Neutron diffraction study of the BiFeO3 spin cycloid at low temperature

Julia Herrero-Albillos*, Gustau Catalan, Jose Alberto Rodriguez-Velamazan, Michel Viret, Dorothee Colson, James F. Scott

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The reported observation of two anomalies in the intensity of the magnon Raman peaks of BiFeO3 at 140 and 200 K (Singh et al 2008 J. Phys.: Condens. Mater 20 252203; Cazayous et al 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 037601) led to the hypothesis that such anomalies might originate from a spin reorientation transition. In order to test this hypothesis, we have used temperature-dependent neutron diffraction to track the evolution of the magnetic configuration in single crystals of BiFeO3. Our results indicate that there is no average reorientation of the spins. This suggests that the magnon anomalies may instead be related to the freezing of modes that do not alter the average projection of the spins over the plane of the cycloid, as also reported for multiferroic TbMnO3 (Senff et al 2006 J. Phys.: Condens. Mater 18 2069).

Original languageEnglish
Article number256001
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Volume22
Issue number25
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2010

Keywords

  • MODULATED MAGNETIC-STRUCTURE
  • BISMUTH FERRITE

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