Low temperature neutron diffraction study of MgCr2O4 spinel

被引:48
作者
Ortega-San-Martin, L. [1 ,2 ]
Williams, A. J. [1 ,2 ]
Gordon, C. D. [1 ,2 ]
Klemme, S. [1 ,3 ]
Attfield, J. P. [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Edinburgh, CSEC, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Midlothian, Scotland
[2] Univ Edinburgh, Sch Chem, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, Midlothian, Scotland
[3] Univ Edinburgh, Sch Geosci, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Midlothian, Scotland
基金
英国工程与自然科学研究理事会;
关键词
Antiferromagnetism - Low temperature effects - Neutron powder diffraction - Paramagnetism;
D O I
10.1088/0953-8984/20/10/104238
中图分类号
O469 [凝聚态物理学];
学科分类号
070205 ;
摘要
The low temperature structural and magnetic transition in the normal spinel MgCr2O4 has been studied using high resolution neutron powder diffraction. The transition from a cubic, paramagnetic phase (space group Fd (3) over barm, a = 8.3329(1) angstrom at 19 K) to a tetragonal, antiferromagnetically ordered structure (I4(1)/amd, a = 5.8961(1) and c = 8.3211(1) angstrom at 10 K) occurs via a sharp first order transition at 12.4 K. A small hysteresis of 0.15 K between cooling and warming experiments is observed. The structural and magnetic transitions are coincident and their order parameters (the tetragonal strain and Cr moment) scale with each other. The structural transition partially relieves magnetic frustration in the Cr network, although remaining frustration is evident from the low value (1.63 mu B) of the saturated Cr3+ moment.
引用
收藏
页数:5
相关论文
共 21 条
[1]   Quantum spin liquid: The Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the three-dimensional pyrochlore lattice [J].
Canals, B ;
Lacroix, C .
PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 2000, 61 (02) :1149-1159
[2]   Statics and dynamics of incommensurate spin order in a geometrically frustrated antiferromagnet CdCr2O4 -: art. no. 247204 [J].
Chung, JH ;
Matsuda, M ;
Lee, SH ;
Kakurai, K ;
Ueda, H ;
Sato, TJ ;
Takagi, H ;
Hong, KP ;
Park, S .
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 2005, 95 (24)
[3]   Tetragonal low-temperature phase of MgCr2O4 [J].
Ehrenberg, H ;
Knapp, M ;
Baehtz, C ;
Klemme, S .
POWDER DIFFRACTION, 2002, 17 (03) :230-233
[4]   Geometrically frustrated magnetic materials [J].
Greedan, JE .
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY, 2001, 11 (01) :37-53
[5]   Pressure-dependent magnetic properties of geometrically frustrated ZnCr2O4 -: art. no. 184421 [J].
Jo, Y ;
Park, JG ;
Kim, HC ;
Ratcliff, W ;
Cheong, SW .
PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 2005, 72 (18)
[6]   Factors controlling chemistry of magmatic spinel: An empirical study of associated olivine, Cr-spinel and melt inclusions from primitive rocks [J].
Kamenetsky, VS ;
Crawford, AJ ;
Meffre, S .
JOURNAL OF PETROLOGY, 2001, 42 (04) :655-671
[7]  
Klemme S, 2000, AM MINERAL, V85, P1686
[8]  
Larson A. C., 1994, GEN STRUCTURE ANAL S, P86
[9]   Crystal distortions in geometrically frustrated ACr2O4 (A = Zn, Cd) [J].
Lee, S. -H ;
Gasparovic, G. ;
Broholm, C. ;
Matsuda, M. ;
Chung, J.-H. ;
Kim, Y. J. ;
Ueda, H. ;
Xu, G. ;
Zschack, P. ;
Kakurai, K. ;
Takagi, H. ;
Ratcliff, W. ;
Kim, T. H. ;
Cheong, S.-W. .
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER, 2007, 19 (14)
[10]   Emergent excitations in a geometrically frustrated magnet [J].
Lee, SH ;
Broholm, C ;
Ratcliff, W ;
Gasparovic, G ;
Huang, Q ;
Kim, TH ;
Cheong, SW .
NATURE, 2002, 418 (6900) :856-858