Metastable and localized Ising magnetism in $\alpha$-CoV$_{2}$O$_{6}$ magnetization plateaus

TL;DR

This study reveals that in $ ext{α-CoV}_2 ext{O}_6$, magnetization plateaus are characterized by metastable, short-range Ising magnetic correlations with specific local periodicities and antiphase boundaries, indicating complex localized magnetic states.

Contribution

The paper combines neutron diffraction and magnetization measurements to uncover metastable, short-range magnetic correlations and local periodicities in $ ext{α-CoV}_2 ext{O}_6$ near magnetization plateaus, revealing new localized magnetic phenomena.

Findings

Magnetization steps show short-range magnetic correlations (~10 Å).

Local periodicities include $ ext{↑↓}$, $ ext{↑↑↓}$, $ ext{↑↑↓↓}$, and $ ext{↑↑↑↓}$ arrangements.

Magnetic states are metastable, spatially short-range, and exhibit hysteresis.

Abstract

$\alpha$-CoV$_{2}$O$_{6}$ consists of $j_{\mathrm{eff}}={1 \over 2}$ Ising spins located on an anisotropic triangular motif with magnetization plateaus in an applied field. We combine neutron diffraction with low temperature magnetization to investigate the magnetic periodicity in the vicinity of these plateaus. We find these steps to be characterized by metastable and spatially short-range ($\xi\sim$ 10 $\r{A}$) magnetic correlations with antiphase boundaries defining a local periodicity of $\langle \hat{T}^{2} \rangle =\ \uparrow \downarrow$ to $\langle \hat{T}^{3} \rangle =\ \uparrow \uparrow \downarrow$, and $\langle \hat{T}^{4} \rangle=\ \uparrow \uparrow \downarrow \downarrow$ or $\uparrow \uparrow \uparrow \downarrow$ spin arrangements. This shows the presence of spatially short range and metastable/hysteretic, commensurate magnetism in Ising magnetization steps.