Anisotropic magnetic behavior of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice material BaNd₂PtO₅

The Shastry-Sutherland model is one of the quintessential models of two-dimensional quantum magnetism, however magnetic materials that can be mapped onto this model are rare. This talk will cover the physical properties and magnetic ground state of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice material BaNd₂PtO₅. Magnetization and specific heat measurements on single crystals revealed an antiferromagnetic transition at T = 1.9K. The magnetic response to applied fields is very anisotropic, including anisotropy within the basal plane of the tetragonal lattice. Single crystal neutron diffraction revealed a propagation vector of (½ ½ ½) for the magnetic ground state as compared to the (½ ½ 0) observed in a related Shastry-Sutherland host lattice material BaNd₂ZnO₅. The ordered moment is mostly in the plane with nearest neighbors forming ferromagnetic dimers, however unlike BaNd₂ZnO₅ there is also a finite out of plane component.