2024/02/29 by Dmitry Yu. Usachov, Sarah Krebber, Usachov, Dmitry Yu. +23 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic properties of thin films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) #Theoretical and Computational Physics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2402.18911
openalex publication_date 2024/02/29 · openalex created_date 2024/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The mechanism of the peculiar transport properties around the magnetic ordering temperature of semiconducting antiferromagnetic EuCd2P2 is not yet understood. With a huge peak in the resistivity observed above the Néel temperature, T\rm N=10.6 \rm K, it exhibits a colossal magnetoresistance effect. Recent reports on observations of ferromagnetic contributions above T\rm N as well as metallic behavior below this temperature have motivated us to perform a comprehensive characterization of this material, including its resistivity, heat capacity, magnetic properties and electronic structure. Our transport measurements revealed quite different temperature dependence of resistivity with the maximum at 14 \rm K instead of previously reported 18 \rm K. Low-field susceptibility data support the presence of static ferromagnetism above T\rm N and show a complex behavior of the material at small applied magnetic fields. Namely, signatures of reorientation of magnetic domains are observed up to T=16 \rm K. Our magnetization measurements indicate a magnetocrystalline anisotropy which also leads to a preferred alignment of the magnetic clusters above T\rm N. The momentum-resolved photoemission experiments at temperatures from 24 \rm K down to 2.5 \rm K indicate the permanent presence of a fundamental band gap without change of the electronic structure when going through TN that is in contradiction with previous results. We performed ab initio band structure calculations which are in good agreement with the measured photoemission data when assuming an antiferromagnetic ground state. Calculations for the ferromagnetic phase show a much smaller bandgap, indicating the importance of possible ferromagnetic contributions for the explanation of the colossal magnetoresistance effect in the related EuZn2P2.