Abstract
Our comprehensive study on reveals a dramatic reduction of magnetic detwinning fields compared to other (, Sr, Ca) iron pnictides by indirect magnetoelastic coupling of the ions. We find that only are sufficient for persistent detwinning below the local ordering; above , higher fields are necessary. Even after the field is switched off, a significant imbalance of twin domains remains constant up to the structural and electronic phase transition (190 K). This persistent detwinning provides the unique possibility to study the low temperature electronic in-plane anisotropy of iron pnictides without applying any symmetry-breaking external force.
- Received 27 March 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.227001
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