Professor Paolo G. Radaelli OSI

Abstract:

We present the magnetic structure of $\mathrm{TmMn_3O_6}$, solved via neutron powder diffraction - the first such study of any $R\mathrm{Mn_3O_6}$ A-site columnar-ordered quadruple perovskite to be reported. We demonstrate that long range magnetic order develops below 74 K, and at 28 K a spin-flop transition occurs driven by $f$-$d$ exchange and rare earth single ion anisotropy. In both magnetic phases the magnetic structure may be described as a collinear ferrimagnet, contrary to conventional theories of magnetic order in the manganite perovskites. Instead, we show that these magnetic structures can be understood to arise due to ferro-orbital order, the A, A$'$ and A$''$ site point symmetry, $mm2$, and the dominance of A-B exchange over both A-A and B-B exchange, which together are unique to the $R\mathrm{Mn_3O_6}$ perovskites.

Abstract:

The presence of domains in ferroic materials can negatively affect their macroscopic properties and hence their usefulness in device applications. From an experimental perspective, measuring materials comprising multiple domains can complicate the interpretation of material properties and their underlying mechanisms. In general, BiFeO₃ films tend to grow with multiple magnetic domains and often contain multiple ferroelectric and ferroelastic domain variants. By growing (111)-oriented BiFeO₃ films on an orthorhombic TbScO₃ substrate, we are able to overcome this, and, by exploiting the magnetoelastic coupling between the magnetic and crystal structures, bias the growth of a given magnetic-, ferroelectric-, and structural-domain film. We further demonstrate the coupling of the magnetic structure to the ferroelectric polarisation by showing the magnetic polarity in this domain is inverted upon 180° ferroelectric switching.

Abstract:

We present the discovery and refinement by neutron powder diffraction of a new magnetic phase in the Na1-xCaxMn7O12 quadruple perovskite phase diagram, which is the incommensurate analogue of the well-known pseudo-CE phase of the simple perovskite manganites. We demonstrate that incommensurate magnetic order arises in quadruple perovskites due to the exchange interactions between A and B sites. Furthermore, by constructing a simple mean field Heisenberg exchange model that generically describes both simple and quadruple perovskite systems, we show that this new magnetic phase unifies a picture of the interplay between charge, magnetic and orbital ordering across a wide range of compounds.