Spin Glass-like Phase below ~ 210 K in Magnetoelectric Gallium Ferrite

TL;DR

This study identifies a classical spin-glass like phase below approximately 210 K in magnetoelectric gallium ferrite, attributed to geometrical frustration from site disorder among Fe ions, using magnetization measurements.

Contribution

It provides the first evidence of a spin-glass like phase in GaFeO3 and explains its origin due to geometrical frustration from site disorder.

Findings

Spin-glass like phase observed below 210 K.

Frequency-dependent susceptibility peak indicates spin-glass behavior.

Geometrical frustration from site disorder causes the spin-glass phase.

Abstract

In this letter we show the presence of a spin-glass like phase in single crystals of magnetoelectric gallium ferrite (GaFeO3) below ~210 K via temperature dependent ac and dc magnetization studies. Analysis of frequency dispersion of the susceptibility peak at ~210 K using the critical slowing down model and Vogel-Fulcher law strongly suggests the existence of a classical spin-glass like phase. This classical spin glass behavior of GaFeO3 is understood in terms of an outcome of geometrical frustration arising from the inherent site disorder among the antiferromagnetically coupled Fe ions located at octahedral Ga and Fe sites.