Competing magnetic phases in LnSbTe (Ln = Ho and Tb)

Abstract

The interplay between topological electronic structure and magnetism may result in intricate physics. In this work, we describe a case of rather peculiar coexistence or competition of several magnetic phases below a seemingly single antiferromagnetic transition in LnSbTe (Ln = Ho and Tb) topological semimetals, the magnetic members of the ZrSiS/PbFCl structure type (space group P4/nmm). Neutron diffraction experiments reveal a complex multi-step order below TN = 3.8 K (Ln = Ho) and TN = 6.4 K (Ln = Tb). Magnetic phases can be described using four propagation vectors: k1 = (1/2 0 0) and k2 = (1/2 0 1/4) at the base temperature of 1.7 K, which transform into incommensurate vectors k1' = (1/2 - d 0 0), k3 = (1/2 - d 0 1/2) at elevated temperatures in both compounds. Together with the refined models of magnetic structures, we present the group-theoretical analysis of the magnetic symmetry of the proposed solutions. These results prompt further investigations of the relation between the electronic structure of those semimetals and the determined antiferromagnetic ordering existing therein.

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Observation of gapless nodal-line states in NdSbTe
• Evolution of Magnetism in Magnetic Topological Semimetal NdSb${}_x$Te${}_{2-x+\delta }$
• On the magnetic structures of 1:1:1 stoichiometric topological phases LnSbTe (Ln = Pr, Nd, Dy and Er)
• Electronic structure in a rare-earth based nodal-line semimetal candidate PrSbTe
• Large Negative Magnetoresistance in off-Stochiometric Topological Material PrSbTe
• Electronic Structure of a Nodal Line Semimetal Candidate TbSbTe
• Evolution of Magnetoresistance in the magnetic topological semimetals NdSbxTe2-x
• Chalcogen Doping Effect on the Insulator-to-Metal Transition in GdPS