Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ magnetic phase diagram, from resistivity

TL;DR

This study reveals that the magnetic transition in Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ affects its transverse resistivity, enabling detailed mapping of its magnetic phase diagram through resistivity and magnetization measurements.

Contribution

It demonstrates that resistivity measurements can detect magnetic phase transitions in Sr$_2$IrO$_4$, providing new insights into its magnetic phase diagram and field-induced phenomena.

Findings

Resistivity anomaly correlates with magnetic transition.

Identified three distinct magnetic phase lines.

Field-induced magnetism observed in resistivity data.

Abstract

We show that, contrary to previous belief, the transition to the antiferromagnetic state of Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ in zero magnetic field does show up in the transverse resistivity. We attribute this to a change in transverse integrals associated to the magnetic ordering, which is evaluated considering hopping of the localized charge. The evolution of the resistivity anomaly associated to the magnetic transition under applied magnetic field is studied. It tracks the magnetic phase diagram, allowing to identify three different lines, notably the spin-flip line, associated with the reordering of the ferromagnetic component of the magnetization, and an intriguing line for field induced magnetism, also corroborated by magnetization measurements.