Giant magnetostriction effect near onset of spin reorientation in MnBi
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
In materials undergoing spontaneous symmetry breaking transitions, the emergence of multiple competing order parameters is pervasive. Employing in-field x-ray diffraction, we investigate the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the crystallographic structure of MnBi, elucidating the microscopic interplay between lattices and spin. The hexagonal phase of MnBi undergoes a spin reorientation transition (TSR), whereby the easy axis direction changes from the c axis to the basal plane. Across TSR, an abrupt symmetry change is accompanied by a clear sign change in the magnetostrictive coefficient, revealing that this transition corresponds to the onset of the spin reorientation. In the vicinity of TSR, a significantly larger in-plane magnetostrictive effect is observed, presenting the emergence of an intermediate phase that is highly susceptible to an applied magnetic field. X-ray linear dichroism shows that asymmetric Bi and Mn p orbitals do not play a role in the spin reorientation. Furthermore, this work suggests that the spin reorientation is caused by structural modification rather than changes in the local electronic configuration, providing a strategy for manipulating the magnetic anisotropy by external strain.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1440820
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1436903; OSTI ID: 1461538
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 112, Issue 19; ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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