Magnetic Characterization of Y_(2-x)Bi_xIr_2O_7: A Muon Spin Rotation/Relaxation and Susceptibility Study

Abstract

Pyrochlore iridates have received considerable attention for the past few years as they possess strong electron correlations and spin orbit coupling, giving rise to a finite temperature metal-insulator transition (MIT). The nature of this MIT transition is related to the magnetic order of the Ir atoms which also experience frustration as they are part of a pyrochore structure. The aim of this study is to elucidate the magnetic configuration of the magnetic iridium ions by doping Y2Ir2O7 with Bi. Here we present a study on the magnetic properties of the Y2−xBixIr2O7 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.9, 1.3, 2) system using μSR and DC susceptibility. Our results show that pure Y2Ir2O7 has a magnetic transition to a long- range ordered state. Substituting Bi by Y results in a lower temperature transition with increasing amount of bismuth. When the system goes into the ordered state a weak ferromagnetic moment is seen. This is in agreement with the belief that the system orders in an canted antiferromagnetic fashion with all-in all-out spins in the tetrahedron of the pyrochlore structure. However the addition of bismuth into the sample does not change the internal magnetic field measured at low temperatures with μSR, but only changes the transition temperature and the ordered volume fraction. For the Bi2Ir2O7 system two magnetic transitions had been measured previously counter to the belief that this material did not order magnetically. In this work, our μSR measurements show no evidence of such a transition. In the transverse field μSR set up a small Knight shift is measured due to the local susceptibility of Bi2Ir2O7.