Phonon scattering and magnetic manifold switching in (GdSm)CrO3

We report on the temperature dependence of selective phonon scattering and magnetization switching in (GdSm)CrO3 perovskites. Thermal evolution of key phonon modes A(1g)(6/5/3) and their anomalous change across the antiferromagnetic (AFM) Neel temperature (T-N similar to 202 K) endorses the strong spin-phonon coupling in the investigated system. Such changes have been identified in consonance with the vibrational spectrum of trivalent Gd and Cr along with antistretching/bending of Gd/Sm-O-12 polyhedra and CrO6 octahedra. Further, we find the emergence of many interesting features, such as thermomagnetic irreversibilities of the magnetization, significant enhancement of the ordering temperatures (up to 202 K), and multiple magnetization switching below T-N (9.7-85 K) upon the substitution of Sm at Gd sites. We find the presence of kinetic arrest of magnetic phases [Gamma(4)(G(x), A(y), F-Z; F-R) and Gamma(2) (F-x, C-y, G(z); F-x(R), C-y(R))] along with the presence of nonequilibrium frozen AFM and ferromagnetic clusters (<30 K with 70.7% frozen fraction), indicating the presence of a magnetic glassy state which assists the Gamma(4)-to-Gamma(2) phase transition and supports the phase-coexistence nature of the (GdSm)CrO3 perovskites. Interestingly, Sm moments order across 6.82 K (T-N(Sm)), giving rise to yet another phase transition: Gamma(26) (C-x, G(y), C-x ; C-x(R), A(y)(R), F-z(R))/Gamma(27) (F-x, C-y, G(z) ; F-x(R), C-y(R), G(z)(R)). On the other hand, field-dependent (100 Oe <= H-DC <= 600 Oe) bipolar switching of magnetization (-7.8/ + 2.1/ - 12/ + 16 emu/mol) at different temperatures below T-N under different measurement protocols makes the investigated system a suitable candidate for the magnetic memories and magnetic switches.