Nanoscale magnetic ordering dynamics near criticality in a high Curie-temperature ferromagnet

ORAL

Abstract

Continuous phase transitions and critical points, often crucial for revealing exotic states of matter in condensed matter physics, are characterized by critical behavior such as divergent susceptibilities, long-range correlations, and spin dynamics that span from kHz to GHz as the system approaches the critical point. Probing the relevant length and time scales has proven technically challenging with conventional measurement techniques. In this study, we employ scanning nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center-based magnetometry and relaxometry to investigate the critical behavior of a high-Tc ferromagnetic oxide near its Curie temperature. Cluster analysis of nanoscale magnetic textures demonstrate robust power scaling behavior falling into to a 3D universality class near the critical point. Simultaneously, temperature-dependent magnetic fluctuations, measured via all-optical relaxometry, suggest that the spin degrees of freedom belong to the XY universality class. Our findings capture both the static and dynamic aspects of critical behavior, offering insights into the universal properties governing phase transitions in magnetic materials.

*This research was sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division and in part by the Computational Materials Sciences Program and Center for Predictive Simulation of Functional Materials. Scanning NV microscopy was supported by the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Presenters

  • Yueh-Chun Wu

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Authors

  • Yueh-Chun Wu

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Gabor Halasz

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Yuxin Sun

    • Purdue University
  • Chengyun Hua

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Huan Zhao

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Shan Lin

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Jeongkeun Song

    • Oak Ridge National Lab.
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Ho Nyung Lee

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Joshua T Damron

    • Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Zheng Gai

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Karin Andrea Dahmen

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Erica W Carlson

    • Purdue University
  • Benjamin J Lawrie

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory