Magnetoelastic Effect in Perovskite Orthochromite HoCrO3

K. Komęderaa, b, N.K. Chogondahalli Munirajuc aMössbauer Spectroscopy Laboratory, Institute of Technology, University of the National Education Commission, Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Kraków, Poland bFaculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland cThe Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342, Kraków, Poland

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It is well established that many material properties, such as multiferroicity, magnetoresistance, or magnetoelectricity, emerge from strong interactions of spins and lattice (phonons). An in-depth understanding of spin-phonon coupling is key to understanding these properties. We demonstrate strong spin-phonon coupling in HoCrO3 using powder X-ray diffraction measurements. Our investigations confirm magnetoelastic effects below antiferromagnetic phase transition, TN≈142 K. The lattice parameters and unit cell volume decrease normally with temperature up to ~TN, but decrease anomalously below TN. By fitting the background thermal expansion for a non-magnetic lattice using the Debye-Grüneisen equation, we determined the lattice strain ΔVM due to the magnetoelastic effects as a function of temperature. We have also established that the lattice strain due to the magnetoelastic effect in HoCrO3 couples with the square of the ordered magnetic moment of the Cr3+ ion.

DOI:10.12693/APhysPolA.145.128 topics: perovskite, multiferroic, magnetostriction, X-ray diffraction