1High Magnetic Field Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 2Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 3Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093
Abstract：HgCr$_{2}$S$_{4}$ is a typical compound manifesting competing ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) exchanges as well as strong spin–lattice coupling. Here we study these effects by intentionally choosing a combination of magnetization under external hydrostatic pressure and thermal conductivity at various magnetic fields. Upon applying pressure up to 10 kbar at 1 kOe, while the magnitude of magnetization reduces progressively, the AFM ordering temperature $T_{\rm N}$ enhances concomitantly at a rate of about 1.5 K/kbar. Strikingly, at 10 kOe the field polarized FM state is found to be driven readily back to an AFM one even at only 5 kbar. In addition, the thermal conductivity exhibits drastic increments at various fields in the temperature range with strong spin fluctuations, reaching about 30% at 50 kOe. Consequently, the results give new experimental evidence of spin–lattice coupling. Apart from the colossal magnetocapacitance and colossal magnetoresistance reported previously, the findings here may enable new promising functionalities for potential applications.
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2016, Vol. 33 
