Spin-lattice coupling in the frustrated antiferromagnet ZnCr2Se4 probed by ultrasound
Spin-lattice coupling in the frustrated antiferromagnet ZnCr2Se4 probed by ultrasound
Felea, V.; Yasin, S.; Günther, A.; Deisenhofer, J.; Krug Von Nidda, H.-A.; Zherlitsyn, S.; Tsurkan, V.; Lemmens, P.; Wosnitza, J.; Loidl, A.
Ultrasound and magnetization studies of the frustrated spinel ZnCr2Se4 are performed as a function of temperature and magnetic field up to 14 T. In zero field, the sound velocity and attenuation reveal significant anomalies at the antiferromagnetic transition at TN ≈ 21 K indicating strong spin-lattice coupling. External magnetic fields shift these anomalies to lower temperatures concomitantly with the reduction of the Neel temperature. At 2 K, the sound velocity as a function of magnetic field manifests three pronounced anomalies: a deep minimum at 5.4 T related to an inflection point of the magnetization followed by two plateaus with distinct stiffness at fields above 7 and 10 T. The first plateau is ascribed to a transformation from a tetragonal to a cubic phase, while the second one corresponds to a state with fully polarized magnetization. The evolution of magnetic and structural states is discussed within a H-T phase diagram and compared with related frustrated magnetic spinels with strong spin-lattice coupling.
Involved research facilities
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD)
-
Physical Review B 86(2012), 104420
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.86.104420
Cited 25 times in Scopus
Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-17967