PRESS RELEASE

Discovery of "Devil's staircase" in cobalt oxides

 

Authors

T. Matsuda, T. Tsuyama, T. Saito, S. Ishiwata, Y. Tokura, H. Wadati

 

Abstract

Emergence of "Devil's staircase": Anomalous spin ordering revealed by brilliant synchrotron
x-ray.
Using resonant soft x-ray scattering as a function of both temperature and magnetic field,
we reveal a large number of almost degenerate magnetic orders in SrCo6O11. The Ising-like
spins in this frustrated material in fact exhibit a so-called magnetic devil's staircase.
It is demonstrated how a magnetic field induces transitions between different microscopic
spin configurations, which is responsible for the magnetoresistance of SrCo6O11.
This material therefore constitutes a unique combination of a magnetic devil's staircase and
spin valve effects, yielding a novel type of magnetoresistance system.

 
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