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Synthesis and study of the chiral magnetic system EuIr2P2

D. G. Franco and C. Geibel
Phys. Rev. B 104, 054416 – Published 11 August 2021
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Abstract

Chiral materials, where no improper symmetry operations such as inversion are present, are systems prone to the appearance of a skyrmion lattice. Recently it has been shown theoretically that not only ferromagnets (FMs) but also antiferromagnets (AFMs) can host such kind of phases. In this work we study a new candidate for AFM skyrmions, EuIr2P2, by means of magnetization and specific heat measurements on poly and single crystals. X-ray diffraction confirms a trigonal chiral crystal structure, where europium ions form helices along the c direction. In spite of predominantly FM interactions, Eu2+ ions order antiferromagnetically at TN1=5 K in what seems to be an incommensurate amplitude-modulated magnetic state where the moments are oriented mainly along the c direction. A second magnetic transition takes place at TN2=2.9 K, involving the ordering of an in-plane component of the Eu moment likely resulting in an equal-moment structure. Specific heat data show a tail above TN1. Accordingly the magnetic entropy at TN1 is strongly reduced in comparison to the expected Rln8 value. This evidences a significant amount of frustration. A simple analysis based on a Heisenberg model indicates that the observed properties imply the presence of several relevant interactions, with competing FM and AFM ones resulting in frustration. Thus EuIr2P2 is a new interesting magnetic system, where chirality and frustration might result in unconventional magnetic textures.

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  • Received 7 December 2020
  • Revised 25 May 2021
  • Accepted 27 July 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.104.054416

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by the Max Planck Society.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

D. G. Franco1,2,* and C. Geibel1

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, D-01187 Dresden, Germany
  • 2Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro - Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Avenida E. Bustillo 9500, R8402AGP San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina

  • *diego.franco@cab.cnea.gov.ar

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 5 — 1 August 2021

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