Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 116, Issue 41, Pages 20280-20285Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1904575116
Keywords
iron; high pressure; magnetism; superconductivity
Categories
Funding
- Grand 'Equipement National de Calcul Intensif (GENCI) allocation [A0050906493]
- SOLEIL [20130318, 20120694]
- French state funds within the Investissements d'Avenir program [ANR-11-IDEX-0004-02]
- framework of the Cluster of Excellence Materials, Interfaces, Surfaces, Environment (MATISSE)
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Using X-ray emission spectroscopy, we find appreciable local magnetic moments until 30 GPa to 40 GPa in the high-pressure phase of iron; however, no magnetic order is detected with neutron powder diffraction down to 1.8 K, contrary to previous predictions. Our first-principles calculations reveal a spin-smectic state lower in energy than previous results. This state forms antiferromagnetic bilayers separated by null spin bilayers, which allows a complete relaxation of the inherent frustration of antiferromagnetism on a hexagonal close-packed lattice. The magnetic bilayers are likely orientationally disordered, owing to the soft interlayer excitations and the near-degeneracy with other smectic phases. This possible lack of long-range correlation agrees with the null results from neutron powder diffraction. An orientationally disordered, spin-smectic state resolves previously perceived contradictions in high-pressure iron and could be integral to explaining its puzzling superconductivity.
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