Magnetoelastic honeycomb fragmentation in VI$_{3}$
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866914217155624960 |
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| author | Shen, Enlin Popescu, Tiberiu I. Gora, Nishwal Kaur, Guratinder Chan, Edmond Lane, Harry Rodriguez-Rivera, Jose A. Xu, Guangyong Gehring, Peter M. Ewings, Russell A. Fitch, Andy N. Stock, Chris |
| author_facet | Shen, Enlin Popescu, Tiberiu I. Gora, Nishwal Kaur, Guratinder Chan, Edmond Lane, Harry Rodriguez-Rivera, Jose A. Xu, Guangyong Gehring, Peter M. Ewings, Russell A. Fitch, Andy N. Stock, Chris |
| contents | The discovery of ordered magnetism in two-dimensional van der Waals materials at the monolayer limit challenges the Mermin-Wagner theorem, which forbids spontaneous breaking of continuous symmetries in two dimensions at finite temperatures. The persistence of static magnetism in low-dimensions is fundamentally influenced by magnetic anisotropy and the local single-ion crystalline electric field. Crucially, spin-orbit coupling connects the structural properties with spin degrees of freedom. We investigate the magnetic single-ion properties in the van der Waals magnet VI$_3$. Utilizing neutron and x-ray diffraction, we map out the symmetry breaking phase transitions and argue for a single structural transition at T$_S \sim$ 80 K, driven by an orbital degeneracy, followed by a ferromagnetic transition at a lower temperature, T$_C \sim$ 50 K. Through a comparative analysis of samples prepared under varying conditions, we suggest that lower temperature transitions reported near $\sim$ 30 K are not intrinsic to VI$_{3}$. A group theoretical analysis suggests a structural transition from rhombohedral $R\overline{3}$ to triclinic $P\overline{1}$ or $P1$. This transition is significant as it suggests the formation of two distinct crystallographyically inequivalent V$^{3+}$ sites, each with distinct spin-orbital properties. Neutron spectroscopy provides evidence for dominant magnetic exchange coupling only between symmetry-equivalent sites in the triclinc unit cell. We suggest this breaks up the low-temperature honeycomb VI$_3$ lattice into two interpenetrating approximately hexagonal planes resulting in a fragmentated honeycomb. Our findings highlight the critical role of magnetoelastic coupling in determining the magnetic and structural phases in two-dimensional van der Waals magnets. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_20240 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Magnetoelastic honeycomb fragmentation in VI$_{3}$ Shen, Enlin Popescu, Tiberiu I. Gora, Nishwal Kaur, Guratinder Chan, Edmond Lane, Harry Rodriguez-Rivera, Jose A. Xu, Guangyong Gehring, Peter M. Ewings, Russell A. Fitch, Andy N. Stock, Chris Materials Science Strongly Correlated Electrons The discovery of ordered magnetism in two-dimensional van der Waals materials at the monolayer limit challenges the Mermin-Wagner theorem, which forbids spontaneous breaking of continuous symmetries in two dimensions at finite temperatures. The persistence of static magnetism in low-dimensions is fundamentally influenced by magnetic anisotropy and the local single-ion crystalline electric field. Crucially, spin-orbit coupling connects the structural properties with spin degrees of freedom. We investigate the magnetic single-ion properties in the van der Waals magnet VI$_3$. Utilizing neutron and x-ray diffraction, we map out the symmetry breaking phase transitions and argue for a single structural transition at T$_S \sim$ 80 K, driven by an orbital degeneracy, followed by a ferromagnetic transition at a lower temperature, T$_C \sim$ 50 K. Through a comparative analysis of samples prepared under varying conditions, we suggest that lower temperature transitions reported near $\sim$ 30 K are not intrinsic to VI$_{3}$. A group theoretical analysis suggests a structural transition from rhombohedral $R\overline{3}$ to triclinic $P\overline{1}$ or $P1$. This transition is significant as it suggests the formation of two distinct crystallographyically inequivalent V$^{3+}$ sites, each with distinct spin-orbital properties. Neutron spectroscopy provides evidence for dominant magnetic exchange coupling only between symmetry-equivalent sites in the triclinc unit cell. We suggest this breaks up the low-temperature honeycomb VI$_3$ lattice into two interpenetrating approximately hexagonal planes resulting in a fragmentated honeycomb. Our findings highlight the critical role of magnetoelastic coupling in determining the magnetic and structural phases in two-dimensional van der Waals magnets. |
| title | Magnetoelastic honeycomb fragmentation in VI$_{3}$ |
| topic | Materials Science Strongly Correlated Electrons |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.20240 |