Field-induced Magnetic Transition Research Articles

Observation and Modeling of the Circular Polarization of the Cr i Magnetic-field-induced Transition at 533.03 nm

We study the circular polarization of the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) between the 3d 5(6 S)4d 7 D 2 and 3d 5(6 S)4p 7 P 4° states of Cr i at 533.03 nm (wavelength in air). The fractional circular polarization V/I of this spectral line resulting from the solution of the radiation transfer problem in a sunspot model permeated by a homogeneous magnetic field of 3 kG shows amplitudes of about 2%. Spectropolarimetric observations of two sunspots were obtained with the Zurich Imaging Polarimeter-3 at the Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò observatory in Locarno, Switzerland. The observed V/I profiles show approximately antisymmetrical shapes with an amplitude of around 0.1% and 0.2% for the two sunspots. The center of this profile coincides with the wavelengths predicted for the abovementioned MIT. We apply an inversion code to the spectropolarimetric data of the Cr i-permitted lines at 532.91 and 532.98 nm, as well as to the MIT line at 533.03 nm, to infer a stratification of the emitting atmosphere. We compare the V/I profiles synthesized in the inferred atmosphere models with the observations, showing that the observed signal likely corresponds to the MIT line.

Field-induced anisotropic magnetic phase transitions and tricritical phenomena in GdCr6Ge6

Field-induced anisotropic magnetic phase transitions and tricritical phenomena in GdCr6Ge6

Large reversible magnetocaloric effect in antiferromagnetic Er3Si2C2 compound

The magnetic properties, magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effects (MCE) of Er3Si2C2 compound were investigated based on theoretical calculations and experimental analysis. Based on the first principles calculations, the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state type in Er3Si2C2 compound was predicted and its electronic structure was investigated. The experimental results show that Er3Si2C2 compound is an AFM compound with the Néel temperature (TN) of 7 K and undergoes a field-induced first-order magnetic phase transition from AFM to ferromagnetic (FM) under magnetic fields exceeding 0.6 T at 2 K. The magnetic transition process of Er3Si2C2 compound was investigated and discussed. The values of the maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔSMmax) and the refrigeration capacity (RC) are 17 J/(kg∙K) and 193 J/kg under changing magnetic fields of 0–5 T, respectively. As a potential cryogenic magnetic refrigerant, the Er3Si2C2 compound also provides an interesting research medium to study the magnetic phase transition process.

Competing Magnetic Interactions and Field-Induced Metamagnetic Transition in Highly Crystalline Phase-Tunable Iron Oxide Nanorods.

The inherent existence of multi phases in iron oxide nanostructures highlights the significance of them being investigated deliberately to understand and possibly control the phases. Here, the effects of annealing at 250 °C with a variable duration on the bulk magnetic and structural properties of high aspect ratio biphase iron oxide nanorods with ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 and antiferromagnetic α-Fe2O3 are explored. Increasing annealing time under a free flow of oxygen enhanced the α-Fe2O3 volume fraction and improved the crystallinity of the Fe3O4 phase, identified in changes in the magnetization as a function of annealing time. A critical annealing time of approximately 3 h maximized the presence of both phases, as observed via an enhancement in the magnetization and an interfacial pinning effect. This is attributed to disordered spins separating the magnetically distinct phases which tend to align with the application of a magnetic field at high temperatures. The increased antiferromagnetic phase can be distinguished due to the field-induced metamagnetic transitions observed in structures annealed for more than 3 h and was especially prominent in the 9 h annealed sample. Our controlled study in determining the changes in volume fractions with annealing time will enable precise control over phase tunability in iron oxide nanorods, allowing custom-made phase volume fractions in different applications ranging from spintronics to biomedical applications.

Magnetic field-induced Freedericksz transition in a chiral liquid crystal

A wedge cell made of homeotropically treated glass plates is filled with a chirally doped nematic liquid crystal. When a sufficiently large magnetic field is applied in the cell plane, a bend-like distortion occurs above a Fréedericksz threshold field Hth. Hth is reduced from the achiral case because of a field-induced bend distortion that facilitates a chiral twist distortion. Measurements of Hth vs sample thickness are reported and compared favorably with a theoretical model presented herein. A further theoretical comparison is made between Hth and the electric-field-induced transition in a geometry, exhibiting a 2π azimuthal degeneracy. The results may have technological implications in, for example, in-plane switching devices.

Magnetic and Transport Anomalies and Large Magnetocaloric Effect in Cubic R4PtAl (R = Ho and Er)

We report the electronic properties of R4PtAl (R = Ho, and Er), which contains three sites for R, by the measurements of magnetization (ac and dc), heat-capacity, transport, and magnetoresistance (MR). Dc magnetization data reveal antiferromagnetic order below 19 K and 12 K in Ho and Er compounds, respectively. Additional features observed at lower temperatures (12 K for Ho4PtAl and 5 K for Er4PtAl) are akin to the cluster spin-glass phase. Resistivity data exhibit a weak minimum at a temperature marginally higher than their respective Néel temperature (TN), which is unusual for such rare-earths with well-localized 4f states. Isothermal magnetization and magnetoresistance data well below TN exhibit signatures of a subtle field-induced magnetic transition for a small magnetic field (<10 kOe). Notably, the isothermal entropy change at TN has the largest peak value within this rare-earth family; for a field change from zero to 50 kOe, the entropy change is ~14.5 J/kg K (Ho4PtAl) and ~21.5 J/kg K (Er4PtAl) suggesting a role of anisotropy of 4f orbital in determining this large value. The results provide some clues for the advancement of the field of magnetocaloric effect. The magnetocaloric property of Er4PtAl is nonhysteretic, meeting a challenge to find materials with reversible magnetocaloric effect.

Spin reorientation in easy-plane kagome ferromagnet Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2

We report the successful growth and characterization of Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 single crystal, and investigate its magnetic properties under external magnetic fields via magnetization and heat capacity measurements. Our study reveals that Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 is an easy-plane kagome ferromagnet with S = 3/2, as evidenced by the Curie–Weiss temperature of 6 K which implies a ferromagnetic exchange coupling in the material. Under zero magnetic field, Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 undergoes a magnetic transition at T C = 2.7 K from a paramagnetic state to a ferromagnetically ordered state with the magnetic moment lying in the kagome plane. By applying a c-axis directional magnetic field to rotate the spin alignment from the kagome plane to the c-axis, we observe a reduction in the magnetic transition temperature as the field is increased. We construct a magnetic phase diagram as a function of temperature and magnetic field applied parallel to the c-axis of Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 and find that the phase boundary is linear over a certain temperature range. Regarding that theoretically, the field-induced phase transition of the spin reorientation in the easy-plane ferromagnet can be viewed as the ferromagnetic magnon Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC), the phase boundary scaling of field-induced (B ∥ c) magnetic transition in Li9Cr3(P2O7)3(PO4)2 can be described as the quasi-2D magnon BEC, which has been observed in other ferromagnetic materials such as K2CuF4.

Solar coronal magnetic field measurements using spectral lines available in Hinode/EIS observations: strong and weak field techniques and temperature diagnostics

ABSTRACT Recently, it has been proposed that the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) in Fe x can be used to measure coronal magnetic field strengths. Several techniques, the direct line ratio technique and the weak and strong magnetic field techniques, are developed to apply the MIT theory to spectroscopic observations taken by EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) onboard Hinode. However, the suitability of coronal magnetic field measurements based on the weak and strong magnetic field techniques has not been evaluated. Besides, temperature diagnostics is also important for measuring coronal magnetic field based on the MIT theory, but how to determine the accurate formation temperature of the Fe x lines from EIS observations still needs investigation. In this study, we synthesized emissions of several spectral lines from a 3D radiation magnetohydrodynamic model of a solar active region and then derived magnetic field strengths using different methods. We first compared the magnetic field strengths derived from the weak and strong magnetic field techniques to the values in the model. Our study suggests that both weak and strong magnetic field techniques underestimate the coronal magnetic field strength. Then we developed two methods to calculate the formation temperature of the Fe x lines. One is based on differential emission measure analyses, and the other is deriving temperature from the Fe ix and Fe xi line pairs. However, neither of the two methods can provide temperature determination for accurate coronal magnetic field measurements as those derived from the Fe x 174/175 and 184/345 Å line ratios. More efforts are still needed for accurate coronal magnetic field measurements using EIS observations.

Multiple metamagnetic transitions induced by high magnetic field in DyBi

The rare-earth monopnictide compounds have recently received considerable attention in condensed matter physics because of their correlation between magnetism, crystallographic structure, and transport. Here, we report experimental observations of high-magnetic-field-induced multiple metamagnetic transitions and magnetic structures in DyBi single crystals. The external field up to 32 T is applied in three distinct crystallographic directions as $H//[001]$, $H//[011]$, and $H//[111]$, which reveals anisotropic magnetism as well as multiple metamagnetic transitions. Two field-induced magnetic phase transitions at 3.7 T and 4.9 T along $H//[001]$, two at 3.8 T and 24 T along $H//[011]$, and one at 3.8 T along $H//[111]$ are identified. In order to unveil the nature of magnetic interaction in DyBi, the critical behavior analysis for $H//$[001], a direction with typical magnetism and transitions, is performed. The yielded critical exponents $\ensuremath{\beta}=0.234(8)$, $\ensuremath{\gamma}=0.904(3)$, and $\ensuremath{\delta}=5.03(2)$ agree well with the theoretical prediction of a tricritical mean-field model, indicating a field-induced tricritical phenomenon in this system. Comprehensive magnetic phase diagrams for $H//[001]$, $H//[011]$, and $H//[111]$ are constructed based on detailed magnetization measurement and scaling, which reveal multiple phases such as NiO-type antiferromagnetic (AFM), HoP-type AFM, forced ferromagnetic (FFM), and paramagnetic (PM) phases. Two tricritical points (TCPs) are determined at the intersections of the AFM, FFM, and PM phases, with TCP = (8.6 K, 85 kOe) for $H//$[001] and (16.8 K, 243 kOe) for $H//$[011]. The recognition of multiple phases suggests delicate and complex competition and balance between variable couplings in this system.

Synthesis, structure and magnetism of RTa7O19 (R = Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho) with perfect triangular lattice

We present the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of a hitherto unstudied family of rare-earth based RTa7O19 (R = Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho) compounds with space groupP6¯2c. The structural analysis reveals that magnetic R ions form layers of ideal two-dimensional triangular lattices in the ab-plane separated by several nonmagnetic polyhedra layers along the c-axis. The magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements indicate the absence of long-range magnetic order and field-induced magnetic transitions in all the studied compounds. The details about the magnetism strongly depend on the type of R ions. The presence of geometrical frustration is discussed. Thus, RTa7O19 provides a new platform for exploring the frustrated magnetism.

Syntheses, structure and magnetization plateau of staircase kagome-lattice antiferromagnet Cu3Bi(TeO3)2O2Cl

We have synthesized the single crystals of a spin-1/2 staircase kagome lattice compound Cu3Bi(TeO3)2O2Cl via a solid-state reaction. This compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with space group Pnma. The magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and ESR measurements show that the compound undergoes an antiferromagnetic ordering at T1 = 41.6 K and a short-range ordering at T2 = 5.6 K. The Curie-Weiss temperature is about θCW = − 20.8 K and frustration factor f = 0.5. The magnetization curve at 2 K presents a field-induced magnetic transition at Hc1 = 3.1 T, followed by a magnetization plateau with its magnetization close to 1/3 of the saturation value. Thus, Cu3Bi(TeO3)2O2Cl is an weakly frustrated staircase kagome-lattice antiferromagnet exhibiting a 1/3-like magnetization plateau.

Field-Induced Transition in (Nd,Dy)2Fe14B in Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields

We demonstrate the peculiarities of the magnetization process in the ferrimagnetic intermetallic compound (Nd0.5Dy0.5)2Fe14B, which has been studied theoretically and experimentally using ultrahigh magnetic fields. We observe phase transition induced by external ultrahigh magnetic fields (up to 170 T) and also describe the magnetization process analytically in terms of critical transition fields. In this work, the first and second critical fields of the field-induced magnetic transitions, Hc1 and Hc2, were estimated, and the results were verified against experimental data for Hc1. Critical field Hc2 predicting the place of transition to the forced-ferromagnetic state was estimated for the first time for (Nd0.5Dy0.5)2Fe14B compound. A comparison of the magnetization behavior for (Nd0.5Dy0.5)2Fe14B with the basic systems Nd2Fe14B and Dy2Fe14B is also performed. We demonstrate that, in the Dy2Fe14B compound, the field-induced transition type is changed from the first to the second order due to the replacement of the Nd atom by Dy one.

Crystal Growth, Structural Transition, and Magnetic Properties of Ho5Pd4Sn12.

Single crystals and polycrystalline samples of Ho5Pd4Sn12 have been synthesized using flux and arc-melting methods, respectively. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies indicate that Ho5Pd4Sn12 crystallizes in a tetragonal structure (I4/m) at room temperature and transforms into a monoclinic structure (C2/m) below ∼194 K. This structural transition is further supported by a transmission electron microscopy study and an anomaly at ∼194 K in the specific heat data. Temperature-dependent resistivity data also show a kink around the structural transition temperature. Ho5Pd4Sn12 is antiferromagnetically ordered below 7 K. Ho5Pd4Sn12 shows magnetic anisotropy, and the isothermal magnetization curve (H⊥c) at 2 K exhibits a field-induced magnetic phase transition around 22.8 kOe.

Discrete scale invariance of the quasi-bound states at atomic vacancies in a topological material

Recently, log-periodic quantum oscillations have been detected in the topological materials zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe5) and hafnium pentatelluride (HfTe5), displaying an intriguing discrete scale invariance (DSI) characteristic. In condensed materials, the DSI is considered to be related to the quasi-bound states formed by massless Dirac fermions with strong Coulomb attraction, offering a feasible platform to study the long-pursued atomic-collapse phenomenon. Here, we demonstrate that a variety of atomic vacancies in the topological material HfTe5 can host the geometric quasi-bound states with a DSI feature, resembling an artificial supercritical atom collapse. The density of states of these quasi-bound states is enhanced, and the quasi-bound states are spatially distributed in the "orbitals" surrounding the vacancy sites, which are detected and visualized by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy. By applying the perpendicular magnetic fields, the quasi-bound states at lower energies become wider and eventually invisible; meanwhile, the energies of quasi-bound states move gradually toward the Fermi energy (EF). These features are consistent with the theoretical prediction of a magnetic field-induced transition from supercritical to subcritical states. The direct observation of geometric quasi-bound states sheds light on the deep understanding of the DSI in quantum materials.

Anisotropic magnetotransport properties of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeRh2As2

We report anisotropic resistivity measurements of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeRh$_2$As$_2$ in magnetic fields up to 16 T and temperatures down to 0.35 K. The measured CeRh$_2$As$_2$ resistivity shows a signature corresponding to the suggested quadrupole density wave order state at $T_0 \sim$ 0.5 K for both measured directions. For a magnetic field applied along the tetragonal $a$ axis, $T_0$ is enhanced with magnetic field reaching $\sim$1.75 K at 16 T. Further, a magnetic field-induced transition occurs at $B_m \sim $ 8.1 T corresponding to a change to a new broken symmetry state. For a magnetic field applied along the $c$ axis, $T_0$ is suppressed below our base temperature $\sim$0.35 K by $B \sim$ 4.5 T, a field close to the previously reported field-induced transition within the superconducting state suggested to be from an even-parity to an odd-parity state. Our results indicate that the multiple superconducting phases in CeRh$_2$As$_2$ are intimately tied to the suppression of the proposed quadrupole-density-wave phase at $T_0$.

A Novel Inversion Method to Determine the Coronal Magnetic Field Including the Impact of Bound–Free Absorption

The magnetic field governs the corona; hence, it is a crucial parameter to measure. Unfortunately, existing techniques for estimating its strength are limited by strong assumptions and limitations. These techniques include photospheric or chromospheric field extrapolation using potential or nonlinear force-free methods, estimates based on coronal seismology, or direct observations via, e.g., the Cryo-NIRSP instrument on DKIST, which will measure the coronal magnetic field but only off the limb. Alternately, in this work, we investigate a recently developed approach based on the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) of Fe x 257.261Å In order to examine this approach, we have synthesized several Fe x lines from two 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations, one modeling an emerging flux region and the second an established mature active region. In addition, we take bound–free absorption from neutral hydrogen and helium and singly ionized helium into account. The absorption from cool plasma that occurs at coronal heights has a significant impact on determining the magnetic field. We investigate in detail the challenges of using these Fe x lines to measure the field, considering their density and temperature dependence. We present a novel approach to deriving the magnetic field from the MIT using inversions of the differential emission measure as a function of the temperature, density, and magnetic field. This approach successfully estimates the magnetic field strength (up to 18% relative error) in regions that do not suffer from significant absorption and that have relatively strong coronal magnetic fields (>250 G). This method allows regions where absorption is significant to be masked.

Forward Modeling of Magnetic Field Measurements at the Bases of Stellar Coronae through Extreme-ultraviolet Spectroscopy

Measurements of the stellar coronal magnetic field are of great importance for understanding stellar magnetic activity, yet such measurements have been extremely difficult to obtain. Recent studies proposed a new method of obtaining magnetic field measurements based on the magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) of the Fe x ion. Here we construct a series of stellar coronal magnetohydrodynamics models and synthesize several Fe x emission lines at extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths, and then diagnose the magnetic field strength at the bases of the coronae using the MIT technique. Our results show that the technique can be applied to some stars with magnetic fields more than three times higher than that of the Sun at solar maximum. Furthermore, we investigate the uncertainty of the derived magnetic field strength caused by photon counting errors and find that a signal-noise ratio of ∼50 for the Fe x 175 Å line is required to achieve effective measurements of the stellar coronal magnetic field.

Static magnetic and ESR spectroscopic properties of the dimer-chain antiferromagnet BiCoPO5

We report a comprehensive study of the static susceptibility, high-field magnetization and high-frequency/high-magnetic field electron spin resonance (HF-ESR) spectroscopy of polycrystalline samples of the bismuth cobalt oxy-phosphate BiCoPO$_5$. This compound features a peculiar spin system that can be considered as antiferromagnetic (AFM) chains built of pairs of ferromagnetically coupled Co spins and interconnected in all three spatial directions. It was previously shown that BiCoPO$_5$ orders antiferromagnetically at $T_{\rm N} \approx 10$ K and this order can be continuously suppressed by magnetic field towards the critical value $\mu_0H_{\rm c} \approx 15$ T. In our experiments we find strongly enhanced magnetic moments and spectroscopic $g$ factors as compared to the expected spin-only values, suggesting a strong contribution of orbital magnetism for the Co$^{2+}$ ions. This is quantitatively confirmed by ab initio quantum chemical calculations. Within the AFM ordered phase, we observe a distinct field-induced magnetic phase transition. Its critical field rises to $\sim 6$ T at $T \ll T_{\rm N}$. The HF-ESR spectra recorded at $T\ll T_{\rm N}$ are very rich comprising up to six resonance modes possibly of the multimagnonic nature that soften towards the critical region around 6 T. Interestingly, we find that the Co moments are not yet fully polarized at $H_{\rm c}$ which supports a theoretical proposal identifying $H_{\rm c}$ as the quantum critical point for the transition of the spin system in BiCoPO$_5$ to the quantum disordered state at stronger fields.

First Laboratory Measurement of Magnetic-field-induced Transition Effect in Fe x at Different Magnetic Fields

The magnetic field is extremely important for understanding the properties of the solar corona. However, there are still difficulties in the direct measurement of the coronal magnetic field. The magnetic-field-induced transition (MIT) in Fe x, appearing in coronal spectra, was discovered to have prospective applications in coronal magnetic field measurements. In this work, we obtained the extreme ultraviolet spectra of Fe x in the wavelength range of 174–267 Å in the Shanghai High-temperature Superconducting Electron Beam Ion Trap, and examined the effect of MIT in Fe x by measuring the line ratios between 257.262 Å and the reference line of 226.31 Å (257/226) at different magnetic field strengths for the first time. The electron density that may affect the 257/226 value was also obtained experimentally and verified by comparing the density-sensitive line ratio (175.266 Å/174.534 Å) measurements with the theoretical predictions, and there was good agreement between them. The energy separation between the two levels of 3s23p43d 4 D 5/2 and 3s23p43d 4 D 7/2, one of the most critical parameters for determining the MIT rate, was obtained by analyzing the simulated line ratios of 257/226 with the experimental values at the given electron densities and magnetic fields. Possible reasons that may have led to the difference between the obtained energy splitting and the recommended value in previous works are discussed. Magnetic field response curves for the 257/226 value were calculated and compared to the experimental results, which is necessary for future MIT diagnostics.

Multiple magnetic transitions and magnetocaloric effect of Tb4CoIn alloy

We report on the magnetic, magnetocaloric, thermal, and electrical transport properties of Tb4CoIn alloy, which crystallizes in two phases, Tb6Co2.1In0.8 (space group Immm) and Tb2In0.9Co0.1 (space group P63/mmc), respectively. The alloy reveals three successive magnetic transitions around T1 (163 K), T2 (50 K), and T3 (29 K), respectively, associated with paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition and two sequential antiferromagnetic transitions. The low-temperature transition T3 follows the first-order magnetic behavior and exhibits the field-induced magnetic transition. Meanwhile, T2 and T1 are found to be second-order in nature which opens a possibility for hysteresis-free magnetocaloric application. The magnetocaloric properties are determined using different magnetocaloric figures of merits such as –ΔSM, ΔTad, RCP, and TEC (10). Additionally, the universal curve behavior in the isothermal entropy change unveils the variation in critical exponents around T1 and T2 due to the magnetic inhomogeneity in the alloy. Besides, the electrical transport properties of the metallic alloy denote the maximum magnetoresistance of −10% around T1.