Direct observation of the high magnetic field effect on the Jahn-Teller state in TbVO4

TL;DR

This study directly observes how high magnetic fields affect the Jahn-Teller transition in TbVO4 using X-ray diffraction, providing new insights into the structural changes under magnetic influence.

Contribution

First direct measurement of high magnetic field effects on Jahn-Teller transition in TbVO4 via X-ray diffraction, with comparison to theoretical mean field calculations.

Findings

Magnetic fields influence Jahn-Teller distortion in TbVO4.

X-ray diffraction effectively measures Jahn-Teller order parameter.

Qualitative agreement between experiment and mean field theory.

Abstract

We report the first direct observation of the influence of high magnetic fields on the Jahn-Teller (JT) transition in TbVO4. Contrary to spectroscopic and magnetic methods, X-ray diffraction directly measures the JT distortion; the splitting between the (311)/(131) and (202)/(022) pairs of Bragg reflections is proportional to the order parameter. Our experimental results are compared to mean field calculations, taking into account all possible orientations of the grains relative to the applied field, and qualitative agreement is obtained.