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Field-tunable spin-density-wave phases in Sr3Ru2O7

Nature Materials volume 14, pages 373–378 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

The conduction electrons in a metal experience competing interactions with each other and the atomic nuclei. This competition can lead to many types of magnetic order in metals1. For example, in chromium2 the electrons order to form a spin-density-wave (SDW) antiferromagnetic state. A magnetic field may be used to perturb or tune materials with delicately balanced electronic interactions. Here, we show that the application of a magnetic field can induce SDW magnetic order in a quasi-2D metamagnetic metal, where none exists in the absence of the field. We use magnetic neutron scattering to show that the application of a large (B ≈ 8 T) magnetic field to the perovskite metal Sr3Ru2O7 (refs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) can be used to tune the material through two magnetically ordered SDW states. The ordered states exist over relatively small ranges in field (≲0.4 T), suggesting that their origin is due to a new mechanism related to the electronic fine structure near the Fermi energy, possibly combined with the stabilizing effect of magnetic fluctuations8,9. The magnetic field direction is shown to control the SDW domain populations, which naturally explains the strong resistivity anisotropy or ‘electronic nematic’ behaviour observed5,6 in this material.

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Figure 1: Spin-density-wave order in Sr3Ru2O7 observed by neutron diffraction.
Figure 2: Magnetic phase diagram of Sr3Ru2O7.
Figure 3: The effect of tilting the magnetic field away from the c-axis on the SDW order and magnetoresistance.
Figure 4: The structure of the SDW.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge helpful discussions with A. P. Mackenzie, R. Coldea, Y. Maeno, R. Evans and R. M. Richardson. We are grateful to S. A. Grigera and A. P. Mackenzie for providing resistivity data from ref. 6 which is reproduced in Figs 2 and 3. Our work was supported by the UK EPSRC (Grant No. EP/J015423/1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK

    C. Lester, T. P. Croft & S. M. Hayden

  2. School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NH, UK

    S. Ramos

  3. London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK

    R. S. Perry

  4. ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK

    R. I. Bewley, T. Guidi, P. Manuel & D. D. Khalyavin

  5. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

    E. M. Forgan

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Contributions

C.L. and R.S.P. prepared the samples. All authors planned and made the neutron scattering measurements. C.L. and S.M.H. analysed the data and wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the discussion and provided input to the manuscript.

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Correspondence to S. M. Hayden.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Lester, C., Ramos, S., Perry, R. et al. Field-tunable spin-density-wave phases in Sr3Ru2O7. Nature Mater 14, 373–378 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4181

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