Local structural distortions and magnetism in lacunar spinel compounds
ORAL
Abstract
Lacunar spinels AB4Q8 (A=Al, Ga, Ge; B=V, Nb, Mo, Ta; Q=S, Se) display a variety of novel phenomena including skyrmion lattices and pressure-induced insulator-metal transitions and superconductivity. The high temperature structure features unique tetrahedral transition-metal clusters with S=1/2 moments on an FCC lattice. Low temperature distortions of these clusters are crucial to the properties of lacunar spinels. In skyrmion hosts GaV4S8 and GaV4Se8, a low temperature rhombohedral distortion allows for polar and magnetic order. In GaNb4Se8 and GaTa4Se8, antiferromagnetic interactions lead to geometric frustration and a quenched magnetization associated with a tetragonal distortion. We present results of local structural characterization on lacunar spinels in connection to their magnetic properties.
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Presenters
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Julia Zuo
University of California, Santa Barbara
Authors
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Julia Zuo
University of California, Santa Barbara
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Emily C Schueller
University of California, Santa Barbara
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Ram Seshadri
University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Department and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara
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Stephen D Wilson
University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara