RIS ID
142461
Abstract
© 2020 Author(s). Rare earth orthoferrites demonstrate great application potentials in spintronics and optical devices due to their multiferroic and magnetooptical properties. In RFeO3, magnetic R3+ undergo a spontaneous spin reorientation in a temperature range determined by R (rare earth), where the magnetic structure changes from Γ2 to Γ4. The b-axis component of their magnetic moment, Mb, is reported in numerous neutron diffraction studies to remain zero at all temperatures. More sensitive magnetometer measurements reveal a small non-zero Mb, which is minute above ∼200 K. Mb increases with cooling and reaches values of ∼10-3 μB/f.u. at temperatures within or below the spin reorientation temperatures. Our results can be explained by assuming the Fe3+ spins as the origin of non-zero Mb, while R3+ spins suppress Mb. The representation analysis of point groups shows that non-zero Mb is associated with a small admixture of the Γ3 phase to Γ2 or Γ4. Such a mixing of the three magnetic phases requires at least a fourth order of the spin Hamiltonian for RFeO3 to describe the non-zero Mb
Publication Details
Mohammed, M. H., Cheng, Z. X., Cao, S., Rule, K. C., Richardson, C., Edwards, A., Studer, A. J. & Horvat, J. (2020). Non-zero spontaneous magnetic moment along crystalline b-axis for rare earth orthoferrites. Journal of Applied Physics, 127 (11), 113906-1-113906-12.