Itinerant G-type antiferromagnet SrCr2As2 studied by magnetization, heat capacity, electrical resistivity, and NMR measurements

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetic, thermal, and electronic properties of SrCr₂As₂, revealing its G-type antiferromagnetic order below 615 K, metallic behavior, and enhanced conduction-carrier mass, using various experimental techniques.

Contribution

It provides comprehensive experimental evidence of the magnetic structure, metallic state, and electronic density of states in SrCr₂As₂, including NMR and susceptibility measurements, and compares findings with first-principles calculations.

Findings

G-type AFM order below 615 K confirmed by NMR and susceptibility.

SrCr₂As₂ exhibits metallic behavior with enhanced conduction-carrier mass.

Cr moments align along the c axis in the AFM state.

Abstract

The physical properties of itinerant antiferromagnetic (AFM) SrCr$_2$As$_2$ with body-centered tetragonal ThCr$_2$Si$_2$ structure were investigated in single crystalline and polycrystalline forms by electrical resistivity $\rho$, heat capacity $C_{\rm p}$, magnetic susceptibility $\chi$ versus temperature~$T$ and magnetization $M$ versus applied magnetic field $H$ isotherm measurements as well as $^{75}$As and $^{53}$Cr nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements in the wide temperature range $T$ = 1.6--900 K. From the $\chi(T)$ and $^{75}$As NMR measurements, the G-type AFM state below $T_{\rm N}$ = 615(15) K has been determined, consistent with the previous neutron-diffraction measurements. Direct evidence of magnetic ordering of the Cr spins was shown by the observation of the $^{53}$Cr NMR spectrum under $H$ = 0. From the $\chi(T)$ measurements on single-crystal SrCr$_2$As$_2$ under the two different magnetic field directions $H||ab$ and $H||c$ in the AFM state, the Cr ordered moments are shown to align along the $c$ axis in the G-type AFM state. The metallic state is directly evidenced by the $\rho$, $C_{\rm p}$, and NMR measurements, and the density of states at the Fermi energy ${\cal D}(E_{\rm F})$ in the AFM state is estimated to be 7.53 states/eV f.u. for both spin directions which is almost twice the bare ${\cal D}(E_{\rm F})$ estimated from first-principles calculations, suggesting an enhancement of the conduction-carrier mass by a factor of two in the AFM state. The ${\cal D}(E_{\rm F})$ is found to be nearly constant below at least 100 K and is independent of $H$. The $\rho(T)$ is found to show $T$-linear behavior above $T_{\rm N}$ and exhibits positive curvature below $T_{\rm N}$ where significant loss of spin-disorder scattering upon magnetic ordering is observed.