English

From 3D static order to 2D dynamic correlations in the tetragonal double perovskite Sr2CuWO6

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2016-02-15 v1

Abstract

\SCWO is a tetragonal (I4/mI4/m) double perovskite with diamagnetic W6+^{6+} (5d0^0) and (Jahn-Teller-active) Cu2+^{2+} (3d9d^9) in a rocksalt-ordered arrangement on the B sites, modelling an anisotropic fcc-lattice antiferromagnet with S=1/2S=1/2. We have studied the magnetic structure, dynamics and thermodynamic properties of this material above and below the \Neel{}-ordering transition at TN=24T_{\textrm{N}} = 24~K. Muon spin relaxation spectroscopy, neutron diffraction and neutron spectroscopy experiments show that the transition at TNT_{\textrm{N}} on heating is from static 3D type-2 antiferromagnetism to 2D dynamic correlations that remain detectable up to 100~K. Above TNT_{\textrm{N}} the muon relaxation is described by a compressed exponential decay, revealing a strong correlation between the spin fluctuation rate and the 2D correlation length. The low-temperature muon data and the entropy release around TNT_{\textrm{N}} as obtained from the heat capacity data point to small magnetic domains, probably of the order of 60~\AA{}. We note that the material behaves more like a quasi-2D square lattice antiferromagnet than could be expected considering its structure only. A possible explanation might lie in the unusual strong spin-orbit-coupled magnetism of the W 5dd levels, as the dominant exchange interaction is via the Cu-O-W-O-Cu pathway.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1602.04075,
  title  = {From 3D static order to 2D dynamic correlations in the tetragonal double perovskite Sr2CuWO6},
  author = {Oliver J. Burrows and Gøran J. Nilsen and Emmanuelle Suard and Mark Telling and J. Ross Stewart and Mark A. de Vries},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1602.04075},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

Just over 9 pages, 12 figures. Submitted