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60 records · Page 4

Manipulation of spin orientation via ferroelectric switching in Fe-doped Bi 2 WO 6 from first principles

Atomic-scale control of spins by electric fields is highly desirable for future technological applications. Magnetically doped Aurivillius-phase oxides present one route to achieve this, with magnetic ions substituted into the ferroelectric structure at dilute concentrations, resulting in spin-charge coupling. However, there has been minimal exploration of the ferroelectric switching pathways in this materials class, limiting predictions of the influence of an electric field on magnetic spins in the structure. Here, we determine the ferroelectric switching pathways of the end member of the Aurivillius phase family, Bi 2 WO 6 , using a combination of group theoretic analysis and density functional theory calculations. We find that in the ground state P2 1 ab phase, a two-step switching pathway via C2 and Cm intermediate phases provides the lowest energy barrier. Considering iron substitutions on the W site in Bi 2 WO 6 , we determine the spin easy axis. Finally, by tracking the change in spin directionality during ferroelectric switching, we find that a 90° switch in the polarization direction leads to a 112° reorientation of the spin easy axis. The low-symmetry crystal-field environment of Bi 2 WO 6 and magnetoelastic coupling on the magnetic dopant provide a route to spin control via an applied electric field.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Comparing first-principles density functionals plus corrections for the lattice dynamics of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6

The enigmatic mechanism underlying unconventional high-temperature superconductivity, especially the role of lattice dynamics, has remained a subject of debate. Theoretical insights have long been hindered due to the lack of an accurate first-principles description of the lattice dynamics of cuprates. Recently, using the r2SCAN meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) functional, we have been able to achieve accurate phonon spectra of an insulating cuprate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 and discover significant magnetoelastic coupling in experimentally interesting Cu–O bond stretching optical modes [Ning et al., Phys. Rev. B 107, 045126 (2023)]. We extend this work by comparing Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof and r2SCAN performances with corrections from the on-site Hubbard U and the D4 van der Waals (vdW) methods, aiming at further understanding on both the materials science side and the density functional side. We demonstrate the importance of vdW and self-interaction corrections for accurate first-principles YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 lattice dynamics. Since r2SCAN by itself partially accounts for these effects, the good performance of r2SCAN is now more fully explained. Finally, in addition, the performances of the Tao–Mo series of meta-GGAs, which are constructed in a different way from the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-GGA and its revised version r2SCAN, are also compared and discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Weak trimerization in the frustrated two-dimensional triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet Lu y Y 1-y MnO 3

To understand the 2D triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnetic system, we investigated the magnetic structures and the dynamics of Lu y Y 1-y MnO 3 in detail. The substitutions are adjusted to the Mn atomic position close to x Mn =$\frac{1}{3}$. The neutron powder diffraction data claims that the magnetic structure of Lu y Y 1-y MnO 3 is described as a mixture of Γ 3 (P6' 3 cm') and Γ 4 (P6' 3 c'm) at the x Mn position for y=0.15, 0.30, and 0.45. The ratio of Γ 3 and Γ 4 depends on temperature and composition and the fraction of Γ 3 increases upon cooling, while no clear trimerization was observed at the xMn position. We estimated exchange parameters from the analysis of the low-energy part of the spin waves. The results showed a weak trimerization effect on cooling because the nearest-neighbor exchange interaction is slightly enhanced. The temperature dependence of the spin-wave dispersion around the Γ point shows that the spin gap closes with increasing temperature because the exchange interactions in the nearest Mn-Mn neighbor become smaller. Gapless diffusive magnetic excitation from a Mn triangular lattice has been observed in a wide range in Q and E space of Lu y Y 1-y MnO 3 . We found that Lu 0.3 Y 0.7 MnO 3 could be an ideal case to investigate the trimerization, frustrated magnetism, and magnetoelastic coupling often observed in two-dimensional triangular lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic order in nanogranular iron germanium (Fe 0.53 Ge 0.47 ) films

We study the effect of strain on the magnetic properties and magnetization configurations in nanogranular Fe x Ge 1-x films (x = 0.53 ± 0.05) with and without B20 FeGe nanocrystals surrounded by an amorphous structure. Relaxed films on amorphous silicon nitride membranes reveal a disordered skyrmion phase while films near and on top of a rigid substrate favor ferromagnetism and an anisotropic hybridization of Fe d levels and spin-polarized Ge sp band states. The weakly coupled topological states emerge at room temperature and become more abundant at cryogenic temperatures without showing indications of pinning at defects or confinement to individual grains. These results demonstrate the possibility to control magnetic exchange and topological magnetism by strain and inform magnetoelasticity-mediated voltage control of topological phases in amorphous quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ultrafast Formation of Jahn–Teller Polarons Revealed by State-Selective Excitation in Correlated Spinel Co 3 O 4

Jahn–Teller polarons are quasiparticles that stem from symmetry breaking and strong local electron–phonon coupling. They originate from an excess charge carrier being dressed by a local lattice distortion, caused by the Jahn–Teller effect, and they critically impact electrical, structural, and magnetic properties in transition metal oxides. The observation of the microscopic steps involved in their formation is essential for enabling control over material properties through the targeted activation of local, site-specific modifications with light pulses. While Jahn–Teller distortion associated with polaron formation was predicted to contribute significantly to changes in electronic band gap and optical properties in Co 3 O 4 , its experimental observation remains elusive, requiring signatures of local symmetry reduction. In this work, we demonstrate Jahn–Teller polaron formation in spinel Co 3 O 4 . By exciting electronic transitions at 3.10 eV and 1.55 eV, we target either the Oh Cobalt(III) or the Td Cobalt(II) ions, and drive the subsequent coherent responses of the system through two different pathways. For the former, we demonstrate that ligand-to-metal charge transfer leads to Jahn–Teller polaron formation, which is linked to the deformation potential and magnetoelastic coupling. For the latter, we identify the coherent excitation of a T 2g phonon mode launched by on-site d-d electronic transitions. Key to our observations is the ability to target site-specific electronic excitations in spinel Co 3 O 4 using ultrafast optical pulses, while monitoring the ensuing low-energy collective modes through the coherent time-domain response of the material. Our approach, which combines the comparative analysis of experimental fingerprints with the support from density functional theory calculations, is broadly applicable to systems in which Jahn–Teller polaron physics has been theoretically predicted but remains experimentally unverified, and it underscores the potential of electronic-state targeting as a route to selectively excite and probe quasiparticle dynamics in solids.

Lattices↗

Influence of hydrogenation on the vibrational density of states of magnetocaloric LaFe 11.4 Si 1.6 H 1.6

We report on the impact of magnetoelastic coupling on the magnetocaloric properties of LaFe 11.4 Si 1.6 H 1.6 in terms of the vibrational (phonon) density of states (VDOS), which we determined with 57 Fe nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NRIXS) measurements and with density functional theory (DFT) based first-principles calculations in the ferromagnetic (FM) low-temperature and paramagnetic (PM) high-temperature phase. In experiments and calculations, we observe pronounced differences in the shape of the Fe-partial VDOS between nonhydrogenated and hydrogenated samples. Furthermore, this shows that hydrogen not only shifts the temperature of the first-order phase transition, but also affects the elastic response of the Fe subsystem significantly. In turn, the anomalous redshift of the Fe VDOS, observed by going to the low-volume PM phase, survives hydrogenation. As a consequence, the change in the Fe-specific vibrational entropy ΔS lat across the phase transition has the same sign as the magnetic and electronic contribution. DFT calculations show that the same mechanism, which is a consequence of the itinerant electron metamagnetism associated with the Fe subsystem, is effective in both the hydrogenated and the hydrogen-free compounds. Although reduced by 50% as compared to the hydrogen-free system, the measured change ΔS lat of 3.2 ± 1.9)J/ kg K across the FM-to-PM transition contributes with ~35 % significantly and cooperatively to the total isothermal entropy change ΔS iso . Hydrogenation is observed to induce an overall blueshift of the Fe VDOS with respect to the H-free compound; this effect, together with the enhanced Debye temperature observed, is a fingerprint of the hardening of the Fe sublattice by hydrogen incorporation. In addition, the mean Debye velocity of sound of LaFe 11.4 Si 1.6 H 1.6 was determined from the NRIXS and the DFT data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗