title: Cascade of magnetic field induced spin transitions in LaCoO3.
abstract: We present magnetization and magnetostriction studies of LaCoO3 in magnetic fields approaching 100 T. In contrast with expectations from single-ion models, the data reveal two distinct first-order transitions and well-defined magnetization plateaus. The magnetization at the higher plateau is only about half the saturation value expected for spin-1 Co3+ ions. These findings strongly suggest collective behavior induced by interactions between different electronic configurations of Co3+ ions. We propose a model that predicts crystalline spin textures and a cascade of four magnetic phase transitions at high fields, of which the first two account for the experimental data.
authors.affiliation: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Altarawneh
authors.forename: G-W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Chern
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaime
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Rickel
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Crooker
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Mielke
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Betts
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: M J R
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hoch