Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Piezomagnetic Switching And Complex Phase Equilibria In Uranium Dioxide, Daniel J. Antonio, Joel T. Weiss, Katherine S. Shanks, Jacob P.C. Ruff, Marcelo Jaime, Andres Saul, Thomas Swinburne, Myron Salamon, Keshav Shrestha, Barbara Lavina, Daniel Koury, Sol M. Gruner, David A. Andersson, Christopher R. Stanek, Tomasz Durakiewicz, James L. Smith, Zahirul Islam, Krzysztof Gofryk

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Actinide materials exhibit strong spin-lattice coupling and electronic correlations, and are predicted to host new emerging ground states. One example is piezomagnetism and magneto-elastic memory effect in the antiferromagnetic Mott-Hubbard insulator uranium dioxide, though its microscopic nature is under debate. Here, we report X-ray diffraction studies of oriented uranium dioxide crystals under strong pulsed magnetic fields. In the antiferromagnetic state a [888] Bragg diffraction peak follows the bulk magnetostriction that expands under magnetic fields. Upon reversal of the field the expansion turns to contraction, before the [888] peak follows the switching effect and piezomagnetic 'butterfly' behaviour, characteristic of two structures …