English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Layered van der Waals magnets have attracted much recent attention as apromising and versatile platform for exploring intrinsic two-dimensionalmagnetism. Within this broader class, the transition metal phosphoroustrichalcogenides $M$P$X_3$ stand out as particularly interesting, as theyprovide a realization of honeycomb lattice magnetism and are known to display avariety of magnetic ordering phenomena as well as superconductivity underpressure. One example, found in a number of different materials, iscommensurate single-$Q$ zigzag antiferromagnetic order, which spontaneouslybreaks the spatial threefold $(C_3)$ rotation symmetry of the honeycomblattice. The breaking of multiple distinct symmetries in the magnetic phasesuggests the possibility of a sequence of distinct transitions as a function oftemperature, and a resulting intermediate $\mathbb{Z}_3$-nematic phase whichexists as a paramagnetic vestige of zigzag magnetic order -- a scenario knownas vestigial ordering. Here, we report the observation of key signatures ofvestigial Potts-nematic order in rhombohedral FePSe$_3$. By performing lineardichroism imaging measurements -- an ideal probe of rotational symmetrybreaking -- we find that the $C_3$ symmetry is already broken above the N\'eeltemperature. We show that these observations are explained by a generalGinzburg-Landau model of vestigial nematic order driven by magneticfluctuations and coupled to residual strain. An analysis of the domainstructure as temperature is lowered and a comparison with zigzag-orderedmonoclinic FePS$_3$ reveals a broader applicability of the Ginzburg-Landaumodel in the presence of external strain, and firmly establishes the $M$P$X_3$magnets as a new experimental venue for studying the interplay betweenPotts-nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity.

Signatures of Z$_3$ Vestigial Potts-nematic order in van der Waals antiferromagnets