Open AccessTemperature- and field-driven spin reorientations in triple-layer ruthenate Sr4Ru3O10
Author(s) -
Mengze Zhu,
P. G. Li,
Y. Wang,
Huibo Cao,
Tian Wang,
H. D. Zhang,
B. D. Phelan,
Zhiqiang Mao,
Xianglin Ke
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-018-22247-3
Subject(s) - condensed matter physics , magnetocrystalline anisotropy , ferromagnetism , spins , magnetic anisotropy , magnetic field , neutron diffraction , spin (aerodynamics) , physics , field (mathematics) , anisotropy , metamagnetism , magnetization , diffraction , quantum mechanics , mathematics , pure mathematics , thermodynamics
Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 , the n = 3 member of the Ruddlesden-Popper type ruthenate Sr n +1 Ru n O 3 n +1 , is known to exhibit a peculiar metamagnetic transition in an in-plane magnetic field. However, the nature of both the temperature- and field-dependent phase transitions remains as a topic of debate. Here, we have investigated the magnetic transitions of Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 via single-crystal neutron diffraction measurements. At zero field, we find that the system undergoes a ferromagnetic transition with both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic components at T c ≈ 100 K. Below T * = 50 K, the magnetic moments incline continuously toward the out-of-plane direction. At T = 1.5 K, where the spins are nearly aligned along the c axis, a spin reorientation occurs above a critical field B c , giving rise to a spin component perpendicular to the plane defined by the field direction and the c axis. We suggest that both the temperature- and field-driven spin reorientations are associated with a change in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, which is strongly coupled to the lattice degrees of freedom. This study elucidates the long-standing puzzles on the zero-field magnetic orders of Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 and provides new insights into the nature of the field-induced metamagnetic transition.