{"title":"Magnetic phase transition and continuous spin switching in a high-entropy orthoferrite single crystal","authors":"Wanting Yang, Shuang Zhu, Xiong Luo, Xiaoxuan Ma, Chenfei Shi, Huan Song, Zhiqiang Sun, Yefei Guo, Yuriy Dedkov, Baojuan Kang, Jin-Ke Bao, Shixun Cao","doi":"10.1007/s11467-023-1343-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rare-earth orthoferrite <i>RE</i>FeO<sub>3</sub> (where <i>RE</i> is a rare-earth ion) is gaining interest. We created a high-entropy orthoferrite (Tm<sub>0.2</sub>Nd<sub>0.2</sub>Dy<sub>0.2</sub>Y<sub>0.2</sub>Yb<sub>0.2</sub>) FeO<sub>3</sub> (HEOR) by doping five <i>RE</i> ions in equimolar ratios and grew the single crystal by optical floating zone method. It strongly tends to form a single-phase structure stabilized by high configurational entropy. In the low-temperature region (11.6–14.4 K), the spin reorientation transition (SRT) of Γ<sub>2</sub> (<i>F</i><sub><i>x</i></sub>, <i>C</i><sub><i>y</i></sub>, <i>G</i><sub><i>z</i></sub>)–Γ<sub>24</sub>–Γ<sub>4</sub> (<i>G</i><sub><i>x</i></sub>, <i>A</i><sub><i>y</i></sub>, <i>F</i><sub><i>z</i></sub>) occurs. The weak ferromagnetic (FM) moment, which comes from the Fe sublattices distortion, rotates from the <i>a</i>- to <i>c</i>-axis. The two-step dynamic processes (Γ<sub>2</sub>–Γ<sub>24</sub>–r<sub>4</sub>) are identified by AC susceptibility measurements. SRT in HEOR can be tuned in the range of 50–60000 Oe, which is an order of magnitude larger than that of orthoferrites in the peer system, making it a candidate for high-field spin sensing. Typical spin-switching (SSW) and continuous spin-switching (CSSW) effects occur under low magnetic fields due to the strong interactions between <i>RE</i>–Fe sublattices. The CSSW effect is tunable between 20–50 Oe, and hence, HEOR potentially can be applied to spin modulation devices. Furthermore, because of the strong anisotropy of magnetic entropy change (−Δ<i>S</i><sub>m</sub>) and refrigeration capacity (RC) based on its high configurational entropy, HEOR is expected to provide a novel approach for refrigeration by altering the orientations of the crystallographic axes (anisotropic configurational entropy).</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":573,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Physics","volume":"19 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers of Physics","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11467-023-1343-x","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Rare-earth orthoferrite REFeO3 (where RE is a rare-earth ion) is gaining interest. We created a high-entropy orthoferrite (Tm0.2Nd0.2Dy0.2Y0.2Yb0.2) FeO3 (HEOR) by doping five RE ions in equimolar ratios and grew the single crystal by optical floating zone method. It strongly tends to form a single-phase structure stabilized by high configurational entropy. In the low-temperature region (11.6–14.4 K), the spin reorientation transition (SRT) of Γ2 (Fx, Cy, Gz)–Γ24–Γ4 (Gx, Ay, Fz) occurs. The weak ferromagnetic (FM) moment, which comes from the Fe sublattices distortion, rotates from the a- to c-axis. The two-step dynamic processes (Γ2–Γ24–r4) are identified by AC susceptibility measurements. SRT in HEOR can be tuned in the range of 50–60000 Oe, which is an order of magnitude larger than that of orthoferrites in the peer system, making it a candidate for high-field spin sensing. Typical spin-switching (SSW) and continuous spin-switching (CSSW) effects occur under low magnetic fields due to the strong interactions between RE–Fe sublattices. The CSSW effect is tunable between 20–50 Oe, and hence, HEOR potentially can be applied to spin modulation devices. Furthermore, because of the strong anisotropy of magnetic entropy change (−ΔSm) and refrigeration capacity (RC) based on its high configurational entropy, HEOR is expected to provide a novel approach for refrigeration by altering the orientations of the crystallographic axes (anisotropic configurational entropy).
期刊介绍:
Frontiers of Physics is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to showcasing the latest advancements and significant progress in various research areas within the field of physics. The journal's scope is broad, covering a range of topics that include:
Quantum computation and quantum information
Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
Condensed matter physics, material sciences, and interdisciplinary research
Particle, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology
The journal's mission is to highlight frontier achievements, hot topics, and cross-disciplinary points in physics, facilitating communication and idea exchange among physicists both in China and internationally. It serves as a platform for researchers to share their findings and insights, fostering collaboration and innovation across different areas of physics.