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One-Third Magnetization Plateau with a Preceding Novel Phase in Volborthite
H Ishikawa1, M Yoshida1, K Nawa1
1Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|July 22, 2015
Summary
High-quality volborthite single crystals reveal a wide 1/3 magnetization plateau and novel phases. These findings in the distorted kagome antiferromagnet offer insights into frustrated spin systems.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Magnetism
Background:
- Volborthite is a mineral with a distorted kagome lattice structure.
- Kagome antiferromagnets are known for their magnetic frustration and complex spin behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize high-quality single crystals of volborthite.
- To investigate the magnetic properties of volborthite under high magnetic fields.
- To elucidate the spin structures and phase transitions in volborthite.
Main Methods:
- Single crystal synthesis of volborthite.
- High-field magnetization measurements up to 74 Tesla.
- ^(51)V Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements up to 30 Tesla.
Main Results:
- Observation of an unprecedented wide 1/3 magnetization plateau above 28 T, persisting up to 74 T at 1.4 K.
- Identification of an incommensurate spin-density wave order below 22 T.
- Discovery of a novel intermediate phase (23-26 T) with linear magnetization dependence and inhomogeneous internal magnetic fields.
Conclusions:
- The observed phase sequence in volborthite closely resembles theoretical models of frustrated spin chains with competing ferromagnetic (J1) and antiferromagnetic (J2) interactions.
- High-quality single crystals are crucial for uncovering subtle magnetic phenomena in complex materials.
- Volborthite serves as a promising platform for studying quantum magnetism in frustrated systems.
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