Hybrid magnon-phonon localization enhances function near ferroic glassy states.

Ferroic materials on the verge of forming ferroic glasses exhibit heightened functionality that is often attributed to competing long- and short-range correlations. However, the physics underlying these enhancements is not well understood. The Ni45Co5Mn36.6In13.4 Heusler alloy is on the edge of forming both spin and strain glasses and exhibits magnetic field-induced shape memory and large magnetocaloric effects, making it a candidate for multicaloric cooling applications. We show using neutron scattering that localized magnon-phonon hybrid modes, which are inherently spread across reciprocal space, act as a bridge between phonons and magnons and result in substantial magnetic field-induced shifts in the phonons, triple the caloric response, and alter phase stability. We attribute these modes to the localization of phonons and magnons by antiphase boundaries coupled to magnetic domains. Because the interplay between short- and long-range correlations is common near ferroic glassy states, our work provides general insights on how glassiness enhances function.

High-field magneto-thermo-mechanical testing system for characterizing multiferroic bulk alloys.

Multiferroic meta-magnetic shape memory alloys are well known for exhibiting large magnetic field induced actuation strains, giant magnetocaloric effects, magneto-resistance, and structural and magnetic glassy behaviors. Thus, they are candidates for improving modern day sensing, actuation, magneto-resistance, and solid-state refrigeration processes. Until now, however, experimental apparatuses have typically been able to probe a limited ferroic parameter space in these materials, i.e., only concurrent thermal and mechanical responses, or magnetic and thermal responses. To overcome this barrier and better understand the coupling of multiple fields on materials behavior, a magneto-thermo-mechanical characterization device has been designed and implemented. This device is capable of compressing a specimen at load levels up to 5300 N collinearly with applied fields up to 9 T between temperatures of -100 °C and 120 °C. Uniaxial stress, strain, temperature, magnetic field, and the volumetric average magnetization have been simultaneously measured under mixed loading conditions on a NiCoMnIn meta-magnetic shape memory alloy and a few selected results are presented here.