Magnetic phase diagram of the helimagnetic spinel compound ZnCr2Se4 revisited by small-angle neutron scattering


Magnetic phase diagram of the helimagnetic spinel compound ZnCr2Se4 revisited by small-angle neutron scattering

Cameron, A. S.; Tymoshenko, Y. V.; Portnichenko, P. Y.; Gavilano, J.; Tsurkan, V.; Felea, V.; Loidl, A.; Zherlitsyn, S.; Wosnitza, J.; Inosov, D. S.

We performed small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements on the helimagnetic spinel compound ZnCr2Se4. The ground state of this material is a multi-domain spin-spiral phase, which undergoes domain selection in a magnetic field and reportedly exhibits a transition to a proposed spin-nematic phase at higher fields. We observed a continuous change in the magnetic structure as a function of field and temperature, as well as a weak discontinuous jump in the spiral pitch across the domain-selection transition upon increasing field. From our SANS results we have established the absence of any long-range magnetic order in the high-field (spin-nematic) phase. We also found that all the observed phase transitions are surprisingly isotropic with respect to the field direction.

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Publ.-Id: 23496