Giant Spontaneous Magnetostriction in MnTe Driven by a Novel Magnetostructural Coupling Mechanism

Raju Baral; A. M.Milinda Abeykoon; Branton J. Campbell; Benjamin A. Frandsen

doi:10.1002/adfm.202305247

Giant Spontaneous Magnetostriction in MnTe Driven by a Novel Magnetostructural Coupling Mechanism

Raju Baral, A. M.Milinda Abeykoon, Branton J. Campbell, Benjamin A. Frandsen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

A comprehensive x-ray scattering study of spontaneous magnetostriction in hexagonal MnTe, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with a Néel temperature of T_N = 307 K, is presented. The largest spontaneous magnetovolume effect known for an antiferromagnet is observed, reaching a volume contraction of |ΔV/V| > 7 × 10⁻³. This can be justified semiquantitatively by considering bulk material properties, the spatial dependence of the superexchange interaction, and the geometrical arrangement of magnetic moments in MnTe. The highly unusual linear scaling of the magnetovolume effect with the short-range magnetic correlations, beginning in the paramagnetic state well above T_N, points to a novel physical mechanism, which is explained in terms of a trilinear coupling of the elastic strain with superposed distinct domains of the antiferromagnetic order parameter. This novel mechanism for coupling lattice strain to robust short-range magnetic order casts new light on magnetostrictive phenomena and also provides a template by which the exceptional magnetostrictive properties of MnTe might be realized in a wide range of other functional materials.

Original language	English
Article number	2305247
Journal	Advanced Functional Materials
Volume	33
Issue number	46
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202305247
State	Published - Nov 9 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The authors thank Chris Howard for helpful discussions regarding magnetostructural coupling and Raphaël Hermann and Michael Manley for discussions about MnTe. B.A.F. and R.B. were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences through Award no. DE‐SC0021134. This research used beamline 28‐ID‐1 of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Brookhaven National Laboratory under Contract no. DE‐SC0012704.

Keywords

magnetostructural coupling
magnetovolume effect
short-range magnetic order
spontaneous magnetostriction

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title = "Giant Spontaneous Magnetostriction in MnTe Driven by a Novel Magnetostructural Coupling Mechanism",

abstract = "A comprehensive x-ray scattering study of spontaneous magnetostriction in hexagonal MnTe, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with a N{\'e}el temperature of TN = 307 K, is presented. The largest spontaneous magnetovolume effect known for an antiferromagnet is observed, reaching a volume contraction of |ΔV/V| > 7 × 10−3. This can be justified semiquantitatively by considering bulk material properties, the spatial dependence of the superexchange interaction, and the geometrical arrangement of magnetic moments in MnTe. The highly unusual linear scaling of the magnetovolume effect with the short-range magnetic correlations, beginning in the paramagnetic state well above TN, points to a novel physical mechanism, which is explained in terms of a trilinear coupling of the elastic strain with superposed distinct domains of the antiferromagnetic order parameter. This novel mechanism for coupling lattice strain to robust short-range magnetic order casts new light on magnetostrictive phenomena and also provides a template by which the exceptional magnetostrictive properties of MnTe might be realized in a wide range of other functional materials.",

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AU - Campbell, Branton J.

AU - Frandsen, Benjamin A.

PY - 2023/11/9

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N2 - A comprehensive x-ray scattering study of spontaneous magnetostriction in hexagonal MnTe, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with a Néel temperature of TN = 307 K, is presented. The largest spontaneous magnetovolume effect known for an antiferromagnet is observed, reaching a volume contraction of |ΔV/V| > 7 × 10−3. This can be justified semiquantitatively by considering bulk material properties, the spatial dependence of the superexchange interaction, and the geometrical arrangement of magnetic moments in MnTe. The highly unusual linear scaling of the magnetovolume effect with the short-range magnetic correlations, beginning in the paramagnetic state well above TN, points to a novel physical mechanism, which is explained in terms of a trilinear coupling of the elastic strain with superposed distinct domains of the antiferromagnetic order parameter. This novel mechanism for coupling lattice strain to robust short-range magnetic order casts new light on magnetostrictive phenomena and also provides a template by which the exceptional magnetostrictive properties of MnTe might be realized in a wide range of other functional materials.

AB - A comprehensive x-ray scattering study of spontaneous magnetostriction in hexagonal MnTe, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with a Néel temperature of TN = 307 K, is presented. The largest spontaneous magnetovolume effect known for an antiferromagnet is observed, reaching a volume contraction of |ΔV/V| > 7 × 10−3. This can be justified semiquantitatively by considering bulk material properties, the spatial dependence of the superexchange interaction, and the geometrical arrangement of magnetic moments in MnTe. The highly unusual linear scaling of the magnetovolume effect with the short-range magnetic correlations, beginning in the paramagnetic state well above TN, points to a novel physical mechanism, which is explained in terms of a trilinear coupling of the elastic strain with superposed distinct domains of the antiferromagnetic order parameter. This novel mechanism for coupling lattice strain to robust short-range magnetic order casts new light on magnetostrictive phenomena and also provides a template by which the exceptional magnetostrictive properties of MnTe might be realized in a wide range of other functional materials.

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Giant Spontaneous Magnetostriction in MnTe Driven by a Novel Magnetostructural Coupling Mechanism

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