Atomic-scale visualization of a cascade of magnetic orders in the layered antiferromagnet GdTe₃

GdTe₃ is a layered antiferromagnet which has attracted attention due to its exceptionally high mobility, distinctive unidirectional incommensurate charge density wave (CDW), superconductivity under pressure, and a cascade of magnetic transitions between 7 and 12 K, with as yet unknown order parameters. Here, we use spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy to directly image the charge and magnetic orders in GdTe₃. Below 7 K, we find a striped antiferromagnetic phase with twice the periodicity of the Gd lattice and perpendicular to the CDW. As we heat the sample, we discover a spin density wave with the same periodicity as the CDW between 7 and 12 K; the viability of this phase is supported by our Landau free energy model. Our work reveals the order parameters of the magnetic phases in GdTe₃ and shows how the interplay between charge and spin can generate a cascade of magnetic orders.

Arjun Raghavan, Marisa Romanelli, Julian May-Mann, Anuva Aishwarya, Leena Aggarwal, Anisha G. Singh, Maja D. Bachmann, Leslie M. Schoop, Eduardo Fradkin, Ian R. Fisher, Vidya Madhavan