- Letter
Temperature-pressure phase diagram of the intrinsically insulating topological antiferromagnet
Phys. Rev. B 107, L241106 – Published 26 June, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.L241106
Abstract
Zintl-phase attracts much research interest because it has a potential of manifesting various ideal topological states under external parameters. Here, measurements of resistance, magnetization, Hall, and synchrotron x-ray diffraction at high pressures up to 50.8 GPa in diamond anvil cells are performed on high-quality single crystals that display a long-sought intrinsically insulating antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state. From ambient pressure to 21.0 GPa, the AFM state of is stable and the AFM transition temperature of K is raised linearly at a rate of K/GPa. Meanwhile, the insulating conduction behavior is maintained despite that the whole resistance decreases remarkably. Beyond GPa, a ferromagnetic-like metallic state shows up, due to a trigonal to monoclinic structural transition, and its transition temperature of K increases linearly at a rate of K/GPa. This high-pressure magnetic metallic state dominates over the pristine AFM insulating one upon completion of the structural transition around 40 GPa. Based on the present data, we construct a temperature-pressure phase diagram for the intrinsically insulating antiferromagnet , which offers essential insights into the pressure-dependent evolutions of magnetic and transport properties and will stimulate further exploration of the interplay among magnetism and transport, as well as nontrivial topology rooted in their interactions.