Magnetoelastic effects in the metallic frustrated antiferromagnet CrB2
Abstract
Hexagonal chromium diboride CrB2 is a metallic frustrated antiferromagnet with a Néel temperature TN ∼ 88 K. In CrB2, Cr 3d electrons not only give rise to localized magnetic moments but also contribute to metallic conduction. We perform ultrasound velocity measurements on a single crystal of hexagonal CrB2 to determine its elastic properties. The temperature dependence of the ab-plane shear elastic modulus exhibits Curie-type softening upon cooling from ∼120 K down to TN. This behavior is interpreted as a precursor to a symmetry-lowering lattice distortion at TN, indicating that magnetic frustration is relieved via transverse magnetoelastic coupling. In addition, the a-axis and c-axis compressive elastic moduli show unusual softness and their suppression upon cooling, which are naturally explained by Fermi-surface nesting and its suppression upon cooling. The present results suggest that, in CrB2, longitudinal magnetoelastic coupling suppresses Fermi-surface nesting and enhances frustrated exchange interactions, while transverse magnetoelastic coupling plays a key role in relieving the frustration.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{watanabe2026magnetoelastic,
title = {{Magnetoelastic effects in the metallic frustrated antiferromagnet CrB$_2$}},
author = {Tadataka Watanabe and Mai Watanabe and Sakurako Suganuma and Andreas Bauer and Christian Pfleiderer},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2605.25564},
eprint = {2605.25564},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25564},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Magnetoelastic effects in the metallic frustrated antiferromagnet CrB_2
AU - Tadataka Watanabe
AU - Mai Watanabe
AU - Sakurako Suganuma
AU - Andreas Bauer
AU - Christian Pfleiderer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/25
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2605.25564
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25564
AB - Hexagonal chromium diboride CrB_2 is a metallic frustrated antiferromagnet with a Néel temperature T_N ∼ 88 K. In CrB_2, Cr 3d electrons not only give rise to localized magnetic moments but also contribute to metallic conduction. We perform ultrasound velocity measurements on a single crystal of hexagonal CrB_2 to determine its elastic properties. The temperature dependence of the ab-plane shear elastic modulus exhibits Curie-type softening upon cooling from ∼120 K down to T_N. This behavior is interpreted as a precursor to a symmetry-lowering lattice distortion at T_N, indicating that magnetic frustration is relieved via transverse magnetoelastic coupling. In addition, the a-axis and c-axis compressive elastic moduli show unusual softness and their suppression upon cooling, which are naturally explained by Fermi-surface nesting and its suppression upon cooling. The present results suggest that, in CrB_2, longitudinal magnetoelastic coupling suppresses Fermi-surface nesting and enhances frustrated exchange interactions, while transverse magnetoelastic coupling plays a key role in relieving the frustration.
ER -