Uncompensated Antiferromagnetic Ordering of UAu$_2$Si$_2$ Studied by $^{29}$Si-NMR

TL;DR

This study uses $^{29}$Si-NMR to reveal an uncompensated 'up-up-down'-type antiferromagnetic order in UAu$_2$Si$_2$, characterized by a specific propagation vector and a spontaneous magnetization component.

Contribution

It provides the first direct NMR evidence of a unique uncompensated antiferromagnetic order with detailed hyperfine interaction analysis in UAu$_2$Si$_2$.

Findings

Uncompensated 'up-up-down'-type antiferromagnetic order confirmed.

Ordered magnetic moments approximately 1.4 μ_B per uranium.

Propagation vector of magnetic order identified as q = (2/3, 0, 0).

Abstract

The magnetically ordered phase of body-centered tetragonal UAu$_2$Si$_2$ was explored through $^{29}$Si-NMR experiments. The field-swept NMR spectra show asymmetric peak splitting below magnetic phase transition temperature, $T_{\rm m}$ = 20 K. This splitting is well explained by the occurrence of a magnetic order with propagation vector of $q$ = (2/3, 0, 0) and magnetic moments pointing parallel to the tetragonal [001] axis, offering evidence for uncompensated "up-up-down"-type antiferromagnetic ordering with a spontaneous [001] magnetization component. A symmetry analysis of the hyperfine-coupling tensor with phenomenological corrections including orbital and dipolar-field contributions yields the magnitude of the ordered moment to be approximately 1.4 $\pm$ 0.2 Bohr magneton per uranium ion, and evaluates the site-dependent hyperfine-coupling constants.