Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Energy-gap driven low-temperature magnetic and transport properties in Cr1/3MS2(M = Nb, Ta)

Hicken, T.J.; Hawkhead, Z.; Wilson, M.N.; Huddart, B.M.; Hall, A.E.; Balakrishnan, G.; Wang, C.; Pratt, F.L.; Clark, S.J.; Lancaster, T.

Energy-gap driven low-temperature magnetic and transport properties in Cr1/3MS2(M = Nb, Ta) Thumbnail


Authors

M.N. Wilson

A.E. Hall

G. Balakrishnan

C. Wang

F.L. Pratt



Abstract

The helimagnets Cr1/3MS2 (M = Nb or Ta) have attracted renewed attention due to the discovery of a chiral soliton lattice (CSL) stabilized in an applied magnetic field, but reports of unusual low-temperature transport and magnetic properties in this system lack a unifying explanation. Here, we present electronic structure calculations that demonstrate the materials are half metals. There is also a gaplike feature (width in range 40–100 meV) in the density of states of one spin channel. This electronic structure explains the low-temperature electronic and magnetic properties of Cr1/3MS2 (M = Nb or Ta), with the gaplike feature particularly important for explaining the magnetic behavior. Our magnetometry measurements confirm the existence of this gap. Dynamic spin fluctuations driven by excitations across this gap are seen over a wide range of frequencies (0.1 Hz to MHz) with ac susceptibility and muon-spin relaxation (μ+SR) measurements. We show further how effects due to the CSL in Cr1/3NbS2, as detected with μ+SR, dominate over the gap driven magnetism when the CSL is stabilized as the majority phase.

Citation

Hicken, T., Hawkhead, Z., Wilson, M., Huddart, B., Hall, A., Balakrishnan, G., …Lancaster, T. (2022). Energy-gap driven low-temperature magnetic and transport properties in Cr1/3MS2(M = Nb, Ta). Physical Review B, 105(6), Article L060407. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.105.l060407

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 8, 2022
Online Publication Date Feb 22, 2022
Publication Date Feb 1, 2022
Deposit Date Feb 23, 2022
Publicly Available Date Jun 15, 2022
Journal Physical Review B
Print ISSN 2469-9950
Electronic ISSN 2469-9969
Publisher American Physical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 105
Issue 6
Article Number L060407
DOI https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.105.l060407
Related Public URLs https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.01393

Files

Published Journal Article (733 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
Reprinted with permission from the American Physical Society: Hicken, T. J., Hawkhead, Z., Wilson, M. N., Huddart, B. M., Hall, A. E., Balakrishnan, G., Wang, C., Pratt, F. L., Clark, S. J. & Lancaster, T. (2022). Energy-gap driven low-temperature magnetic and transport properties in Cr1/3MS2(M = Nb, Ta). Physical Review B 105(6): L060407. © (2022) by the American Physical Society. Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or part, without prior written permission from the American Physical Society.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations