Observation of a Charge-Neutral Muon-Polaron Complex in Antiferromagnetic Cr2O3

Dehn, M. H.; Shenton, J. K.; Holenstein, S.; Meier, Q. N.; Arseneau, D. J.; Cortie, D. L.; Hitti, B.; Fang, A. C. Y.; MacFarlane, W. A.; McFadden, R. M. L.; Morris, G. D.; Salman, Z.; Luetkens, H.; Spaldin, N. A.; Fechner, M.; Kiefl, R. F.

doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011036

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Observation of a Charge-Neutral Muon-Polaron Complex in Antiferromagnetic Cr₂O₃

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Fechner, M.
Department of Materials, ETH Zurich;
Quantum Condensed Matter Dynamics, Condensed Matter Dynamics Department, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Dehn, M. H., Shenton, J., Holenstein, S., Meier, Q., Arseneau, D., Cortie, D., et al. (2020). Observation of a Charge-Neutral Muon-Polaron Complex in Antiferromagnetic Cr₂O₃. Physical Review X, 10(1): 011036. doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011036.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-C1F3-E

Abstract

We report a comprehensive muon spin rotation (μSR) study of the prototypical magnetoelectric antiferromagnet Cr₂O₃. We find the positively charged muon (μ⁺) occupies several distinct interstitial sites and displays a rich dynamic behavior involving local hopping, thermally activated site transitions, and the formation of a charge-neutral complex composed of a muon and an electron polaron. The discovery of such a complex has implications for the interpretation of μSR spectra in a wide range of magnetic oxides and opens a route to study the dopant characteristics of interstitial hydrogen impurities in such materials. We address implications arising from implanting a μ⁺ into a linear magnetoelectric and discuss the challenges of observing a local magnetoelectric effect generated by the charge of the muon.