1. Non-collinear 2k antiferromagnetism in the Zintl semiconductor Eu$_5$In$_2$Sb$_6$
- Author
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Morano, Vincent C., Gaudet, Jonathan, Varnava, Nicodemos, Berry, Tanya, Halloran, Thomas, Lygouras, Chris J., Wang, Xiaoping, Hoffman, Christina M., Xu, Guangyong, Lynn, Jeffrey W., McQueen, Tyrel M., Vanderbilt, David, and Broholm, Collin L.
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons - Abstract
Eu$_5$In$_2$Sb$_6$ is an orthorhombic non-symmorphic small band gap semiconductor with three distinct Eu$^{2+}$ sites and two low-temperature magnetic phase transitions. The material displays one of the greatest (negative) magnetoresistances of known stoichiometric antiferromagnets and belongs to a family of Zintl materials that may host an axion insulator. Using single crystal neutron diffraction, we show that the $T_{\mathrm{N1}}=14\mathrm{~K}$ second-order phase transition is associated with long-range antiferromagnetic order within the chemical unit cell $\left( k_1 = (000) \right)$. Upon cooling below $T_{\mathrm{N1}}$, the relative sublattice magnetizations of this structure vary until a second-order phase transition at $T_{\mathrm{N2}}=7\mathrm{~K}$ that doubles the unit cell along the $\hat{c}$ axis $\left( k_2 = \left(00\frac{1}{2}\right) \right)$. We show the anisotropic susceptibility and our magnetic neutron diffraction data are consistent with magnetic structures described by the $\Gamma_3$ irreducible representation with the staggered magnetization of the $k_1$ and $k_2$ components polarized along the $\hat{b}$ and $\hat{a}$ axis, respectively. As the $k_2$ component develops, the amplitude of the $k_1$ component is reduced, which indicates a 2k non-collinear magnetic structure. Density functional theory is used to calculate the energies of these magnetic structures and to show the $k_1$ phase is a metal so $T_{\mathrm{N1}}$ is a rare example of a unit-cell-preserving second-order phase transition from a paramagnetic semiconductor to an antiferromagnetic metal. DFT indicates the transition at $T_{\mathrm{N2}}$ to a doubled unit cell reduces the carrier density of the metal, which is consistent with resistivity data., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures
- Published
- 2023
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