Search for: All records

The emergence of novel magnetic states becomes more likely when the inversion symmetry of the crystal field, relative to the center between two spins, is broken. We propose that placing magnetic spins in inequivalent sites in a polar lattice can promote a realization of nontrivial magnetic states and associated magnetic properties. To test our hypothesis, we study Fe2(SeO3)(H2O)3 as a model system that displays two distinct Fe(1) and Fe(2) magnetic sites in a polar structure (R3c space group). At low fields μ0H≤ 0.06 T, the material undergoes an antiferromagnetic ordering with TN1 = 77 K and a second transition at TN2≈ 4 K. At μ0H≥ 0.06 T and 74 K ≤T≤ 76 K, a positive entropy change of ∼0.12 mJ mol−1 K−1 can be associated with a metamagnetic transition to possibly nontrivial spin states. At zero field, Fe(1) is nearly fully ordered at T≈ 25 K, while Fe(2) features magnetic frustration down to T = 4 K. The magnetic ground state, a result corroborated by single-crystal neutron diffraction and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, is a noncollinear antiparallel arrangement of ferrimagnetic Fe(1)–Fe(2) dimers along the c-axis. The results demonstrate that placing distinct magnetic sites in a polar crystal lattice can enable a new pathway to modifying spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom for unconventional magnetism. 

Abstract Noncentrosymmetric triangular magnets offer a unique platform for realizing strong quantum fluctuations. However, designing these quantum materials remains an open challenge attributable to a knowledge gap in the tunability of competing exchange interactions at the atomic level. Here, a new noncentrosymmetric triangularS = 3/2 magnet CaMnTeO₆is created based on careful chemical and physical considerations. The model material displays competing magnetic interactions and features nonlinear optical responses with the capability of generating coherent photons. The incommensurate magnetic ground state of CaMnTeO₆with an unusually large spin rotation angle of 127°(1) indicates that the anisotropic interlayer exchange is strong and competing with the isotropic interlayer Heisenberg interaction. The moment of 1.39(1) µB, extracted from low‐temperature heat capacity and neutron diffraction measurements, is only 46% of the expected value of the static moment 3 µB. This reduction indicates the presence of strong quantum fluctuations in the half‐integer spinS = 3/2 CaMnTeO₆magnet, which is rare. By comparing the spin‐polarized band structure, chemical bonding, and physical properties of AMnTeO₆(A = Ca, Sr, Pb), how quantum‐chemical interpretation can illuminate insights into the fundamentals of magnetic exchange interactions, providing a powerful tool for modulating spin dynamics with atomically precise control is demonstrated.