High-field magnetization measurements in Sr ₂ CrReO ₆ double perovskite: Evidence for orbital contribution to the magnetization

Abstract

We have synthesized a Sr2CrReO6 double perovskite sample with the expected high Curie temperature ≈ 600 K, which shows negligible impurity phases and ≈ 15% Cr/Re structural antisite disorder as shown by X-ray and neutron diffraction. High-field magnetization measurements up to 47 T show that the saturation magnetization below room temperature is much higher than the one predicted by simple models that do not take into account the Re spin-orbit coupling. The crucial role of the large Re orbital moment in the physics of Sr2CrReO6 and related compound is highlighted.