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Magnetic properties

Ferromagnetism in the hexaborides

Nature volume 402, pages 251–253 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

The cubic hexaborides of the rare-earth elements have a wide variety of physical properties, despite their simple crystallographic structures. For example, the ‘doped’ hexaboride Ca1−xLaxB6 is ferromagnetic1, even though it has no partially filled d- or f-orbitals, which are usually required for magnetism. Here we show that a ferromagnet with a small magnetic moment but with a high Curie temperature can be obtained by doping an excitonic insulator (one containing a condensate of a spin-triplet state of electron–hole pairs). We propose that this mechanism is responsible for the ferromagnetism of doped hexaborides.

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Figure 1: Structure of energy spectrum in a semimetal (left) and in an excitonic insulator (right).
Figure 2: Phase diagram of the excitonic state in Ca1−xLaxB6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Theoretische Physik, ETH-Hönggerberg, Zürich, 8093, Switzerland

    M. E. Zhitomirsky, T. M. Rice & V. I. Anisimov

  2. Institute of Metal Physics, Ekaterinburg, Russia

    V. I. Anisimov

Authors
  1. M. E. Zhitomirsky
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  2. T. M. Rice
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  3. V. I. Anisimov
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. M. Rice.

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Zhitomirsky, M., Rice, T. & Anisimov, V. Ferromagnetism in the hexaborides. Nature 402, 251–253 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/46207

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