Pressure effect on magnetism and valence in ferromagnetic superconductor Eu(Fe0.75Ru0.25)2As2

Abstract

Eu(Fe_0.75Ru_0.25)₂As₂is an intriguing system with unusual coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism, providing a unique platform to study the nature of such coexistence. To establish a magnetic phase diagram, time-domain synchrotron Mössbauer experiments in¹⁵¹Eu have been performed on a single crystalline Eu(Fe_0.75Ru_0.25)₂As₂sample under hydrostatic pressures and at low temperatures. Upon compression the magnetic ordering temperature increases sharply from 20 K at ambient pressure, reaching ∼49 K at 10.1 GPa. With further compression, the magnetic order is suppressed and eventually collapses. Isomer shift values from Mössbauer measurements and x-ray absorption spectroscopy data at EuL₃edge show that pressure drives Eu ions to a homogeneous intermediate valence state with mean valence of ∼2.4 at 27.4 GPa, possibly responsible for the suppression of magnetism. Synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction experiment reveals a tetragonal to collapsed-tetragonal structural transition around 5 GPa, a lower transition pressure than in the parent compound. These results provide guidance to further work investigating the interplay of superconductivity and magnetism.

Keywords: iron pnictide; magnetism; pressure; synchrotron spectroscopy.