Magnetic field-induced tetragonal domain alignment and structural distortion in the spin-orbit-coupled insulator
Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 084415 – Published 26 August, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lxnm-s9xl
Abstract
We investigate how magnetic fields affect the quadrupolar domains in the transition-metal oxide (BMRO), which crystallizes in the double-perovskite structure. At K, BMRO undergoes a quadrupolar-order transition, resulting in a cubic-to-tetragonal structural change, followed by a magnetic transition to a canted antiferromagnetic phase at K. These transitions cause the formation of three types of tetragonal domains below and four types of magnetic domains for each tetragonal domain below . One tetragonal domain is preferred when the magnetic field is applied along the cubic [1 1 0] direction, and its volume fraction exceeds 80% at 10 K. The magnetic-field direction has a significant impact on domain selection. It is revealed that a magnetic field induces not only magnetic but also structural domain switching via unique spin–lattice coupling in the spin–orbit-entangled quadrupolar-order state in BMRO.