Abstract
Simple diatomic molecules exhibit a variety of exciting physical phenomena under high pressures, including structural transitions, pressure induced metallization, and superconductivity. Oxygen is of particular interest because it carries a magnetic moment. For the first time we studied the magnetic structure in solid oxygen under very high pressure by a direct method, namely, neutron diffraction. A new type of magnetic order with ferromagnetic stacking of the antiferromagnetic planes was discovered in at . We show that all structural transformations at pressures are driven by spin interactions; therefore, high-pressure oxygen should be considered as a unique “spin-controlled crystal.”
- Received 21 January 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.055502
©2004 American Physical Society