Crystals with magnetic frustration and multiferroic coupling
| Thesis title in Czech: | Crystals with magnetic frustration and multiferroic coupling |
|---|---|
| Thesis title in English: | Crystals with magnetic frustration and multiferroic coupling |
| Key words: | Magnetism|Magnetic frustration|Quantum spin liquid |
| English key words: | Magnetism|Magnetic frustration|Quantum spin liquid |
| Academic year of topic announcement: | 2024/2025 |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's thesis |
| Thesis language: | |
| Department: | Department of Condensed Matter Physics (32-KFKL) |
| Supervisor: | Ross Harvey Colman, Dr. |
| Author: |
| Guidelines |
| 1. Prepare polycrystalline samples by solid state sintering of oxide precursors.
2. Grow single crystal samples using optical floating zone methods. 3. Characterize sample by magnetometry and X-ray diffraction. 4. Trial flux growth of previously unknown gallates. 5. Write a report of the findings |
| References |
| [1] Balents, L. Nature (2010) 464, 199.
[2] Y. Li, P. Gegenwart, and A. A. Tsirlin. Spin liquids in geometrically perfect triangular antiferromagnets. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, IOP Publishing 2020, 32, 224004. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-648X/ab724e [3] Savary, L.; Balents, L. Quantum Spin Liquids: A Review. Reports Prog. Phys. 2017, 80 (1), 016502. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/80/1/016502 [4] M. Ashtar, M. A. Marwat, Y. X. Gao, Z. T. Zhang, L. Pi, S. L. Yuan, and Z. M. Tian. REZnAl11O19 (RE = Pr, Nd, Sm–Tb): a new family of ideal 2D triangular lattice frustrated magnets. J. Mater. Chem. C 2019, 7, 10073. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C9TC02643F [5] X. Li, G.L. Tan, Multiferroic and magnetoelectronic polarizations in BaFe12O19 system, J. Alloys Compd. 858 (2021) 157722. doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.157722. |
| Preliminary scope of work |
| Magnetism is a fascinating research area, because it is a nice playground to study many body physics and statistical mechanics and also thanks to the possible applications in electronics or energy management. Frustrated magnets are magnetic materials, where all the magnetic interactions cannot be simultaneously satisfied and thus compete with each other.
Additionally, if a material is ferroelectric with coupling between the magnetism and ferroelectric order, we get multiferroic materials. We have recently identified a series of rare-earth aluminates as potentially multiferroic, due to both their ferroelectric and magnetic ordering being on the same energy scale. This project will involve attempts to grow single crystals of several members of this aluminate family, LnMgAl11O19 (where Ln = a lanthanide ion), followed by investigations of their magnetic and possibly ferroelectric properties (time permitting). These materials can be prepared by optical floating zone methods. The possibility to extend this family to additional members LnZnAl11O19, or even gallates LnMgGa11O19, using flux growth synthesis may also be attempted within the project. |
| Preliminary scope of work in English |
| Magnetism is a fascinating research area, because it is a nice playground to study many body physics and statistical mechanics and also thanks to the possible applications in electronics or energy management. Frustrated magnets are magnetic materials, where all the magnetic interactions cannot be simultaneously satisfied and thus compete with each other.
Additionally, if a material is ferroelectric with coupling between the magnetism and ferroelectric order, we get multiferroic materials. We have recently identified a series of rare-earth aluminates as potentially multiferroic, due to both their ferroelectric and magnetic ordering being on the same energy scale. This project will involve attempts to grow single crystals of several members of this aluminate family, LnMgAl11O19 (where Ln = a lanthanide ion), followed by investigations of their magnetic and possibly ferroelectric properties (time permitting). These materials can be prepared by optical floating zone methods. The possibility to extend this family to additional members LnZnAl11O19, or even gallates LnMgGa11O19, using flux growth synthesis may also be attempted within the project. |