Magnetic properties of the multiferroic chromium thio-spinels CdCr2S4 and HgCr2S4

• Powder samples of CdCr2S4 and HgCr2S4 were investigated with respect to their magnetic behavior using muon spin rotation/relaxation spectroscopy (mu SR). In CdCr2S4, a second order magnetic transition at 83 +/- 1 K is confirmed. No influence on the mu SR magnetic parameters due to the simultaneous ferroelectric transition was detected. In the limit T -> 0, persistent spin fluctuation exists as a consequence of magnetic frustration. The proposed structural transition around 150 K is barely visible in the mu SR spectra, indicating that the change in local symmetry is subtle. In HgCr2S4, we see in zero field at 27 +/- 2 K a second order transition from the paramagnetic into a long-range ordered (LRO) magnetic state. This LRO state is characterized in the mu SR spectra by a spontaneous spin precession signal. Applications of moderate magnetic fields (up to 450 mT) destroy the precession signal in favor of a rapidly decaying exponential signal. It reflects short-range order (SRO) of strongly correlated dynamic spins. The magnitude of the field required to induce this change is dependent on temperature. The observation of an increase of magnetic spin fluctuations with applied field suggests that spin dynamics play a key role in the field induced changes of the magnetic properties.

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