Journal Article

FZJ-2021-01626

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Revealing the Absolute Direction of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Prototypical Weak Ferromagnets by Polarized Neutrons

Thoma, H. (First author)FZJ* ; Hutanu, V. (Corresponding author)FZJ* ; Deng, H.RWTH*FZJ* ; Dmitrienko, V. E. ; Brown, P. J. ; Gukasov, A. ; Roth, G.RWTH* ; Angst, M. (Last author)FZJ*

2021
APS College Park, Md.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/27532  doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.11.011060

Abstract: Polarized neutron diffraction (PND) is a powerful technique to distinguish a weak magnetic contribution from the total scattering intensity. It can provide a detailed insight into the microscopic spin ordering at the unit cell level, but also into the mesoscopic magnetic ordering, like different types of domain populations. Here we report on the application of this technique to the long-standing problem of determining the absolute direction of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya vector in relation to the crystal structure. The proposed PND method, based on the measurement of one representative reflection, is easy to perform and straightforward to interpret. The absolute sign of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in MnCO3 has been independently determined by PND and found to be in agreement with recent results obtained by resonant magnetic synchrotron scattering. This validates the method. In addition, the absolute DMI vector direction in the prototypical room-temperature weak ferromagnet α-Fe2O3 (hematite) has been determined for the first time. To demonstrate the generality of our method, further examples with different symmetries are also presented. Ab initio calculations of the resulting weak noncollinear magnetization using the quantum espresso package, considering DMI in addition to the symmetric magnetic exchange interaction, were also conducted and found to be in agreement with the experimental results from PND.

Keyword(s): Magnetic Materials (1st) ; Materials Science (2nd)

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. JCNS-FRM-II (JCNS-FRM-II)
2. Streumethoden (JCNS-2)
3. JARA-FIT (JARA-FIT)
4. Streumethoden (PGI-4)
5. JCNS-4 (JCNS-4)
6. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ)

Research Program(s):

1. 6G4 - Jülich Centre for Neutron Research (JCNS) (FZJ) (POF4-6G4) (POF4-6G4)
2. 632 - Materials – Quantum, Complex and Functional Materials (POF4-632) (POF4-632)

Experiment(s):

1. POLI: Polarized hot neutron diffractometer (SR9a)

Appears in the scientific report 2021

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