Robust singlet dimers with fragile ordering in two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of Li2RuO3.

When an electronic system has strong correlations and a large spin-orbit interaction, it often exhibits a plethora of mutually competing quantum phases. How a particular quantum ground state is selected out of several possibilities is a very interesting question. However, equally fascinating is how such a quantum entangled state breaks up due to perturbation.

Magnetically driven suppression of nematic order in an iron-based superconductor.

A theory of superconductivity in the iron-based materials requires an understanding of the phase diagram of the normal state. In these compounds, superconductivity emerges when stripe spin density wave (SDW) order is suppressed by doping, pressure or atomic disorder. This magnetic order is often pre-empted by nematic order, whose origin is yet to be resolved.

BaFe9LiO15: a new layered antiferromagnetic ferrite.

The new Fe(3+) oxide BaFe9LiO15 is isostructural with the magnetically frustrated material BaV10O15, adopting a structure based on the stacking of close-packed pure oxide and BaO7 layers. Neutron diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy shows that BaFe9LiO15 is long-range antiferromagnetically ordered with a Néel temperature of 460 K. The magnetic ordering of antiferromagnetically coupled ferromagnetic planes is stabilized by 90° and 180° superexchange interactions between the Fe(3+) cations that supersede the frustrated in-plane direct exchange observed in t(2g)-only systems.

New twists on the perovskite theme: crystal structures of the elusive phases R and S of NaNbO3.

The crystal structure of NaNbO(3) has been studied in detail in the temperature regime 360 < T < 520 °C using a combination of high-resolution neutron and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, supported by first-principles calculations. A systematic symmetry-mode analysis is used to determine the presence of the key active distortion modes that, in turn, provides a small and an unambiguous set of trial structural models. A unique model for Phase S (480 < T < 510 °C) is elucidated, having a 2 × 2 × 4 superlattice of the aristotype perovskite structure, space group Pmmn.

Insights into metal borohydride and aluminohydride bonding: X-ray and neutron diffraction structures and a DFT and charge density study of [Na(15-crown-5)][EH(4)] (E = B, Al).

The neutron and X-ray structures of [Na(15-crown-5)][BH(4)] and [Na(15-crown-5)][AlH(4)], respectively, are reported, along with a topological analysis of their DFT-computed charge densities that explores the bonding between the anionic complex hydride [EH(4)](-) (E = B, Al) and the counterion [Na(15-crown-5)](+). In each case, the interaction is weak and mainly electrostatic in nature; however, notable differences are observed in the manner in which [BH(4)](-) and [AlH(4)](-) bind to the metal, which explains their different coordination modes. A range of unconventional E-H···H-C contacts is revealed to play an important role in the overall bonding and crystal packing of both complexes.

Zener polaron ordering variants induced by A-site ordering in half-doped manganites.

We have studied the magnetism of the half-doped charge ordered manganite YBaMn2O6. A formation of ferromagnetic plaquettes of four Mn atoms in the charge ordered phase below T_{CO} approximately 480 K is inferred from high temperature magnetic susceptibility data and the magnetic structure, as determined by neutron powder diffraction at T=1.5 K.

Nature of the magnetic order in Ca3Co2O6.

We present a detailed powder and single-crystal neutron diffraction study of the spin chain compound Ca3Co2O6. Below 25 K, the system orders magnetically with a modulated partially disordered antiferromagnetic structure. We give a description of the magnetic interactions in the system which is consistent with this magnetic structure.

Electric field switching of antiferromagnetic domains in YMn2O5: a probe of the multiferroic mechanism.

We employ neutron spherical polarimetry to determine the nature and population of the coexisting antiferromagnetic domains in multiferroic YMn2O5. By applying an electric field, we prove that reversing the electrical polarization results in the population inversion of two types of in-plane domains, related to each other by inversion. Our results are completely consistent with the exchange-striction mechanism of ferroelectricity, and support a unified model where cycloidal ordering is induced by coupling to the main magnetic order parameter.

Incommensurate magnetic ordering in Cu2Te2O5X2 (X = Cl,Br) studied by neutron diffraction.

We present the results of the first neutron powder and single crystal diffraction studies of the coupled spin tetrahedra systems Cu2Te2O5X2 (X = Cl,Br). Incommensurate antiferromagnetic order with the propagation vectors kCl approximately [0.150,0.

Zener polaron ordering in half-doped manganites.

We have refined the crystal structures of a Pr(0.60)Ca(0.40)MnO(3) single crystal from neutron diffraction data.