review B} {\bf 102} (23), 235203] for $p$-wave helical pairing of a still different high field phase structure (a lower critical field line meeting the upper critical field line exactly at the bicritical point), we suggest high field Pauli limiting phase structure as a possible route to distinguish pairing symmetries in this material.

Anisotropy of the T vs. H phase diagram and the HO/LMAFM phase boundary in URu2−xFexSi2

The correlated f-electron compound URu2Si2 exhibits superconductivity (SC) with a critical temperature Tc = 1.5 K that coexists with the “hidden order” (HO) phase that forms below a characteristic temperature T0 = 17.5 K. The SC of URu2Si2 appears to be spin singlet chiral SC with d-wave order parameter symmetry, and the pairing of SCing electrons may involve spin excitations of the HO phase. Electrical resistance R measurements were performed on single crystal specimens of URu2−xFexSi2 with increasing x throughout the transition from the HO phase to the large moment antiferromagnetic LMAFM phase in high magnetic fields H oriented at various angles θ with respect to the tetragonal c-axis. Measurements of R(θ) at H = 20, 33, 40, and 45 T were conducted in the temperature range 0.33 ≤ T ≤ 20 K and showed θ-dependent behavior in the various phase transitions of URu2−xFexSi2 (HO, LMAFM, spin density wave, Fermi surface reconstruction, etc.). These phase transitions, as functions of T, H, and θ are plotted in a phase diagram of T vs. H//c = Hcosθ for multiple values of x and show that H//c, not θ is a tuning parameter of the URu2−xFexSi2 system throughout all Fe concentrations, as previously found by Scheereret al. for the URu2Si2 parent compound.

Vortex lattice melting line in superconductors with paramagnetic pair breaking

Recent experiments on the iron-based superconductor FeSe in a high magnetic field have suggested the presence of both the fluctuation-induced vortex liquid regime and a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) vortex lattice. To get a general picture of the magnetic phase diagram in type II superconductors with strong superconducting (SC) fluctuation and strong paramagnetic pair breaking (PPB) such as FeSe, the vortex lattice melting curve ${H}_{m}(T)$ is theoretically investigated in situations where a FFLO state is expected to occur. In general, PPB tends to narrow the vortex liquid regime intervening between ${H}_{c2}(T)$ and ${H}_{m}(T)$. In particular, the vortex liquid regime is found to rapidly shrink upon entering; by cooling, the temperature range in which the FFLO state with a periodic modulation parallel to the magnetic field is stable in mean-field theory. Based on the present results, the high-field SC phase diagrams of FeSe in the parallel and perpendicular field configurations are discussed.

Solid and Liquid Oxygen under Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields

Oxygen is a unique molecule that possesses a spin quantum number S=1. In the condensed phases of oxygen, the delicate balance between the antiferromagnetic interaction and van der Waals force results in the various phases with different crystal structures. By applying ultrahigh magnetic fields, the antiferromagnetic coupling between O2 molecules breaks, and novel high-field phases can appear. We have investigated the physical properties of condensed oxygen under ultrahigh magnetic fields and have found that the stable crystal structure of solid oxygen changes around 100 T. Even in liquid oxygen, we observed a strong acoustic attenuation, which indicates the fluctuation of local molecular arrangements. These results demonstrate that magnetic fields can modulate the packing structure of oxygen through spin-lattice coupling. Our study implies the possibility of controlling oxygen-related (bio-)chemical processes by using an external magnetic field.

Effects of Bi3+ doping on the charge ordering and high-field phase diagram of La0.5-xBixCa0.5MnO3

La0.5-xBixCa0.5MnO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2) compounds have been prepared to study the effects of Bi3+ substitution on the structure, magnetic and magnetotransport properties. Experimental results show that Bi3+ dopants have induced a distinct lattice distortion and phase separated state in which the long range ferromagnetic order turns into short range ferromagnetic clusters, and the charge ordering/antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetic clusters coexist in the system. Bi3+ doping induced disorders lead to the presence of a Griffith-like phase. The hybridization between Bi3+-6s orbitals and O2–-2p orbitals produces a localization of O2–-2p electrons and lattice distortion, which plays an important role in favoring charge ordering state and multiple magnetic ordering. The charge ordering antiferromagnetic collapses into ferromagnetic phase through a metamagnetic transition with applying a sufficiently high magnetic field. A T-HC phase diagram was determined based on the magnetization and electrical transport measurements, in which the phase boundary is figured out.

Enhancing the grain boundary diffusion efficiency of Tb for Nd-Fe-B magnets using dual-alloy diffusion source

Grain boundary diffusion is an effective approach to enhance coercivity for Nd-Fe-B magnets with reduced consumption of heavy rare earths (HRE). However, during diffusion treatment, the HRE tends to accumulate at the magnet surface, leading to an insufficient coercivity improvement and a decreased magnetic hysteresis loop squareness. Here, a Pr-Al-Cu/Tb-Al-Cu dual-alloy diffusion source is proposed to improve the diffusion of Tb element. During the GBD process, the low melting point Pr-Al-Cu alloy has higher diffusion rate than the Tb-Al-Cu alloy. The formation of continuous grain boundary phase by Pr-Al-Cu diffusion is beneficial to constructing effective channels for the subsequent diffusion of Tb. As a result, the dual-alloy diffusion enhances the coercivity of an initial magnet from 1040 to 1911 kA/m and a high loop squareness of 91.31% is also obtained. In comparison, the coercivity of the magnet treated by the Pr-Tb-Al-Cu single-alloy source was only enhanced to 1832 kA/m with loop squareness of 87.44%. The microstructure characterizations revealed that, by dual-alloy diffusion, both Pr and Tb can infiltrate deeply from the diffusion surface to the interior of the magnet. The formation of (Nd,Tb)2Fe14B phase with high anisotropy field and continuous grain boundary phase contribute to the coercivity enhancement. Using the dual-alloy diffusion source, the HRE resources can be efficiently utilized for increased infiltration depth by avoiding the formation of over-thick Tb-rich grain shells. This facile and flexible process is also attractive for industrial application.

Reentrant ferroelectric phase induced by a tilting high magnetic field in Ni3V2O8

The canonical multiferroic material ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{3}{\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8}$ with a kagome staircase structure of $S=1\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ spins has attracted much attention for its complex magnetic phase diagram, as well as the interplay between spin orders and ferroelectricity. In the present work, we report a comprehensive angular dependent ferroelectric polarization study on ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{3}{\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8}$ with the field rotating within the $ac$ plane at low temperatures. The low field induced ferroelectric (LF) state along the crystallographic $b$ axis, which has been observed when the field is applied parallel to the easy axis ($a$ axis), is revealed to vanish suddenly as the field is rotating close to the $c$ axis. Of particular interest is the observation of the reentrant ferroelectric (HF) phase at high field for various orientations when the field is between the $a$ and $c$ axes within a small angle range. The field-angle phase diagrams are built based on the low-temperature angular dependent polarization results and composed of a continuous LF phase and a discontinuous HF phase both exhibiting symmetry with respect to the $a$ axis. The microscopic origins of the two phases are different due to the two decoupled sublattices in the kagome staircase structure, where the low-field polarization is proposed to originate from the spiral structure of the spine spins, while the high-field phase is ascribed to the ordering of the cross-ties under a tilting high magnetic field.

High-field magnetic structure of the triangular antiferromagnet RbFe(MoO4)2

The magnetic H - T phase diagram of a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet RbFe(MoO4)2 with an equilateral triangular lattice structure is studied with 87Rb NMR and neutron diffraction techniques. This combination of experimental techniques allows us to determine the ordered components of the magnetic moments on the Fe3+ ions within various high-field phases - the Y, UUD, V, and fan structures, stabilized in the compound by the in-plane magnetic field. It is also established that the transition from the V to the fan phase is of first-order, whereas the transition from the fan phase to the polarized paramagnetic phase is continuous. An analysis of the NMR spectra shows that the high-field fan phase of RbFe(MoO4)2 can be successfully described by a periodic commensurate oscillation of the magnetic moments around the field direction in each Fe layer combined with an incommensurate modulation of the magnetic structure perpendicular to the layers.

Competing magnetic phases in the frustrated spin-1/2 chain compound β−TeVO4 probed by NMR

In frustrated spin-1/2 chains the competition between the nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor exchange interactions leads to a rich phase diagram that becomes even richer in the presence of perturbations in their material realizations. These effects are still largely unexplored, so that new insight into static and dynamic magnetism, in particular by sensitive local probes, is highly desired. Here we present a comprehensive $^{17}$O nuclear magnetic resonance study of $\beta$-TeVO$_4$, where the anisotropy of the main exchange interactions and additional weak interchain exchange interactions complement the theoretical phase diagram. Our results confirm the dynamical nature of the intriguing spin-stripe phase that has been reported in previous studies. In addition, we find that the magnetic order in the high-field phase, which develops just below the magnetization saturation, is consistent with an unusual type of spin-density-wave (SDW) order with different alignments of the magnetic moments on the neighboring chains. This is reminiscent of the ordering in the SDW phase, realized in the absence of the magnetic field, and is thus most likely stabilized by magnetic anisotropy.

Charge-neutral fermions and magnetic field-driven instability in insulating YbIr3Si7

Kondo lattice materials, where localized magnetic moments couple to itinerant electrons, provide a very rich backdrop for strong electron correlations. They are known to realize many exotic phenomena, with a dramatic example being recent observations of quantum oscillations and metallic thermal conduction in insulators, implying the emergence of enigmatic charge-neutral fermions. Here, we show that thermal conductivity and specific heat measurements in insulating YbIr3Si7 reveal emergent neutral excitations, whose properties are sensitively changed by a field-driven transition between two antiferromagnetic phases. In the low-field phase, a significant violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law demonstrates that YbIr3Si7 is a charge insulator but a thermal metal. In the high-field phase, thermal conductivity exhibits a sharp drop below 300 mK, indicating a transition from a thermal metal into an insulator/semimetal driven by the magnetic transition. These results suggest that spin degrees of freedom directly couple to the neutral fermions, whose emergent Fermi surface undergoes a field-driven instability at low temperatures.

Solitonic excitations in the Ising anisotropic chain BaCo2V2O8 under large transverse magnetic field

We study the dynamics of the quasi-one-dimensional Ising-Heisenberg antiferromagnet ${\mathrm{BaCo}}_{2}{\mathrm{V}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8}$ under a transverse magnetic field. Combining inelastic neutron scattering experiments and theoretical analyses by field theories and numerical simulations, we mainly elucidate the structure of the spin excitation spectrum in the high-field phase, appearing above the quantum phase transition point ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}10\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$. We find that it is characterized by collective solitonic excitations superimposed on a continuum. These solitons are strongly bound in pairs due to the effective staggered field induced by the nondiagonal $g$ tensor of the compound and are topologically different from the fractionalized spinons in the weak-field region. The dynamical susceptibility numerically calculated with the infinite time-evolving block decimation method shows an excellent agreement with the measured spectra, which enables us to identify the dispersion branches with elementary excitations. The lowest-energy dispersion has an incommensurate nature and has a local minimum at an irrational wave number due to the applied transverse field.

Quasiparticle Nodal Plane in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov State of FeSe.

The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state, characterized by Cooper pairs condensed at finite momentum, has been a long-sought state that remains unresolved in many classes of fermionic systems, including superconductors and ultracold atoms. A fascinating aspect of the FFLO state is the emergence of periodic nodal planes in real space, but its observation is still lacking. Here we investigate the superconducting order parameter at high magnetic fields H applied perpendicular to the ab plane in a high-purity single crystal of FeSe. The heat capacity and magnetic torque provide thermodynamic evidence for a distinct superconducting phase at the low-temperature/high-field corner of the phase diagram. Despite the bulk superconductivity, spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy performed on the same crystal demonstrates that the order parameter vanishes at the surface upon entering the high-field phase. These results provide the first demonstration of a pinned planar node perpendicular to H, which is consistent with a putative FFLO state.

High-order series expansion of non-Hermitian quantum spin models

We investigate the low-energy physics of non-Hermitian quantum spin models with $PT$-symmetry. To this end we consider the one-dimensional Ising chain and the two-dimensional toric code in a non-Hermitian staggered field. For both systems dual descriptions in terms of non-Hermitian staggered Ising interactions in a conventional transverse field exist. We perform high-order series expansions about the high- and low-field limit for both systems to determine the ground-state energy per site and the one-particle gap. The one-dimensional non-Hermitian Ising chain is known to be exactly solvable. Its ground-state phase diagram consists of second-order quantum phase transitions, which can be characterized by logarithmic singularities of the second derivative of the ground-state energy and, in the symmetry-broken phase, the gap closing of the low-field gap. In contrast, the gap closing from the high-field phase is not accessible perturbatively due to the complex energy and the occurrence of exceptional lines in the high-field gap expression. For the two-dimensional toric code in a non-Hermitian staggered field we study the quantum robustness of the topologically ordered phase by the gap closing of the low-field gap. We find that the well-known second-order quantum phase transition of the toric code in a uniform field extends into a large portion of the non-Hermitian parameter space. However, the series expansions become unreliable for a dominant anti-Hermitian field. Interestingly, the analysis of the high-field gap reveals the potential presence of an intermediate region.

Phase transition in the 5d1 double perovskite Ba2CaReO6 induced by high magnetic field

Magnetic properties of an antiferromagnetic double perovskite oxide Ba2CaReO6, where Re6+ (5d1) ions with large spin-orbit coupling are arranged on the face-centered-cubic lattice, are investigated using pulsed high magnetic field up to 66 T. Magnetization and magnetostriction measurements have revealed a magnetic field induced phase transition at around 50 T. The phase transition accompanies a jump of magnetization and longitudinal magnetostriction of approximately 2 10^(-4) with the change of power law behavior, indicating sizable coupling between the electronic degrees of freedom and the lattice. The high field phase exhibits a magnetic moment approximately 0.2 {\mu}B, which is close to the values observed in 5d1 double perovskite oxides with non-collinear magnetic structure. We argue that Ba2CaReO6 is an antiferromagnet that sits close to the phase boundary between the collinear and non-collinear phases, providing the target material for investigating the interplay between spin-orbital entangled electrons and magnetic field.

Effects of spin-lattice coupling and a magnetic field in classical Heisenberg antiferromagnets on the breathing pyrochlore lattice

We theoretically investigate spin-lattice coupling (SLC) effects on the in-field ordering properties of classical Heisenberg antiferromagnets on the breathing pyrochlore lattice. Here, we use the two possible simplified models describing the effect of local lattice distortions on the spin ordering via the SLC, the bond-phonon and site-phonon models. It is found by means of Monte Carlo simulations that in both models, the $\frac{1}{2}$ plateau shows up in the magnetization curve being relatively robust against the breathing bond alternation, although magnetic long-range orders (LRO's) are realized only in the site-phonon model. In the bond-phonon model, additional further neighbor interactions are necessary to induce a magnetic LRO. In the site-phonon model, it is also found that in addition to the low-field, middle-field $\frac{1}{2}$ plateau, and high-field phases appearing on both the uniform and breathing pyrochlore lattices, various types of unconventional phases which can be viewed as LRO's in units of tetrahedron are induced by the breathing bond alternation just below the $\frac{1}{2}$ plateau and the saturation field. The occurrence of these tetrahedron-based orders could be attributed to the nature characteristic of the breathing pyrochlore lattice, i.e., the existence of the nonequivalent small and large tetrahedra. Experimental implications of our result are also discussed.