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Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 045508 (2008) [4 pages]

Novel Pressure-Induced Magnetic Transition in Magnetite (Fe3O4)

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Yang Ding1,*, Daniel Haskel2, Sergei G. Ovchinnikov3,4, Yuan-Chieh Tseng2, Yuri S. Orlov4, Jonathan C. Lang2, and Ho-kwang Mao1,5,6
1HPSynC, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
2Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
3Kirensky Institute of Physics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
4Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, 660041 Russia
5Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA
6HPCAT, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Building 434E, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA

Received 9 May 2007; revised 13 November 2007; published 1 February 2008

Fe K-edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism of magnetite (Fe3O4) powders was measured with synchrotron radiation under variable pressure and temperature conditions in diamond anvil cell. The magnetic dichroism was observed to decrease discontinuously by ∼50% between 12 and 16 GPa, independent of temperature. The magnetic transition is attributed to a high-spin to intermediate-spin transition of Fe2+ ions in the octahedral sites and could account for previously observed structural and electrical anomalies in magnetite at this pressure range. The interpretation of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism data is supported by x-ray emission spectroscopy and theoretical cluster calculations.

© 2008 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.045508
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.045508
PACS:
62.50.−p, 75.50.Bb, 78.70.Dm

*yangding@aps.anl.gov

 
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