Canted antiferromagnetism in a spin-orbit coupled S eff = 3/2 triangular-lattice magnet DyAuGe

Abstract The exploration of nontrivial magnetic states induced by strong spin-orbit interaction is a central topic of frustrated magnetism. Numerous studies have been conducted on rare-earth-based magnets and 4d/5d transition metal compounds. These are mostly described by an effective spin S eff  = ...

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Main Authors: Takashi Kurumaji, Masaki Gen, Shunsuke Kitou, Kazuhiko Ikeuchi, Hajime Sagayama, Hironori Nakao, Tetsuya R. Yokoo, Taka-hisa Arima
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57318-3
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Summary:Abstract The exploration of nontrivial magnetic states induced by strong spin-orbit interaction is a central topic of frustrated magnetism. Numerous studies have been conducted on rare-earth-based magnets and 4d/5d transition metal compounds. These are mostly described by an effective spin S eff  = 1/2 for the Kramers doublet of the lowest crystal-electric-field levels. The variety of magnetic orderings can be greatly enhanced when magnetic dipolar moments intertwined with multipolar degrees of freedom, which are described by higher-rank tensors and often require the magnetic ions to have S eff  > 1/2. Here, using synchrotron x-ray diffraction near the Dy L 3 edge, we unveil a canted antiferromagnetic ground state arising from a quasi-quartet (S eff  =  3/2) of 4f electrons in a triangular-lattice (TL) rare-earth intermetallics DyAuGe. The magnetic moment and electric-quadrupole moment are closely interlocked and a noncollinear magnetic-dipole alignment is induced by antiferroic electric-quadrupole (AFQ) ordering in the TL layers. The AFQ order is suppressed by an in-plane magnetic field, leading to the metamagnetic transition to a collinear up-up-down magnetic state. These findings offer insights into the emergence of nontrivial magnetic states in frustrated TL systems with S eff > 1/2.
ISSN:2041-1723