Project QuMat.1-UU-2.3E in Pillar 2

Investigation of magnetic order and disorder in pyrochlore- and weberite-like rare-earth crystal structures

Compounds containing lanthanide (Ln) ions have been attracting interest since they often show anomalous magnetic properties at low temperatures, derived from the unpaired 4f electrons. The unique structures of pyrochlore- and weberite-like compounds, with chemical formulas Ln2M2O7 and Ln3MO7 (M a transition metal), respectively, allow for a great variety in composition and magnetic properties., including magnetic frustration. This project focusses on studying the magnetic structures and spin fluctuations (dynamic ground states) in pyrochlore- and weberite-like rare-earth crystals using neutron scattering. Moreover, it will focus on the growth of single crystals whereas previous work has mainly focussed on polycrystalline samples.