Simulations of magnetic Bragg scattering in transmission electron microscopy

TL;DR

This study simulates magnetic Bragg scattering in transmission electron microscopy for NiO and LaMnAsO, reproducing experimental data and analyzing factors affecting the visibility of magnetic signals.

Contribution

It provides computational models for magnetic Bragg scattering in two antiferromagnetic compounds, including thickness, voltage, and lattice vibration effects.

Findings

Magnetic Bragg spot in NiO is stronger than thermal diffuse scattering at room temperature.

In LaMnAsO, the magnetic Bragg spot is weaker but detectable at lower temperatures.

The position of the magnetic Bragg spot varies between compounds, appearing at different reflections.

Abstract

We have simulated the magnetic Bragg scattering in transmission electron microscopy in two antiferromagnetic compounds, NiO and LaMnAsO. This weak magnetic phenomenon was experimentally observed in NiO by Loudon. We have computationally reproduced Loudon's experimental data, and for comparison we have performed calculations for the LaMnAsO compound as a more challenging case, containing lower concentration of magnetic elements and strongly scattering heavier non-magnetic elements. We have also described thickness and voltage dependence of the intensity of the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot for both compounds. We have considered lattice vibrations within two computational approaches, one assuming a static lattice with Debye-Waller smeared potentials, and another explicitly considering the atomic vibrations within the quantum excitations of phonons model (thermal diffuse scattering). The structural analysis shows that the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot appears in between (111) and (000) reflections for NiO, while for LaMnAsO the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot appears at the position of the (010) reflection in the diffraction pattern, which corresponds to a forbidden reflection of the crystal structure. Calculations predict that the intensity of the magnetic Bragg spot in NiO is significantly stronger than thermal diffuse scattering at room temperature. For LaMnAsO, the magnetic Bragg spot is weaker than the room-temperature thermal diffuse scattering, but its detection can be facilitated at reduced temperatures.