X-ray and neutron scattering

Abstract:

We report an experimental study of the magnetic order and electronic structure and transport of the layered pnictide EuMnSb2, performed using neutron diffraction, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and magnetotransport measurements. We find that the Eu and Mn sublattices display antiferromagnetic (AFM) order below T EuN = 21(1) K and T MnN = 350(2) K, respectively. The former can be described by an A-type AFM structure with the Eu spins aligned along the c axis (an in-plane direction), whereas the latter has a C-type AFM structure with Mn moments along the a -axis (perpendicular to the layers). The ARPES spectra reveal Dirac-like linearly dispersing bands near the Fermi energy. Furthermore, our magnetotransport measurements show strongly anisotropic magnetoresistance and indicate that the Eu sublattice is intimately coupled to conduction electron states near the Dirac point.

Abstract:

We investigated the magnetic structure and dynamics of YbMnBi2, with elastic and inelastic neutron scattering, to shed light on the topological nature of the charge carriers in the antiferromagnetic phase. We confirm C-type antiferromagnetic ordering of the Mn spins below TN = 290 K and determine that the spins point along the c axis to within about 3◦. The observed magnon spectrum can be described very well by the same effective spin Hamiltonian that was used previously to model the magnon spectrum of CaMnBi2. Our results show conclusively that the creation of Weyl nodes in YbMnBi2 by the time-reversal symmetry-breaking mechanism can be excluded in the bulk.