The electronic and magnetic properties of cobalt-based layered oxypnictides, LaCoOX (X = P, As), are investigated. LaCoOP and LaCoOAs show metallic type conduction, and the Fermi edge is observed by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ferromagnetic transitions occur at 43 K for LaCoOP and 66 K for LaCoOAs. Above the transition temperatures, temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility follows the Curie-Weiss law. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is observed at the Co L2,3-edge, but not at the other edges. The calculated electronic structure shows a spin polarized ground state. These results indicate that LaCoOX are itinerant ferromagnets and suggest that their magnetic properties are governed by spin fluctuation.
The triplet superconductivity in $UGe_2$ and $URhGe$ coexists with itinerant ferromagnetism such that in the pressure-temperature phase diagram the whole region occupied by the superconducting state is situated inside a more vast ferromagnetic region. In the same family metal UCoGe the pressure dependent critical lines T_{Curie}(P) and T_{sc}(P) of the ferromagnet and the superconducting phase transitions intersect each other. The two-band multidomain superconducting ferromagnet state arises at temperatures below both of these lines. Here I describe the symmetry and the order parameters of the…
We study the electronic instabilities of doped bilayer silicene using the random phase approximation. In contrast to the singlet $d+id'$ superconductivity at the low doping region, we find that the system is an itinerant ferromagnet in the narrow doping regions around the Van Hove singularities, and a triplet $p+ip'$ superconductor in the vicinity of these regions. Adding a weak Kane-Mele spin-orbit coupling to the system further singles out the time-reversal invariant equal-spin helical $p+ip'$ pairing as the leading instability. The triplet pairing identified here is driven by the ferromagne…
In this paper we study the ground state phase diagram of a one-dimensional $t-U-J$ model, at half-filling. In the large-bandwidth limit and for ferromagnetic exchange with easy-plane anisotropy, a phase with gapless charge and massive spin excitations, characterized by the coexistence of triplet superconducting and spin density wave instabilities is realized in the ground state. With reduction of the bandwidth, a transition into an insulating phase showing properties of the spin-1/2 XY model takes place.
Magnetization, nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution x-ray diffraction and magnetic field-dependent neutron diffraction measurements reveal a novel magnetic ground state of Ba{0.60}K{0.40}Mn2As2 in which itinerant ferromagnetism (FM) below a Curie temperature TC = 100 K arising from the doped conduction holes coexists with collinear antiferromagnetism (AFM) of the Mn local moments that order below a Neel temperature TN = 480 K. The FM ordered moments are aligned in the tetragonal ab-plane and are orthogonal to the AFM-ordered Mn moments that are aligned along the c-axis. The magnitude an…
We introduce a novel mechanism for itinerant ferromagnetism, which is based on a simple two-band model, and using numerical and analytical methods, we show that the Periodic Anderson Model (PAM) contains this mechanism. We propose that the mechanism, which does not assume an intra-atomic Hund's coupling, is present in both the iron group and some $f$ electron compounds.
We present a general model which includes the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice and the Hubbard model as special cases. The stability of the ferromagnetic state is investigated variationally. We discuss the mechanism of ferromagnetism in metallic nickel, emphasizing the importance of orbital degeneracy and the effect of the Hund's-rule coupling.
Using the generalized Gutzwiller method we present results on the ferromagnetic behavior of extended Hubbard models with two degenerate eg orbitals. We find significant differences to results obtained from Hartree-Fock theory.
Weak itinerant ferromagnetism in YCo9Si4 below about 25 K is studied by means of magnetisation, specific heat, and resistivity measurements. Single crystal X-ray Rietveld refinements at room temperature reveal a fully ordered distribution of Y, Co and Si atoms within the tetragonal space group I4/mcm isostructural with LaCo9Si4. The latter exhibits itinerant electron metamagnetism with an induced moment of about 1 mu_B/f.u. above 6 T, whereas YCo9Si4 exhibits a spontaneous magnetisation M0~12 Am^2/kg at 2 K which corresponds to an ordered moment of about 1.6 mu_B/f.u. indicating weak itinerant…
Superconductivity has again become a challenge following the discovery of unconventional superconductivity. Resistance-free currents have been observed in heavy-fermion materials, organic conductors and copper oxides. The discovery of superconductivity in a single crystal of $UGe_2$, $ZrZn_2$ and $URhGe$ revived the interest in the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism. The experiments indicate that: i)The superconductivity is confined to the ferromagnetic phase. ii)The ferromagnetic order is stable within the superconducting phase (neutron scattering experiments). iii) The speci…
The importance of Hund's rule coupling for the stabilization of itinerant ferromagnetism is investigated within a two-band Hubbard model. The magnetic phase diagram is calculated by finite-temperature quantum Monte Carlo simulations within the dynamical mean-field theory. Ferromagnetism is found in a broad range of electron fillings whereas antiferromagnetism exists only near half filling. The possibility of orbital ordering at quarter filling is also analyzed.
We introduce a novel mechanism for the unusual itinerant ferromagnetism found in mixed valence systems like Ce(Rh$_{1-x}$Ru$_x$)$_3$B$_2$, La$_x$Ce$_{1-x}$Rh$_3$B$_2$, US, USe, and UTe. With it we can provide an explanation for the long-unexplained large value of $T_c$ ($\sim$ 100$^\circ$K) value and the maximum in the magnetization below $T_c$ found experimentally. We also show that this novel itinerent ferromagnetism can be continuously connected with the localized case for which the energy scale is much smaller ($J_{RKKY} \sim$ 1$^\circ$K).
We report the coexistence of ferromagnetic order and superconductivity in UCoGe at ambient pressure. Magnetization measurements show that UCoGe is a weak ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T_{C}= 3 K and a small ordered moment $m_{0}$= 0.03 $μ_B$. Superconductivity is observed with a resistive transition temperature T_{s} = 0.8 K for the best sample. Thermal-expansion and specific-heat measurements provide solid evidence for bulk magnetism and superconductivity. The proximity to a ferromagnetic instability, the defect sensitivity of T_{s}, and the absence of Pauli limiting, suggest triplet s…
We have studied the magnetic properties of pressure-induced ferromagnet Ca2RuO4 to reveal the uniqueness of the 4d-electron ferromagnetism in the quasi-two-dimensional conductor. The magnetic parameters have been estimated from the paramagnetic susceptibility and the magnetisation process under pressure up to 2 GPa. The parameters can well be interpreted on the basis of the self-consistent renormalization theory of spin fluctuation for 3D-itinerant ferromagnet. Nevertheless, the metallic Ca2RuO4 shows quite strong anisotropy not only in the conductivity but also in the magnetisation process. S…
Motivated by the recent indications of ferromagnetism in transition metal oxide heterostructures, we propose a possible mechanism to generate ferromagnetism for itinerant t2g systems in two spatial dimensions that does not rely on the coupling between local moments and conduction electrons. We particularly emphasize the orbital nature of different bands and show that, when the Fermi level lies near the bottom of the upper bands, a non-perturbative interaction effect due to the quasi-one-dimensional nature of the upper bands may drive a transition to a state in which the upper bands are ferroma…
We propose an experiment to explore the magnetic phase transitions in interacting fermionic Hubbard systems, and describe how to obtain the ferromagnetic phase diagram of itinerant electron systems from these observations. In addition signatures of ferromagnetic correlations in the observed ground states are found: for large trap radii (trap radius $R_T > 4$, in units of coherence length $ξ$), ground states are topological in nature -- a "skyrmion" in 2D, and a "hedgehog" in 3D.
The noncentrosymmetric ferromagnet Cr11Ge19 has been investigated by electrical transport, AC and DC magnetization, heat capacity, x-ray diffraction, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, and first principles electronic structure calculations. Complex itinerant ferromagnetism in this material is indicated by nonlinearity in conventional Arrott plots, unusual behavior of AC susceptibility, and a weak heat capacity anomaly near the Curie temperature (88 K). The inclusion of spin wave excitations was found to be important in modeling the low temperature heat capacity. The temperature dependence of th…
In order to resolve the long-standing issue of how the itinerant ferromagnetism is affected by the lattice structure and Hund's coupling, we have compared various three-dimensional lattice structures in the single- and multiorbital Hubbard models with the dynamical mean-field theory with an improved quantum Monte Carlo algorithm that preserves the spin-SU(2) symmetry. The result indicates that {\it both} the lattice structure and the d-orbital degeneracy are essential for the ferromagnetism in the parameter region representing a transition metal. Specifically, (a) Hund's coupling, despite the …
We report results of structural, magnetic and transport properties of single crystal CaRu1-xCrxO3 (0≤x≤0.36) and SrRu1-xCrxO3 (0≤x≤0.30). Cr substitution as low as x=0.08 drives CaRu1-xCrxO3 from the paramagnetic state to an itinerant ferromagnetic state with field-driven first-order metamagnetic transitions leading to a sizeable saturation moment (~0.4B/f.u.within the ab plane). The ferromagnetism occurs abruptly and reaches as high as TC=123 K for x=0.22. The Cr-driven ferromagnetism is highly anisotropic, suggesting an important role for spin-orbit coupling. …
Motivated by the first experimental evidence of ferromagnetic behavior in a three-dimensional ultracold atomic gas, we explore the possibility of itinerant ferromagnetism in a trapped two-dimensional atomic gas. Firstly, we develop a formalism that demonstrates how quantum fluctuations drive the ferromagnetic reconstruction first order, and consider the consequences of an imposed population imbalance. Secondly, we adapt this formalism to elucidate the key experimental signatures of ferromagnetism in a realistic trapped geometry.
We present Hall effect, $R_{xy}(H)$, and magnetoresistance, $R_{xx}(H)$, measurements of ultrathin films of Ni, Co and Fe with thicknesses varying between 0.2-8 nm and resistances between 1 M$Ω$ - 100 $Ω.$ Both measurements show that films having resistance above a critical value, $R_{C}$, (thickness below a critical value, $d_{C}$) show no signs for ferromagnetism. Ferromagnetism appears only for films with $R<R_{C}$, where $R_{C}$ is material dependent. We raise the possibility that the reason for the absence of spontaneous magnetization is suppression of itinerant ferromagnetism by electron…
We have investigated the temperature (T)-dependent evolution of electronic structures and magnetic properties of an itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO3, employing the combined scheme of the density functional theory and the dynamical mean-field theory (DFT+DMFT). The inclusion of finite dynamical correlation effects beyond the DFT well describes not only the incoherent hump structure observed in the photoemission experiment but also the T-dependent magnetic properties in accordance with experiments. We have shown that the magnetization of SrRuO3 evolves with the Stoner behavior below the Curie temper…
The long-standing problem of the effect of correlations on the ferromagnetism of is apparently nearing solution. The ferromagnetism of transition metals compounds, for instance doped manganites, poses a new question: is there some kind of orbital order coexisting with itinerant ferromagnetism? The ideas and techniques introduced by Gutzwiller should be of use again.
We propose to realize the itinerant ferromagnetism of two-component cold fermionic atoms in the $p$-orbital bands in optical lattices. The band flatness in the two-dimensional honeycomb lattice dramatically amplifies the interaction effect driving the ferromagnetic transition even with a relatively weak repulsive interaction. This scheme has the advantage that the stability of the system can be maintained without suffering decaying to the molecular state as one approaches the Feshbach resonance from the side with positive scattering length. Experimental signatures and detections are also discu…
We investigate the itinerant ferromagnetism using a diluted spin-fermion model, derived from a repulsive Hubbard model, where itinerant fermions are coupled antiferromagnetically to auxiliary fields in a three-dimensional simple cubic lattice. We focus, in particular, on understanding the spin-dependent transport properties of the itinerant fermions in the impurity band by taking positional disorder of the auxiliary fields into account. For on-site repulsion $U$ $\sim$ bandwidth the density of the itinerant carriers confined to the impurity band, play a key role in determining the kinetic ener…
We study role of inter-site hybrid interactions in deciding ferromagnetic state in the itinerant electron (narrow band) systems like some of the transition metals. We have considered Hubbard like tight binding model alongwith exchange and hybrid interactions. All interactions have been treated within mean-field approximation. It is found here that hybrid interactions play significant role at zero as well as infinite temperatures in deciding on-set of ferromagnetic state. We have studied variation of effective mass of up and down spin electrons in ferromagnetic state as a function of temperatur…
We introduce a novel mechanism for itinerant ferromagnetism, based on a simple two-band model. The model includes an uncorrelated and dispersive band hybridized with a second band which is narrow and correlated. The simplest Hamiltonian containing these ingredients is the Periodic Anderson Model (PAM). Using quantum Monte Carlo and analytical methods, we show that the PAM and an extension of it contain the new mechanism and exhibit a non-saturated ferromagnetic ground state in the intermediate valence regime. We propose that the mechanism, which does not assume an intra atomic Hund's coupling,…
Can a gas of spin-up and spin-down fermions become ferromagnetic due to repulsive interactions? This question which has not yet found a definitive theoretical answer was addressed in an experiment with an ultracold two-component Fermi gas. The observation of non-monotonic behavior of lifetime, kinetic energy, and size for increasing repulsive interactions provides strong evidence for a phase transition to a ferromagnetic state. It implies that itinerant ferromagnetism of delocalized fermions is possible without lattice and band structure and validates the most basic model for ferromagnetism in…
Ho claims in his comment that our experiment is direct evidence that itinerant ferromagnetism does not exist in ultracold Fermi gases. This claim is incorrect and based on an invalid estimate of relaxation times and an erroneous interpretation of the detectability of ferromagnetic domains. We point out that the experimental evidence is consistent with the existence of ferromagnetism, but further experiments are needed to distinguish a ferromagnetic ground state from a non-magnetic ground state with ferromagnetic correlations.
We investigate the interaction energy and the possibility of itinerant ferromagnetism in a strongly interacting Fermi gas at zero temperature in the absence of molecule formation. The interaction energy is obtained by summing the perturbative contributions of Galitskii-Feynman type to all orders in the gas parameter. It can be expressed by a simple phase space integral of an in-medium scattering phase shift. In both three and two dimensions (3D and 2D), the interaction energy shows a maximum before reaching the resonance from the Bose-Einstein condensate side, which provides a possible explana…
An investigation of La and Ca doped Sr4Ru3O10, featuring a coexistence of interlayer ferromagnetism and intralayer metamagnetism, is presented. La doping readily changes magnetism between ferromagnetism and metamagnetism by tuning the density of states. It also results in different Curie temperatures for the c-axis and the basal plane, highlighting a rare spin-orbit coupling with the crystal field states. In contrast, Ca doping enhances the c-axis ferromagnetism and the magnetic anisotropy. La doping also induces a dimensional crossover in the interlayer transport whereas Ca doping exhibits a …
The electronic structure and magnetic properties of hexagonal Sc$_3$In are calculated within density functional theory. We find that the Fermi energy lies in a region of flat Sc $d$ derived bands leading to a peak in the density of states and Stoner ferromagnetism. The calculated local spin density and generalized gradient approximation spin magnetizations are both enhanced with respect to experiment, which is an indication of significant quantum critical fluctuations, neglected in these approximations. We find, as expected, that the ferromagnetism is initially enhanced under pressure, meaning…
Alongside superfluidity, itinerant (Stoner) ferromagnetism remains one of the most well-characterized phases of correlated Fermi systems. A recent experiment has reported the first evidence for novel phase behavior on the repulsive side of the Feshbach resonance in a two-component ultracold Fermi gas. By adapting recent theoretical studies to the atomic trap geometry, we show that an adiabatic ferromagnetic transition would take place at a weaker interaction strength than is observed in experiment. This discrepancy motivates a simple non-equilibrium theory that takes account of the dynamics of…
Single crystals of monoclinic La$_{5}$Co$_{2}$Ge$_{3}$ were grown using a self-flux method and were characterized by room-temperature powder X-ray diffraction, anisotropic temperature and field dependent magnetization, temperature dependent resistivity, specific heat, and muon spin rotation. La$_{5}$Co$_{2}$Ge$_{3}$ has a Curie temperature ($T_\mathrm{C}$) of 3.8~K and clear signatures of ferromagnetism in magnetization and $μSR$ data, as well as a clear loss of spin disorder scattering in resistivity data and a sharp specific heat anomaly. The magnetism associated with La$_{5}$Co$_{2}$Ge$_{3}…
A systematic investigation of the microscopic conditions stabilizing itinerant ferromagnetism of correlated electrons in a single-band model is presented. Quantitative results are obtained by quantum Monte Carlo simulations for a model with Hubbard interaction U and direct Heisenberg exchange interaction F within the dynamical mean-field theory. Special emphasis is placed on the investigation of (i) the distribution of spectral weight in the density of states, (ii) the importance of genuine correlations, and (iii) the significance of the direct exchange, for the stability of itinerant ferromag…
We study itinerant ferromagnetism in multi-orbital Hubbard models in certain two-dimensional square and three-dimensional cubic lattices. In the strong coupling limit where doubly occupied orbitals are not allowed, we prove that the fully spin-polarized states are the unique ground states, apart from the trivial spin degeneracies, for a large region of fillings factors. Possible applications to p-orbital bands with ultra-cold fermions in optical lattices, and electronic 3d-orbital bands in transition-metal oxides, are discussed.
Ultrathin films of the itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO$_3$ were studied using transport and magnto-optic polar Kerr effect. We find that below 4 monolayers the films become insulating and their magnetic character changes as they loose their simple ferromagnetic behavior. We observe a strong reduction in the magnetic moment which for 3 monolayers and below lies in the plane of the film. Exchange-bias behavior is observed below the critical thickness, and may point to induced antiferromagnetism in contact with ferromagnetic regions.
We investigate ferromagnetic ordering in an itinerant ultracold atomic Fermi gas with repulsive interactions and population imbalance. In a spatially uniform system, we show that at zero temperature the transition to the itinerant magnetic phase transforms from first to second order with increasing population imbalance. Drawing on these results, we elucidate the phases present in a trapped geometry, finding three characteristic types of behavior with changing population imbalance. Finally, we outline the potential experimental implications of the findings.
We study the electronic structure of the Pd-terminated surface of the non-magnetic delafossite oxide metal PdCoO$_2$. Combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density-functional theory, we show how an electronic reconstruction driven by surface polarity mediates a Stoner-like magnetic instability towards itinerant surface ferromagnetism. Our results reveal how this leads to a rich multi-band surface electronic structure, and provide spectroscopic evidence for an intriguing sample-dependent coupling of the surface electrons to a bosonic mode which we attribute to electron-magnon …
Quantum fluctuations are of central importance in itinerant ferromagnets; in the case of the Stoner Hamiltonian, with contact interactions, they deliver a rich phase diagram featuring a first order ferromagnetic transition preempted by a spin spiral and a paired density wave. However, to date all analyses of fluctuation corrections neglect the finite ranged nature of the Coulomb interaction. We develop the formalism to consider the effects of fluctuations with a realistic screened Coulomb potential. The finite ranged interaction suppresses the tricritical point temperature of the first order f…
The weak itinerant ferromagnetic behavior of Y$_2$Ni$_7$ is investigated through magnetic, transport and calorimetric measurements. The low value of saturation moment, large Rhodes-Wohlfarth ratio, large value of the linear term in heat capacity and Fermi liquid like resistivity behavior with enhanced electron-electron scattering contribution establish firmly the weak itinerant ferromagetic nature of the sample. The critical exponents associated with the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition are also investigated from magnetization isotherms using modified Arrott plot, Kouvel-Fisher plot an…
Sr4Ru3O10 is characterized by a sharp metamagnetic transition and ferromagnetic behavior occurring within the basal plane and along the c-axis, respectively. Resistivity at magnetic field, B, exhibits low-frequency quantum oscillations when B||c-axis and large magnetoresistivity accompanied by critical fluctuations driven by the metamagnetism when B^c-axis. The complex behavior evidenced in resistivity, magnetization and specific heat presented is not characteristic of any obvious ground states, and points to an exotic state that shows a delicate balance between fluctuations and order.
Since its introduction in 1963, the Hubbard model has becomes one of the most popular models used in the literature to study cooperative phenomena in narrow-band metals (ferromagnetism, metal-insulator transitions, charge-density waves, high-T$_c$ superconductivity). Amongst all these cooperative phenomena, the problem of itinerant ferromagnetism in the Hubbard model has the longest history. However, in spite of an impressive research activity in the past, the underlying physics (microscopic mechanisms) that leads to the stabilization of itinerant ferromagnetism in Hubbard model (narrow-band m…
A recent experiment has provided the first evidence for itinerant ferromagnetism in an ultracold atomic gas of fermions with repulsive interactions. However, the gas in this regime is also subject to significant three-body loss. We adopt an extended Hertz-Millis theory to account for the effect of loss on the transition and on the ferromagnetic state. We find that the losses damp quantum fluctuations and thereby significantly increase the critical interaction strength needed to induce ferromagnetism. This effect may resolve a discrepancy between the experiment and previous theoretical predicti…
We apply a result from graph theory to prove exact results about itinerant ferromagnetism. Nagaoka's theorem of ferromagnetism is extended to all non-separable graphs except single polygons with more than four vertices by applying the solution to the generalized 15-puzzle problem, which studies whether the hole's motion can connect all possible tile configurations. This proves that the ground state of a $U\to\infty$ Hubbard model with one hole away from the half filling on a 2D honeycomb lattice or a 3D diamond lattice is fully spin-polarized. Furthermore, the condition of connectivity for $N$…
We report results of a magnetic and transport study of SrRu1-xMnxO3, i.e., Mn doped SrRuO3. The Mn doping drives the system from the itinerant ferromagnetic state (TC=165 K for x=0) through a quantum critical point at xc=0.39 to an insulating antiferromagnetic state. The onset of antiferromagnetism is abrupt with a Neel temperature increasing from 205 K for x=0.44 to 250 K for x=0.59. Accompanying this quantum phase transition is a drastic change in resistivity by as much as 8 orders of magnitude as a function of x at low temperatures. The critical composition xc=0.39 sharply separates the two…
Spectra of one-electron and collective excitations in narrow-band ferromagnets with unquenched orbital moments are calculated in various theoretical models. The interaction of spin and orbital excitations with conduction electrons results in the damping of the former which, however, turns out to be rather small; therefore, apart from usual spin waves, well-defined orbitons can exist. Non-quasiparticle states occur in the electron energy spectrum near the Fermi energy due to this interaction. The criteria of stability of the saturated spin and orbital ferromagnetic ordering are considered. Poss…
We study itinerant ferromagnetism in a $t_{2g}$ multi-orbital Hubbard system in the cubic lattice, which consists of three planar oriented orbital bands of $d_{xy}$, $d_{yz}$, and $d_{zx}$. Electrons in each orbital band can only move within a two-dimensional plane in the three-dimensional lattice parallel to the corresponding orbital orientation. Electrons of different orbitals interact through the on-site multi-orbital interactions including Hund's coupling. The strong coupling limit is considered in which there are no doubly occupied orbitals but multiple on-site occupations are allowed. We…
Ground state properties of the repulsive Hubbard model on a cubic lattice are investigated by means of the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo method. We focus on low-density systems with varying on-site interaction $U/t$, as a model relevant to recent experiments on itinerant ferromagnetism in a dilute Fermi gas with contact interaction. Twist-average boundary conditions are used to eliminate open-shell effects and large lattice sizes are studied to reduce finite-size effects. The sign problem is controlled by a generalized constrained path approximation. We find no ferromagnetic phase transi…
A microscopic mean-field theory of the phase coexistence between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the weakly ferromagnetic itinerant electron system is constructed, while incorporating a realistic mechanism for superconducting pairing due to the exchange of critical spin fluctuations. The self-consistent solution of the resulting equations determines the superconducting transition temperature which is shown to depend strongly on the exchange splitting. The effect of phase crossover from isotropic (Heisenberg-like) to uniaxial (Ising-like) spin fluctuations near the quantum phase transit…
We report a uniaxial-pressure study on the magnetisation of single crystals of the bilayer perovskite Sr3Ru2O7, a metamagnet close to a ferromagnetic instability. We observed that the application of a uniaxial pressure parallel to the c-axis induces ferromagnetic ordering with a Curie temperature of about 80 K and critical pressures of about 4 kbar or higher. This value for the critical pressure is even higher than the value previously reported (~ 1 kbar), which might be attributed to the difference of the impurity level. Below the critical pressure parallel to the c-axis, the metamagnetic fie…
A variety of analytical techniques suggest that quantum fluctuations lead to a fundamental instability of the Fermi liquid that drives ferromagnetic transitions first order at low temperatures. We present both analytical and numerical evidence that, driven by the same quantum fluctuations, this first order transition is pre-empted by the formation of an inhomogeneous magnetic phase. This occurs in a manner that is closely analogous to the formation of the inhomogeneous superconducting Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. We derive these results from a field theoretical approach supplemented …
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements on single-crystal and powder samples of Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$Mn$_{2}$As$_{2}$ show that the ferromagnetism below $T_{\textrm{C}}\approx$ 100 K arises in the As $4p$ conduction band. No XMCD signal is observed at the Mn x-ray absorption edges. Below $T_{\textrm{C}}$, however, a clear XMCD signal is found at the As $K$ edge which increases with decreasing temperature. The XMCD signal is absent in data taken with the beam directed parallel to the crystallographic $\textrm{c}$ axis indicating that the orbital magnetic moment lies in the basal pla…
The critical behaviors of ferromagnet Eu0.5Sr0.5CoO3 arround TC=140.5K have been comprehensively investigated by analyzing a series of isothermal magnetization M(H) curves. Both Modified Arrott plot and Kouvel-Fisher methods give nearly the same critical exponents, which scale nicely the M(H) curves into two different branches below and above TC. The exponents γ=1.044 and δ=3.06 demonstrate the relevance of mean-field characters for this material. The conclusion of mean-field behavior proves a dominant itinerant ferromagnetism (FM) due to a long range exchange interaction in the system. Meanwh…
Multi-band Gutzwiller-correlated wave functions reconcile the contrasting concepts of itinerant band electrons versus electrons localized in partially filled atomic shells. The approximate evaluation of these variational ground states becomes exact in the limit of large coordination number. The result allows the identification of quasi-particle band structures for correlated electron systems. As a first application, we summarize a study of itinerant ferromagnetism in a two-band model, thereby elucidating the co-operation of the Coulomb repulsion and the Hund's-rule exchange. Then, we present r…
We use the quasistatic approach to analyze the criterion of ferromagnetism for two-dimensional (2D) systems with the Fermi level near Van Hove singularities (VHS) of the electronic spectrum. It is shown that the spectrum of spin excitations (paramagnons) is positively defined when the interaction I between electrons and paramagnons, which corresponds to the Hubbard on-site repulsion U, is sufficiently large. The critical interactions I_c and U_c remain finite at Van Hove filling and exceed considerably their values obtained from the Stoner criterion due to incommensurate spin fluctuations whic…
