Inhomogeneous magnetic order in T’-La<sub>4</sub>Ni<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

We report a muon spin rotation (μSR) study of the magnetic properties of the cuprate-analog nickelate La4Ni3O8. The crystal structure of this compound involves square planar NiO2 layers, potentially isoelectronic (Ni1+) to the Cu2+O2 layers of the cuprates. The material has a magnetic phase transition at 105 K, the structure of which has remained elusive. Zero-field μSR confirms the antiferromagnetic nature and commensurate character of this transition, and sheds light on the most likely configuration of Ni spins below the Néel temperature. Comparison of spectra of observed muon precession frequencies to lattice calculations of Ni dipolar fields at candidate muon stopping sites suggests a spin configuration consistent with the stripe charge order observed previously by x-ray diffraction [1]; in particular, the number of observed frequencies is greater than calculated for homogeneous spin structures without stripes. The frequency magnitudes suggest reduced Ni ordered moments of less than or about 0.5μB. We briefly discuss models of magnetic-stripe order based on alternative charge stripe configurations (cf. Ref. [1])
[1] J. Zhang, et al, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 113, 8945 (2016).

*Work at Cal State LA supported by the National Science Foundation under DMR-PREM grant 1523588.

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Presenters

  • Oscar Bernal

    • Physics Department, California State University, Los Angeles 90032
    • Department of Physics, California State University Los Angeles
    • Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032
    • Physics, California State University, Los Angeles
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA.

Authors

  • Oscar Bernal

    • Physics Department, California State University, Los Angeles 90032
    • Department of Physics, California State University Los Angeles
    • Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032
    • Physics, California State University, Los Angeles
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA.

  • Douglas E. MacLaughlin

    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.

  • Gerald D Morris

    • Center for Molecular and Materials Science, TRIUMF, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3, Canada
    • Physical Sciences Division, TRIUMF
    • TRIUMF
    • TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.

  • Lei Shu

    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
    • Fudan University
    • Physics, Fudan University
    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China.

  • Cheng Tan

    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
    • Fudan University
    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China.

  • Jian Zhang

    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
    • Fudan University
    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China.

  • Zhaofeng Ding

    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
    • Fudan University
    • State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China.

  • Kevin Huang

    • National High Magnetic Field Lab, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310
    • National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
    • Florida State University

  • Viktor V. Poltavets

    • Department of Chemistry and Advanced Materials Research Institute, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148