Note on the interpretation of magnetic diffraction in NdAlSi: helical or fan?
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866913875118522368 |
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| author | Kurumaji, Takashi |
| author_facet | Kurumaji, Takashi |
| contents | We revisit the magnetic structure analysis reported in Nat. Mater. 20, 1650 (2021), which concluded that a Weyl semimetal candidate NdAlSi hosts a helical magnetic order. This conclusion was based on magnetic neutron diffraction peaks corresponding to modulation vectors $\vec{k}_{in} = (1/3, 1/3, 0)$ and $\vec{k}_{out} = (2/3, 2/3, 0)$, attributed to in-plane and out-of-plane components of the magnetic moments, respectively. Upon careful reanalysis, we suggest that a fan-type magnetic structure--rather than the helix--provides a more consistent interpretation of these data. Unlike a helical structure, fan structures do not exhibit handedness. The distinction has significant implications for interpreting the electromagnetic responses in this material. We believe that our suggestions motivate a re-examination of magnetic structures in NdAlSi and other tetragonal siblings, where the interplay between magnetism and topology is under active investigation. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_04000 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Note on the interpretation of magnetic diffraction in NdAlSi: helical or fan? Kurumaji, Takashi Strongly Correlated Electrons Materials Science We revisit the magnetic structure analysis reported in Nat. Mater. 20, 1650 (2021), which concluded that a Weyl semimetal candidate NdAlSi hosts a helical magnetic order. This conclusion was based on magnetic neutron diffraction peaks corresponding to modulation vectors $\vec{k}_{in} = (1/3, 1/3, 0)$ and $\vec{k}_{out} = (2/3, 2/3, 0)$, attributed to in-plane and out-of-plane components of the magnetic moments, respectively. Upon careful reanalysis, we suggest that a fan-type magnetic structure--rather than the helix--provides a more consistent interpretation of these data. Unlike a helical structure, fan structures do not exhibit handedness. The distinction has significant implications for interpreting the electromagnetic responses in this material. We believe that our suggestions motivate a re-examination of magnetic structures in NdAlSi and other tetragonal siblings, where the interplay between magnetism and topology is under active investigation. |
| title | Note on the interpretation of magnetic diffraction in NdAlSi: helical or fan? |
| topic | Strongly Correlated Electrons Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.04000 |