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Long-range static antiferromagnetic order in NdNiO2-based thin films

Establish whether long-range static antiferromagnetic order exists in the Ni1+ spin sublattice of infinite-layer NdNiO2 and Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 thin films.

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Background

The paper uses x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) to probe the Ni1+ and Nd3+ sublattices in infinite-layer nickelate thin films and finds evidence for antiferromagnetic correlations alongside a sizable field-induced out-of-plane Ni spin moment consistent with canted antiferromagnetism.

However, XMCD in the presented geometry cannot discriminate between a truly static long-range antiferromagnetic order and short-range or fluctuating antiferromagnetic correlations, leaving unresolved whether a static long-range ordered state is present in these thin films.

References

Since with XMCD we cannot establish if a long-range static AFM order is present in our samples, those sketches have to be considered as a cartoon of an antiferromagnetically correlated spin system where both static (and ordered) arrangement, as well as fluctuations of the Ni-spins, can be realized.

— Signatures of canted antiferromagnetism in infinite-layer nickelates studied by x-ray magnetic dichroism (2403.16969 - Krieger et al., 25 Mar 2024) in Main text, paragraph introducing the cartoon model of canted AFM (following Figure 3c)