Normal-to-incommensurate phase transition in the spin-Peierls compound TiOCl: An x-ray diffraction study

Andreas Schönleber, Galina Shcheka, and Sander van Smaalen
Phys. Rev. B 77, 094117 – Published 14 March 2008

Abstract

X-ray diffraction on TiOCl indicates a temperature-independent c-axis unique monoclinic distortion of the crystal lattice of γ=90.023(2)° within the incommensurate phase between Tc1=67K and Tc2=90K. The transition at Tc2 is described as a first-order phase transition driven by the formation of antiferromagnetic order on the Ti-O bilayers that is governed by the monoclinic lattice distortion. The temperature-dependent incommensurate modulation is considered to represent the growth of the number of spin-Peierls-type singlet pairs on cooling. At Tc1, too many electrons have thus been removed from the antiferromagnetic state for it to be stable, and the crystal transforms into the spin-Peierls state.

  • Figure
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  • Received 31 July 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.77.094117

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Andreas Schönleber, Galina Shcheka, and Sander van Smaalen*

  • Laboratory of Crystallography, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

  • *smash@uni-bayreuth.de

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Issue

Vol. 77, Iss. 9 — 1 March 2008

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