First-order antiferromagnetic transitions of SrMn2P2 and CaMn2P2 single crystals containing corrugated-honeycomb Mn sublattices

SrMn2P2 and CaMn2P2 are insulators that adopt the trigonal CaAl2Si2-type structure containing corrugated Mn honeycomb layers. Magnetic susceptibility χ and heat capacity versus temperature T data reveal a weak first-order antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at the Néel temperature TN=53(1) K for SrMn2P2 and a strong first-order AFM transition at TN=69.8(3) K for CaMn2P2. Both compounds exhibit isotropic and nearly T-independent χ(T≤TN), suggesting magnetic structures in which nearest-neighbor moments are aligned at ≈120° to each other. The 31P NMR measurements confirm the strong first-order transition in CaMn2P2 but show critical slowing down above TN for SrMn2P2, thus also evidencing second-order character. The 31P NMR measurements indicate that the AFM structure of CaMn2P2 is commensurate with the lattice whereas that of SrMn2P2 is incommensurate. These first-order AFM transitions are unique among the class of (Ca, Sr, Ba)Mn2 (P, As, Sb, Bi)2 compounds that otherwise exhibit second-order AFM transitions. This result challenges our understanding of the circumstances under which first-order AFM transitions occur.

Magnetic Field Induced Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Correlations in 3-Dimensional Manganites

Ideal two-dimensional (2D) Heisenberg magnets lack long range magnetic order. However, the XY model with spins confined to a plane shows a topological phase transition at a finite temperature corresponding to binding and unbinding of vortices. Experimental evidence for such Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transitions has been difficult to obtain in condensed matter systems, where, even a weak interlayer coupling that is invariably present leads to long-range order, pre-empting the BKT transition. The BKT signatures are still discernible above the long-range ordering temperature, however, in the characteristic exponential temperature dependence of the coherence length of the fluctuations. In this work we report that an applied magnetic field can induce such BKT correlations not only in quasi 2-dimensional systems but also in nominally 3-dimensional manganites undergoing antiferromagnetic transitions. We arrive at this unexpected conclusion based on our studies of temperature dependence of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) linewidth ΔH(T) of Cr3+ doped bismuth strontium manganite Bi0.5Sr0.5Mn1-xCrxO3 (x= 0.04, 0.1) (BSMCO04 and BSMCO10).

Modulation of metal-insulator transitions of NdNiO3/LaNiO3/NdNiO3 trilayers via thickness control of the LaNiO3 layer

Over the last few decades, manipulating the metal-insulator (MI) transition in perovskite oxides (ABO3) via an external control parameter has been attempted for practical purposes, but with limited success. The substitution of A-site cations is the most widely used technique to tune the MI transition. However, this method introduces unintended disorder, blurring the intrinsic properties. The present study reports the modulation of MI transitions in [10 nm-NdNiO3/t-LaNiO3/10 nm-NdNiO3/SrTiO3 (100)] trilayers (t = 5, 7, 10, and 20 nm) via the control of the LaNiO3 thickness. Upon an increase in the thickness of the LaNiO3 layer, the MI transition temperature undergoes a systematic decrease, demonstrating that bond disproportionation, the MI, and antiferromagnetic transitions are modulated by the LaNiO3 thickness. Because the bandwidth and the MI transition are determined by the Ni-O-Ni bond angle, this unexpected behavior suggests the transfer of the bond angle from the lower layer into the upper. The bond-angle transfer eventually induces a structural change of the orthorhombic structure of the middle LaNiO3 layer to match the structure of the bottom and the top NdNiO3, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. This engineering layer sequence opens a novel pathway to the manipulation of the key properties of oxide nickelates, such as the bond disproportionation, the MI transition, and unconventional antiferromagnetism with no impact of disorder.

Synthesis and characterisation of the vibrational and electrical properties of antiferromagnetic 6L-Ba2CoTeO6 ceramics

Dense single-phase 6L-Ba2CoTeO6 ceramics fabricated by the solid-state reaction method were employed to investigate the behaviour of the phonon modes and the mechanism driving the low-temperature antiferromagnetic transitions.