Effects of a strong gravitational field on Mn-trimers and magnetic properties of hexagonal YMnO3 single crystal

Abstract Under strong gravitational fields, the unique uniaxially distorted crystalline state induces structural changes in compounds other than those caused by high pressure and high temperature. We subjected the hexagonal YMnO 3 single crystal to a strong-gravitational field (0.78 × 10 6  G, 400 °C) and determined the changes in the crystalline structure and physical properties of the recovered metastable sample. According to four-circle single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, the structural analyses indicated changes in the inequivalent nearest-neighbor Mn-Mn and Mn-O bond distances, thereby demonstrating that trimerization distortion occurred in the ab plane under the strong gravitational field. Magnetic measurements indicated that there were changes in the magnetic anisotropy, which were explained by changes in the spin–orbit interaction due to lattice distortion.