2017/04/10 by Yoshihiko Okamoto, Daisuke Nakamura, Atsushi Miyake +6 · 1 citation
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Antiferromagnetism #Atomic physics #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Ground state #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic field #Magnetization #Materials science #Multiferroics and related materials #Paramagnetism #Physics #Pyrochlore #Quantum mechanics #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.95.134438
published as Phys. Rev. B 95, 134438 (2017) · 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review B
arxiv created 2017/04/10 · openalex publication_date 2017/04/24 · openalex created_date 2017/04/28 · arxiv updated 2020/06/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The magnetization processes of the spin-3/2 antiferromagnet LiInCr4O8 comprising a ``breathing'' pyrochlore lattice, which is an alternating array of small and large tetrahedra, are studied under ultrahigh magnetic fields of up to 130 T using state-of-the-art pulsed magnets. A half magnetization plateau is observed above 90 T to 130 T, suggesting that LiInCr4O8 has a strong spin-lattice coupling, similar to conventional chromium spinel oxides. The magnetization of LiGa0.125In0.875Cr4O8, in which the structural and magnetic transitions at low temperatures have been completely suppressed, shows a sudden increase above 13 T, indicating that a spin gap of 2.2 meV exists between a tetramer singlet ground state and an excited state with total spin 1, with the latter being stabilized by the application of a magnetic field. The breathing pyrochlore antiferromagnet is found to be a unique frustrated system with strong spin-lattice coupling and bond alternation.