Chemical substitution effects on YMn2 intermetallic antiferromagnet

• Grant number: 16/06775-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2016
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Pascoal Jose Giglio Pagliuso
• Grantee: Denise Sacramento Christovam
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 12/04870-7 - Studies of novel complex and advanced materials, AP.TEM

Abstract

In this proposal we aim to grow and characterize single crystals of the YMn2 antiferromagnet compound. This compound will be grown in its pure form and also properly doped with carefully chosen elements using the Sn-flux growth technique. YMn2 is an antiferromagnetic metal with TN = 100 K which forms in a cubic C15 (Laves phase) crystal structure. As a function of temperature, the YMn2 crystal structure undergoes to a significant volume change (4.6%) near the magnetic transition. This results indicate the presence of strong magnetic-elastic coupling in this material. Previous chemical substitution studies on Y1-xScxMn2 e YMn-2xAlx polycrystals revealed the presence of strong magnetic fluctuations (MF) in the vicinity of the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. These MF have the same spin dynamics found in high-Tc cuprates and heavy-fermions superconductors. The studies in the proposal are part of a broader research project that aim to explore the existence of magnetically mediated superconductivity in 3d metals-based intermetallic compounds.