Magnetostructural studies of strongly correlated materials at 28-ID-1 (PDF), NSLS-II

Magnetic phase transitions (MPTs) are often accompanied by underlying structural modulations. Our recent studies indicate that MPTs can be triggered by changing temperature at zero field, or by applying a magnetic field isothermally staying close to the transition temperature. In most of the studied materials, evolution of the average diffraction pattern seems to be independent of the driving variable. However, it is not clear if the nature of the local structural response to the magnetic field, and temperature are the same as it is hidden in the diffuse background. In some materials, diminishing structural anomalies were observed in the vicinity of Curie temperature with increasing field. Another intriguing question is whether MPT drives the structural anomalies or vice versa. One of the newest capabilities of the NSLS-II Pair Distribution Function (PDF) beamline, provides a unique platform to study MPTs while simultaneously varying the magnetic field and temperature. The beamline setup enables PDF, Wide Angle X-ray Scattering, and Small Angle X-ray Scattering studies allowing exploration of the atomic structure on multiple length-scales. This presentation will discuss the results of our newest magnetostructural studies at 28-ID-1 and showcase the beamline capabilities.