Discovery of Simultaneous Local Structural and Global Magnetic Transitions in a Kagome Magnet (Fe0.55Co0.45)Sn

April 13, 2025
Combining neutron diffraction, synchrotron x-ray total scattering, and reverse Monte Carlo modeling, we uncover an uncommon coupling in a Kagome magnet (Fe0.55Co0.45)Sn, that could be used for quantum applications, such as a topological qubit.

Scientific Achievement

This study reveals a rare coupling between local symmetry breaking and global magnetic order in the material, providing crucial insights into the interaction between a short-range distortion and a long-range magnetic ordering.

Significance and Impact

This result paves the way for exploring emergent phenomena in Kagome magnets and beyond and a new research direction.

Research Details

  • Neutron diffraction uncovers strong spin-lattice coupling while the global structural symmetry remains unchanged.
  • The small-box analysis on synchrotron x-ray pair distribution function indicates the local symmetry breaking.
  • Reverse Monte Carlo modeling provided additional details in the local structure.

"Simultaneous Development of Antiferromagnetism and Local Symmetry Breaking in a Kagome Magnet (Co0.45Fe0.55)Sn,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 34374−34382 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c09387