Honeycombs of triangles and magnetic frustration in SrL{sub 2}O{sub 4} (L=Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb)

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 2005 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.144414· OSTI ID:20666316

Karunadasa, H; Regan, K A; Cava, R J ^[1]; Huang, Q; Lynn, J W ^[2]; Ueland, B G; Schiffer, P ^[3]

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1. Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)
2. NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 (United States)
3. Department of Physics and Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (United States)

The crystal structures, magnetic order, and susceptibility have been investigated for magnetically frustrated SrDy{sub 2}O{sub 4}, SrHo{sub 2}O{sub 4}, SrEr{sub 2}O{sub 4}, SrTm{sub 2}O{sub 4}, and SrYb{sub 2}O{sub 4}. Powder neutron-diffraction structural refinements reveal columns of LO{sub 6} octahedra that run along one crystallographic direction, with Sr-O polyhedra in the interstices. The lanthanide sublattice displays multiple triangular interconnections: one-dimensional strings form the backbones of four types of chains of lanthanide triangles sharing edges arranged in a honeycomb pattern. This crystal structure produces strong geometric frustration for the magnetic system that is evidenced in both magnetic susceptibility and neutron-scattering data at low temperatures. The susceptibility measurements for the series, including SrGd{sub 2}O{sub 4} for which data are also reported, lack the sharp features characteristic of three-dimensional long-range magnetic ordering. Metamagnetic behavior is observed in the magnetization vs applied field data at 1.8 K for the cases of L=Dy, Er, and Ho. Magnetic neutron-scattering studies for the Dy and Er materials show only very broad magnetic scattering at low temperatures, while the Ho system exhibits long-range two-dimensional order. Any magnetic scattering in the Tm and Yb compounds, if present, was too weak to be detected in these measurements.

• OSTI ID: 20666316
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 14 Vol. 71; ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
DYSPROSIUM COMPOUNDS
ERBIUM COMPOUNDS
GADOLINIUM COMPOUNDS
HOLMIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY
MAGNETIZATION
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
OXIDES
STRONTIUM COMPOUNDS
THULIUM COMPOUNDS
YTTERBIUM COMPOUNDS