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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Unraveling the structural dependency of Weyl nodes in Co 2 MnGa

Conventionally, the modulation of the intrinsic Weyl nodes in Weyl semimetals is challenging, due to topological protection. Here we report the structural dependence of the Weyl nodes in a Co2⁢MnGa Heusler thin film via a temperature-dependent tetragonal distortion. The ability to manipulate these Weyl nodes allows for the control of the intrinsic electromagnetic properties. Temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements identify a compressive tetragonal distortion with decreasing temperature from 300 to 20 K. The calculated Weyl properties can be directly compared with experimental parameters through the temperature-dependent XRD measurements which show the intrinsic correlation between Weyl properties and important magnetic parameters. Further, the microscopic momentum space properties of Weyl nodes such as the distance (d W ), solid angle (Ω W ), tilt (φ W ), and nodal point energy (E W ) directly affect the macroscopic observable properties such as exchange stiffness (A), magnetization (M), and effective anisotropy field $H^{eff}_{K}$, as shown via structure-dependent density functional theory calculations. These predictions are experimentally observed as large variations in the bulk magnetization and effective anisotropy field as a function of temperature. These results highlight a unique degree of freedom in the control of macroscopic magnetic properties via the modulation of the intrinsic properties of Weyl nodes through structural distortions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Correlated spin-wave generation and domain-wall oscillation in a topologically textured magnetic film

Spin waves, or magnons, are essential for next-generation energy-efficient spintronics and magnonics. Yet, visualizing spin-wave dynamics at nanoscale and microwave frequencies remains a formidable challenge due to the lack of spin-sensitive, time-resolved microscopy. Here, in this study, we report a breakthrough in imaging dipole-exchange spin waves in a ferromagnetic film owing to the development of laser-free ultrafast Lorentz electron microscopy, which is equipped with a microwave-mediated electron pulser for high spatiotemporal resolution. Using topological spin textures, we captured the emission, propagation, reflection and interference of spin waves from spin anti-vortices under radio-frequency excitations. Remarkably, we show that spin-wave generation is closely tied to the oscillatory motion of specific magnetic domain walls, providing the missing link between wave emission and wall dynamics near magnetic singularities. This work opens new possibilities in magnonics, offering a nanoscopic view of spin dynamics via transmission electron microscopy and enabling controlled excitation via radio-frequency fields for exploring non-equilibrium states in magnetic and multiferroic systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Spin-orbital order and excitons in magnetoresistive HoBi

The magnetism of the rocksalt fcc rare-earth monopnictide HoBi, a candidate topological material with extreme magnetoresistance, is investigated. From the Ho 3+ non-Kramers J=8 spin-orbital multiplet, the cubic crystal electric field yields six nearly degenerate low-energy levels. These constitute an anisotropic magnetic moment with a Jahn-Teller-like coupling to the lattice. In the cubic phase for T>T N =5.72(1)K, the paramagnetic neutron scattering is centered at k=($\frac{1}{2}$$\frac{1}{2}$$\frac{1}{2}$) and was fit to dominant antiferromagnetic interactions between Ho spins separated by {100} and ferromagnetic interactions between spins displaced by {$\frac{1}{2}$ $\frac{1}{2}$ 0}. For T < T N , a type-II AFM long-range order with k=($\frac{1}{2}$$\frac{1}{2}$$\frac{1}{2}$) develops along with a tetragonal lattice distortion. While neutron diffraction from a multidomain sample cannot unambiguously determine the spin orientation within a domain, the bulk magnetization, structural distortion, and our measurements of the magnetic excitations all show the easy axis coincides with the tetragonal axis. Finally, the weakly dispersive excitons for T < T N can be accounted for by a spin Hamiltonian that includes the crystal electric field and exchange interactions within the random phase approximation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Kondo Lattice Model of Magic-Angle Twisted-Bilayer Graphene: Hund’s Rule, Local-Moment Fluctuations, and Low-Energy Effective Theory

For this work, we apply a generalized Schrieffer-Wolff transformation to the extended Anderson-like topological heavy fermion (THF) model for the magic-angle (θ=1.05°) twisted bilayer graphene (MATBLG) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 047601 (2022)], to obtain its Kondo lattice limit. In this limit localized $\mathcal{f}$ electrons on a triangular lattice interact with topological conduction $\mathcal{c}$ electrons. By solving the exact limit of the THF model, we show that the integer fillings ν=0, ±1, ±2 are controlled by the heavy $\mathcal{f}$ electrons, while ν=±3 is at the border of a phase transition between two $\mathcal{f}$-electron fillings. For ν=0, ±1, ±2, we then calculate the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions between the $\mathcal{f}$ moments in the full model and analytically prove the SU(4) Hund’s rule for the ground state which maintains that two $\mathcal{f}$ electrons fill the same valley-spin flavor. Our (ferromagnetic interactions in the) spin model dramatically differ from the usual Heisenberg antiferromagnetic interactions expected at strong coupling. We show the ground state in some limits can be found exactly by employing a positive semidefinite “bond-operators” method. We then compute the excitation spectrum of the $\mathcal{f}$ moments in the ordered ground state, prove the stability of the ground state favored by RKKY interactions, and discuss the properties of the Goldstone modes, the (reason for the accidental) degeneracy of (some of) the excitation modes, and the physics of their phase stiffness. We develop a low-energy effective theory for the $\mathcal{f}$ moments and obtain analytic expressions for the dispersion of the collective modes. We discuss the relevance of our results to the spin-entropy experiments in TBG.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Giant quantum oscillations in thermal transport in low-density metals via electron absorption of phonons

Oscillations of conductance observed in strong magnetic fields are a striking manifestation of the quantum dynamics of charge carriers in solids. The large charge carrier density in typical metals sets the scale of oscillations in both electrical and thermal conductivity, which characterize the Fermi surface. In semimetals, thermal transport at low-charge carrier density is expected to be phonon dominated, yet several experiments observe giant quantum oscillations in thermal transport. This raises the question of whether there is an overarching mechanism leading to sizable oscillations that survives in phonon-dominated semimetals. In this work, we show that such a mechanism exists. It relies on the peculiar phase-space allowed for phonon scattering by electrons when only a few Landau levels are filled. Our measurements on the Dirac semimetal ZrTe 5 support this counterintuitive mechanism through observation of pronounced thermal quantum oscillations, since they occur in similar magnitude and phase in directions parallel and transverse to the magnetic field. Our phase-space argument applies to all low-density semimetals, topological or not, including graphene and bismuth. Our work illustrates that phonon absorption can be leveraged to reveal degrees of freedom through their imprint on longitudinal thermal transport.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing of composite fermions

Topological pairing of composite fermions has led to remarkable ideas, such as excitations obeying non-Abelian braid statistics and topological quantum computation. Here, we construct a p-wave paired Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) wave function for composite fermions in the torus geometry, which is a convenient geometry for formulating momentum space pairing as well as for revealing the underlying composite-fermion Fermi sea. Following the standard BCS approach, we minimize the Coulomb interaction energy at half filling in the lowest and the second Landau levels, which correspond to filling factors ν = 1/2 and ν = 5/2 in GaAs quantum wells, by optimizing two variational parameters that are analogous to the gap and the Debye cut-off energy of the BCS theory. Our results show no evidence for pairing at ν = 1/2 but a clear evidence for pairing at ν = 5/2. To a good approximation, the highest overlap between the exact Coulomb ground state at ν = 5/2 and the BCS state is obtained for parameters that minimize the energy of the latter, thereby providing support for the physics of composite-fermion pairing as the mechanism for the 5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect. We discuss the issue of modular covariance of the composite-fermion BCS wave function, and calculate its Hall viscosity and pair correlation function. By similar methods, we look for but do not find an instability to s-wave pairing for a spin-singlet composite-fermion Fermi sea at half-filled lowest Landau level in a system where the Zeeman splitting has been set to zero.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Opposite current-induced spin polarizations in bulk-metallic Bi 2 Se 3 and bulk-insulating Bi 2 Te 2 Se topological insulator thin flakes

One of the most fundamental and exotic properties of three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) is spin-momentum locking (SML) of their topological surface states (TSSs), promising for potential applications in future spintronics. However, other possible conduction channels, such as a trivial two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with strong Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and bulk-conducting states that may possess a spin Hall effect (SHE), can coexist in 3D TIs, making determining the origin of the current-induced spin polarization (CISP) difficult. Here, we directly compared the CISP between bulk-insulating Bi 2 Te 2 Se (BTS221) and bulk-metallic Bi2Se3 thin flakes using spin potentiometry. In the bulk-insulating BTS221, the observed CISP has a sign consistent with the expected helicity of the SML of the TSS, but an opposite sign to its calculated bulk spin Hall conductivity. However, compared to BTS221, an opposite CISP is observed in the bulk-metallic Bi2Se3, consistent with both the expectations of its Rashba-Edelstein effect of the band-bending induced 2DEG and bulk intrinsic spin Hall Effect (SHE). If one assumes a representative occupation of the Rashba band of 3×10 13 cm –2 in Bi 2 Se 3 with a relevant relaxation time of 100 fs, the contribution to the CISP could be more dominated by the bulk intrinsic SHE. Our results provide an electrical way to distinguish the TSS from other possible conducting channels in spin transport measurements on 3D TIs, and open ways for the potential applications in charge-spin conversion devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Competing magnetic phases in Li-Fe-Ge kagome systems

Competing interlayer magnetic interactions in kagome magnets can lead to diverse magnetic phases, which enable promising topological or quantum material properties. In this work, the electronic structure and magnetic properties are studied using first-principles calculations for the Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e6, Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e4, and Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e5 compounds sharing the kagome F⁡e3⁢Ge layer motif but with different interlayer arrangements. For Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e4 and Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e5, the predicted magnetic ground states are collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) states involving a mix of ferromagnetic (FM) and AFM interlayer orientations. In contrast, for Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e6, an incommensurate cycloidal spin spiral ground state is stabilized, although its energy is close to a collinear A-type AFM state. The analysis of magnetic RKKY exchange coupling confirms the results of calculations. The values of atomic magnetic moments are in good agreement with existing experimental estimations. Our experiments on Li⁢Fe6⁢G⁡e6 single crystals reveals AFM ordering at ∼540 K and transition to another magnetic phase with a small FM component, possibly with spin canting, below ∼270 K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Crystal growth and evolution of magnetism in the EuCuP-EuCuAs solid solution

The hexagonal EuMX (M = Cu, Ag, Au; X = P, As, Sb, Bi) compounds host interesting electronic and magnetic properties, with seemingly intertwined topology and transport properties. One key feature of such behavior is the nature of the ordered magnetic structure. In EuCuAs, a topological Hall effect is caused by a conical spin structure that emerges when a field is applied within the easy-plane (H ⊥ c) of the helical ground state that exists below the Neel temperature of T N = 14 K. On the other hand, EuCuP is an easy-axis ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T C near 31 K. Here, in this study, we investigate the evolution of the magnetic properties in EuCuAs 1-x P x single crystals with 0.16 ≤ x ≤ 0.75. Crystals grown by cooling slowly in a Sn flux possessed macroscale inhomogeneity of As/P, particularly for arsenic-rich crystals. However, growth in a Sn flux via an isothermal dwell at 600 °C produced crystals that were homogeneous within the resolution of the probes utilized to investigate these crystals. The unit cell volumes, Curie-Weiss temperatures, and magnetic transitions trend linearly with composition and the magnetic anisotropy is reduced in the alloys. The magnetization data of crystals with x = 0.16 and 0.24 indicate an easy-plane antiferromagnetic ground state while ferromagneticlike behavior is observed for crystals with x ≥ 0.41. The temperature-dependent magnetization data possess multiple transitions for compositions near EuCuAs 0.75 P 0.25 , revealing a competition of ground states in this arsenic-rich region of the phase diagram. Neutron diffraction data for EuCuP are also presented as a follow up to previous results that revealed a two-step transition at T C ; the observed data were consistent with ferromagnetic order at T = 5K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nanoscale Imaging of Magnetotransport around a Circular 𝑝−𝑛 Junction in Graphene

Magnetoresistance studies of 2D systems are often shaped by the motion of electrons that occupy spatially confined wave functions, such as topological edge modes and disorder-induced bound states. Directly probing how such states form and behave in situ , under applied currents, provides a clear way of connecting microscopic physics to the macroscopic transport response. Here, in this Letter, scanning tunneling potentiometry is used to probe the local, current-induced electrochemical potential of carriers in graphene near circular 𝑝−𝑛 junctions in an out-of-plane magnetic field ranging from 0 to 1.4 T. These measurements provide detailed information about the motion of carriers at the nanometer scale, revealing how it evolves with increasing field. The electrochemical potential displays distinct patterns, such as dipoles, spirals, and concentric disks in weak, moderate, and high fields, respectively. The size and orientation of these patterns can be used to understand how local carrier dynamics change in different transport regimes as well as to directly extract physical parameters such as the electron mean free path and cyclotron diameter.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electronic correlations and flattened band in magnetic Weyl semimetal candidate Co 3 Sn 2 S 2

The interplay between electronic correlations and topological protection may offer a rich avenue for discovering emergent quantum phenomena in condensed matter. However, electronic correlations have so far been little investigated in Weyl semimetals (WSMs) by experiments. Here, we report a combined optical spectroscopy and theoretical calculation study on the strength and effect of electronic correlations in a magnet Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 . The electronic kinetic energy estimated from our optical data is about half of that obtained from single-particle ab initio calculations in the ferromagnetic ground state, which indicates intermediate-strength electronic correlations in this system. Furthermore, comparing the energy and side-slope ratios between the interband-transition peaks at high energies in the experimental and single-particle-calculation-derived optical conductivity spectra with the bandwidth-renormalization factors obtained by many-body calculations enables us to estimate the Coulomb-interaction strength (U ~ 4 eV) in Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 . Besides, a sharp experimental optical conductivity peak at low energy, which is absent in the single-particle-calculation-derived spectrum but is consistent with the optical conductivity peaks obtained by many-body calculations with U ~ 4 eV, indicates that an electronic band connecting the two Weyl cones is flattened by electronic correlations and emerges near the Fermi energy in Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 . Our work paves the way for exploring flat-band-generated quantum phenomena in WSMs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Detection of chiral spin fluctuations driven by frustration in Mott insulators

Topologically ordered states, such as chiral spin liquids, have been proposed as candidates that host fraction alized excitations. However, detecting chiral character or proximity to these nontrivial states remains a challenge. Resonant Raman scattering can be a powerful tool for detecting chiral fluctuations, as the 𝐴 2⁢𝑔 channel probes excitations with broken time-reversal symmetry and local chiral order. Here, we use exact diagonalization to characterize the resonant 𝐴 2⁢𝑔 channel, alongside two-magnon scattering in 𝐵 1⁢𝑔 and 𝐸 𝑔 channels, for the Hubbard model on lattices with increasing levels of geometric spin frustration, where tuning the incident energy near the Mott gap reveals strong chiral spin excitation intensity. In conclusion, increased spin frustration in the Mott insulator results in an overall softening of the Raman 𝐴 2⁢𝑔 response, indicating a tendency toward low energy chiral-chiral fluctuations in Mott insulators with magnetic frustration and proximity to chiral spin liquid states that can potentially be tuned by external perturbations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Classification of electronic nematicity in three-dimensional crystals and quasicrystals

Electronic nematic order has been reported in a rich landscape of materials, encompassing not only a range of intertwined correlated and topological phenomena but also different underlying lattice symmetries. Motivated by these findings, we investigate the behavior of electronic nematicity as the spherical symmetry of three-dimensional (3D) space is systematically lowered by the lattice environment. Here, we consider all 32 crystallographic point groups as well as four major classes of quasicrystalline point groups, given the recent observations of electronic phases of interest in quasicrystalline materials and artificial twisted quasicrystals. Valuable insights are gained by establishing a mapping between the five-component charge-quadrupolar nematic order parameter of the electronic fluid and the 3D tensorial order parameter of nematic liquid crystals. We find that a uniaxial nematic state is only generically realized in polyhedral point groups (icosahedral and cubic), with the nematic director pointing along different sets of rotational symmetry axes. Interestingly, icosahedral point groups are the only ones in which the five nematic order parameter components transform as the same irreducible representation, making them the closest analog of 3D isotropic nematics. In axial point groups, one of the nematic components is always condensed, whereas the other four components decompose into an in-plane and an out-of-plane nematic doublet, resulting in biaxial nematic ground states. Because these two nematic doublets behave as Z q clock order parameters, this allows us to identify the types of crystals and quasicrystals that can host interesting electronic nematic phenomena enabled by the critical properties of the q ≥ 4 clock model, such as emergent continuous nematic fluctuations in 3D, critical phases with quasi-long-range nematic order in two dimensions (2D), and Ashkin-Teller nematicity in 2D.

3-dimensional systems↗

Solid face sheets enable lattice metamaterials to withstand high-amplitude impulsive loading without yielding

Owing to their ability to provide tunable mechanical responses, lattice materials are frequently studied to elucidate their response to static and dynamic loads. However, these roles are typically in opposition: static loads must be supported sufficiently far away from the onset of buckling or yielding, whereas dynamic loads are typically ameliorated by crushing of the lattice, which provides excellent energy-absorption due to the large plastic deformation accompanying densification. In contrast, this work considers the octet truss as an exemplar topology, in a structural role where it must simultaneously support static loads while enduring high-amplitude impulsive loads. This study focuses on the ability to withstand impulsive loads without yielding, an essential prerequisite to enduring dual loading. Computational studies using the ALE3D hydrocode were performed to examine the response of the octet truss under a short temporal width impulse shape associated with laser-driven shocks. A key finding was that covering the lattice with a solid face sheet and treating this face sheet thickness as a design variable allows the Taylor-like pulse to be attenuated prior to entering the weaker lattice, at the cost of added mass up front. Experimental validation was accomplished by laser-driven shock testing, using octet trusses printed out of Ti-5Al-5V-5Mo-3Cr. The results show that for a given quantity of mass, the attenuation is maximized when as much mass as possible is moved into the face sheet, leaving a more slender lattice structure. The effect of placing mass in the face sheet rather than lattice beams dominates the effect of relative density, to the point where a low-mass structure with most of the mass concentrated in the face sheet can outperform a high-mass structure with most of the mass in the lattice. Finally, by further understanding the propagation of short pulse width waves within under-dense structures, this study expand the domain of applicability of such structures, including lattice materials, to challenging dual-loading regimes spanning decades of strain rates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Competing antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic states in a d 7 Kitaev honeycomb magnet

The Kitaev model is a rare example of an analytically solvable and physically instantiable Hamiltonian yielding a topological quantum spin liquid ground state. Here we report signatures of Kitaev spin liquid physics in the honeycomb magnet Li 3 Co 2 SbO 6 , built of high-spin d 7 (Co 2+ ) ions, in contrast to the more typical low-spin d 5 electron configurations in the presence of large spin-orbit coupling. Neutron powder diffraction measurements, heat capacity, and magnetization studies support the development of a long-range antiferromagnetic order space group of C C 2/m, below T N = 11K at μ 0 H = 0T. The magnetic entropy recovered between T = 2 and 50 K is estimated to be 0.6Rln2, in good agreement with the value expected for systems close to a Kitaev quantum spin liquid state. The temperature-dependent magnetic order parameter demonstrates a β value of 0.19(3), consistent with XY anisotropy and in-plane ordering, with Ising-like interactions between layers. Further, we observe a spin-flop-driven crossover to ferromagnetic order with space group of C2/m under an applied magnetic field of μ 0 H ≈ 0.7T at T = 2K. Magnetic structure analysis demonstrates these magnetic states are competing at finite applied magnetic fields even below the spin-flop transition. Both the d 7 compass model, a quantitative comparison of the specific heat of Li 3 Co 2 SbO 6 , and related honeycomb cobaltates to the anisotropic Kitaev model further support proximity to a Kitaev spin liquid state. Furthermore, this material demonstrates the rich playground of high-spin d 7 systems for spin liquid candidates and complements known d 5 Ir- and Ru-based materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Next-generation electronics by co-design with chalcogenide materials

As Moore’s law approaches its limits, chalcogenides offer a promising route to next-generation computing and sensing, thanks to their topological, magnetoelectric, excitonic, and spintronic properties. Yet the same traits that make them appealing, e.g., exotic properties at monolayer thickness, clean van der Waals interfaces, and strong many-body effects, also heighten sensitivity to fabrication, hindering translation into scalable devices. Progress is further constrained by fragmented knowledge across synthesis, processing, and integration, and by the lack of systematic links between fabrication parameters and performance metrics. This Perspective examines key obstacles in controlling chalcogenide heterostructures and stresses the need for an integrated co-design framework, uniting materials growth, processing, and device architecture to accelerate practical technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Large change of interlayer vibrational coupling with stacking in Mo 1-x W x Te 2

Stacking variations in quasi-two-dimensional materials can have an important influence on material properties, such as changing the topology of the band structure. Unfortunately, the weakness of van der Waals (vdW) interactions makes it difficult to compute the stacking dependence of properties, and even in a material as simple as graphite the stacking energetics remain unclear. Mo 1 - x W x Te 2 is a material in which three differently stacked phases are conveniently accessible by temperature changes: 1 T ' , T d * , and the reported Weyl semimetal phase T d . Additionally, the transitions proceed via layer sliding, and the corresponding interlayer shear mode (ISM) is relevant not just for the stacking energetics but also for understanding the relationship between Weyl physics and structural changes. However, the interlayer interactions of Mo 1 - x W x Te 2 are not well understood, with wide variation in computed properties. We report inelastic neutron scattering of the ISM in a Mo 0.91 W 0.09 Te 2 crystal. The ISM energies are generally consistent with the linear chain model, as expected given the weak interlayer interaction, though there are some discrepancies from predicted intensities. However, the interlayer force constants K x in the T d * and 1 T ' phases are substantially weaker than that of T d at 75(3) and 83(3)%, respectively. Considering that the relative positioning of atoms in neighboring layers is approximately the same regardless of overall stacking, our results suggest that longer-range influences, such as stacking-induced electronic band-structure changes, may be responsible for the substantial change in the interlayer vibrational coupling and thus the C 55 elastic constant. These findings should elucidate the stacking energetics of Mo 1 - x W x Te 2 and other vdW layered materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Low-field magnetic anomalies in single crystals of the A-type square-lattice antiferromagnet EuGa 4

The body-centered-tetragonal antiferromagnet EuGa 4 was recently identified as a Weyl nodal-line semimetal that exhibits the topological Hall effect below its reported antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering temperature T N = 15 – 16.5 K which we find to be T N = 16.4 ( 2 ) K. The Eu +2 ions are located at the corners and body centers of the unit cells. EuGa 4 exhibits A-type antiferromagnetic order below T N , where the Eu 2+ spin-7/2 moments are ferromagnetically aligned in the ab plane with the Eu moments in adjacent Eu planes along the c axis aligned antiferromagnetically. Low-field magnetization versus field M(H ab ) data at T = 2 K with the field aligned in the ab plane are reported that exhibit anomalous positive curvature up to a critical field H c1 at which a second-order transition occurs with H c1 ≈ 0.85 kOe for H∥ [1,1,0] and ≈ 4.8 kOe for H∥[1,0,0]. For larger fields, the linear behavior M ab = χ(T N ) H a b is followed until the critical field H c is reached at which all moments become aligned with the applied field. A theory is formulated for T = 0 K that fits the observed M(H ab ) behavior at T = 2 K well, where domains of A -type AFM order with fourfold rotational symmetry occur in the AFM state in zero field. The moments in the four domains reorient to become almost perpendicular to H ab at H c1 , followed by increasing canting of all moments toward the field with increasing field up to H c which is reported to be 71 kOe. A first-order transition in M(H ab ) at H ab = H c1 is predicted by the theory for T = 0 K when H ab is at a small angle from the [1,0,0] direction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗