Evolution of the magnetic structure of TbRu2Al10 in applied field

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 679; pp. 169 - 176
• Main Authors: White, R., Hutchison, W.D., Mizushima, T., Studer, A.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15-09-2016
• Subjects: Magnetically ordered materials; Metamagnetic material; Rare earth intermetallics; Single crystal neutron diffraction; Rare earth intermetallics; Magnetically ordered materials; Single crystal neutron diffraction; Metamagnetic material
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.04.039

TbRu2Al10 is found to undergo two magnetic phase transitions as a function of temperature and three as a function of applied field at low temperature. The Tb3+ magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically along the c-axis at 15.0(3) K, with an incommensurate sinusoidally modulated structure with a propagation vector of k=(0, 0.759(1), 0). At 6.5(3) K the structure switches to square wave order. Analysis of single crystal TbRu2Al10 has revealed that this square wave structure is altered to a ‘pulse wave’ on application of a 1.30 T magnetic field along the c-axis, with two in fifty of the magnetic moments across the structure changing direction to be aligned parallel with the direction of the field. At 1.85 T a further three moments flip, leading to a duty cycle of 60% and resulting in a total change of one in ten moments from the starting square wave structure.
•The magnetic and physical properties of the intermetallic TbRu2Al10 were examined.•TbRu2Al10 was found to order antiferromagnetically at 15.0(3) K.•Neutron powder diffraction revealed sinusoidal magnetic ordering below 15 K.•Single crystal neutron diffraction revealed square wave magnetic order at 2 K.•An applied magnetic field along the c-axis forces the moments into pulse wave order.