Interaction-Induced Partitioning and Magnetization Jumps in the Mixed-Spin Oxide FeTiO3-Fe2O3

In this study we report on jumps in the magnetic moment of the hemo-ilmenite solid solution (x)FeTiO3-(1 - x)Fe2O3 above Fe(III) percolation at low temperature (T < 3 K). The first jumps appear at 2.5 K, one at each side of the magnetization loop, and their number increases with decreasing temperature and reaches 5 at T = 0.5 K. The jumps occur after field reversal from a saturated state and are symmetrical in the trigger field and intensity with respect to the field axis. Moreover, an increase of the sample temperature by 2.8% at T = n = 2.0 K indicates the energy released after the ignition of the magnetization jump, as the spin-currents generated by the event are dissipated in the lattice. The magnetization jumps are further investigated by Monte Carlo simulations, which show that these effects are a result of magnetic interaction-induced partitioning on a sublattice level.