Abstract
Insulators containing chains of magnetic transition metal cations provide platforms for probing spin-2 1 dynamics and quantum critical behavior. Li2CoCl4 contains edge-sharing CoCl6 octahedra that form chains along the crystallographic c axis and orders antiferromagnetically at zero field, but questions remain about its applied-field magnetic structure and the Co2+ spin state. Here, we show with neutron diffraction on a polycrystalline sample how the antialigned chains of cobalt moments begin to transition to a ferromagnetic state above 1.6 T. Further, using magnetic resonance absorption measurements and noninteracting spin models, we reveal the strongly anisotropic nature of the Co2+ ion’s XY-like magnetic behavior (g|| = 2.77 and g⊥ = 5.23) and its J = 2 1 ground state. We therefore supply the magnetic structures and anisotropic description needed to explore the dynamics of the field-driven magnetic phases, laying the foundation for further experimental and theoretical studies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104407 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 4 2025 |
Funding
The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation supported by NSF through the University of Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center DMR-1720633. A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The beam time was allocated to HB-2A (POWDER) on Proposal No. IPTS-30219. A portion of this work was performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is supported by National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-2128556 and the State of Florida. operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The beam time was allocated to HB-2A (POWDER) on Proposal No. IPTS-30219. A portion of this work was performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is supported by National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-2128556 and the State of Florida. The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation supported by NSF through the University of Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center DMR-1720633. A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a DOE Office of Science User Facility