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arxiv: 2605.18418 · v1 · pith:JRQDL237new · submitted 2026-05-18 · ❄️ cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Epitaxial growth and magnetic phase transitions in non-centrosymmetric EuPdSi₃ thin films

Sebastian K\"olsch , Alfons G. Schuck , Olena Fedchenko , Dmitry Vasilyev , Olena Tkach , Sergeij Chernov , Christoph Schl\"uter , Andrii Gloskowski
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Hans-Joachim Elmers Gerd Sch\"onhense Jens M\"uller Michael Huth
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Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 09:20 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ❄️ cond-mat.mtrl-sci
keywords EuPdSi3epitaxial thin filmsmagnetic phase transitionsnon-centrosymmetricmolecular beam epitaxyfield orientationEu2+ valence
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The pith

Epitaxial EuPdSi3 thin films exhibit two magnetic phase transitions at 19 K and 15 K whose temperatures shift with field direction.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The authors grow the first epitaxial thin films of non-centrosymmetric EuPdSi3 on MgO(001) by molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction establishes the tetragonal BaNiSn3 structure with out-of-plane c-axis and aligned in-plane axes, while hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms divalent Eu with a full 7 Bohr-magneton moment. Resistivity measurements detect two zero-field magnetic transitions at 19 K and 15 K. When the applied field is rotated from the [100] to the [001] direction, the temperatures and character of the ordered phases change. A sympathetic reader cares because the absence of inversion symmetry in this structure permits non-collinear spin textures such as Néel skyrmions or cycloids, and the thin-film format adds strain and interface knobs to tune them.

Core claim

Epitaxial EuPdSi3 thin films in the BaNiSn3 structure display two magnetic phase transitions at 19 K and 15 K in zero field. Application of magnetic fields along the [100] versus [001] crystallographic directions produces distinct temperature-dependent magnetic phases, showing that the magnetic ground state responds to the orientation of the field relative to the lattice axes.

What carries the argument

The non-centrosymmetric BaNiSn3 tetragonal structure of EuPdSi3, which by symmetry permits non-collinear states such as Néel-type skyrmions and cycloidal order, together with the epitaxial orientation that lets field direction select among those states.

If this is right

  • The magnetic ordering temperatures and phase sequence can be selected by aligning the external field with a chosen crystal axis.
  • Epitaxial growth supplies an additional control parameter through substrate-induced strain that can shift the transition temperatures or stabilize particular non-collinear states.
  • The same molecular-beam-epitaxy approach can be used to produce oriented films of other non-centrosymmetric Eu compounds for comparative studies of chiral magnetism.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • Varying the substrate lattice mismatch could systematically tune the transition temperatures or enlarge the field range where skyrmions are stable.
  • A topological Hall resistivity measurement on these films would test for the presence of skyrmions or other topologically nontrivial textures.
  • Integration of such films into heterostructures with heavy metals could add interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction to further favor chiral states.

Load-bearing premise

The observed transitions and their dependence on field direction are intrinsic to the oriented EuPdSi3 crystal and are not produced by substrate strain, interface disorder, or minority impurity phases.

What would settle it

Direct magnetic structure determination by neutron diffraction or resonant soft x-ray scattering on the same films that would reveal whether the order is collinear or instead shows the non-collinear cycloidal or skyrmion textures expected from symmetry.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2605.18418 by Alfons G. Schuck, Andrii Gloskowski, Christoph Schl\"uter, Dmitry Vasilyev, Gerd Sch\"onhense, Hans-Joachim Elmers, Jens M\"uller, Michael Huth, Olena Fedchenko, Olena Tkach, Sebastian K\"olsch, Sergeij Chernov.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: FIG. 1. RHEED patterns with electron beam along crystal [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: FIG. 4. a) Temperature dependence of the Eu 3d core spectra [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: FIG. 3. Temperature dependence of the electrical resistiv [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: FIG. 5. Temperature dependence of the normalized transverse magnetoresistance (MR) measured at constant temperatures [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_5.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Non-centrosymmetric magnetic materials are a promising platform for stabilizing chiral spin textures, such as skyrmions and cycloidal magnetic states. This is particularly true in epitaxial thin film geometries, where strain and interface effects offer additional control. Herein, we report on the first epitaxial thin films of EuPdSi$_3$ grown by molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001). X-ray diffraction confirms an epitaxial relationship of tetragonal EuPdSi$_3$ in the BaNiSn$_3$ structure with out-of-plane c-axis orientation and parallel in-plane a-axes. Hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a stable Eu valence of 2.0, yielding a large magnetic moment of approximately 7 $\mu_B$ per Eu atom in accordance with Hund's rule. Owing to the non-centrosymmetric crystal structure, non-collinear magnetic states such as N\'eel-type skyrmions and cycloidal phases are allowed by symmetry. Electronic transport measurements reveal two magnetic phase transitions at 19 K and 15 K in zero applied field. Under magnetic fields applied along the crystallographic [100] and [001] directions, distinct temperature dependent magnetic phases emerge, demonstrating the sensitivity of the magnetic ground state to field orientation in epitaxial EuPdSi$_3$ thin films.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports the first epitaxial thin films of non-centrosymmetric EuPdSi₃ grown by molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001). XRD confirms the tetragonal BaNiSn₃ structure with out-of-plane c-axis orientation and in-plane a-axis alignment. HAXPES establishes stable Eu²⁺ valence yielding a ~7 μ_B moment per Eu. Transport measurements identify two zero-field magnetic phase transitions at 19 K and 15 K, with distinct temperature-dependent phases emerging under fields applied along [100] versus [001], demonstrating orientation sensitivity.

Significance. If the central claims hold, the work supplies a new epitaxial platform for symmetry-allowed chiral magnetism (Néel skyrmions, cycloids) where strain and interface engineering can be exploited. The combination of MBE growth, valence confirmation, and field-orientation-dependent transport data constitutes a solid experimental contribution to non-centrosymmetric magnetic thin films.

major comments (1)
  1. [Electronic transport measurements] Transport section: the interpretation that the 19 K and 15 K transitions reflect intrinsic non-collinear states of the EuPdSi₃ phase (rather than strain, interface disorder, or trace impurities) rests on the absence of secondary phases in XRD and HAXPES; quantitative upper limits on impurity volume fraction or direct comparison to bulk-crystal magnetization data would be required to make this link load-bearing.
minor comments (2)
  1. [Methods] Methods: specify the exact film thickness, growth rate, and substrate temperature used for the reported samples so that the epitaxy conditions can be reproduced.
  2. [Structural characterization] Figure 2 (or equivalent XRD panel): label the rocking-curve FWHM and phi-scan peaks explicitly to quantify in-plane and out-of-plane mosaicity.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the positive assessment of our manuscript on the first epitaxial EuPdSi₃ thin films and for the constructive comment. We address the point on the transport measurements below and will revise the manuscript accordingly.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: Transport section: the interpretation that the 19 K and 15 K transitions reflect intrinsic non-collinear states of the EuPdSi₃ phase (rather than strain, interface disorder, or trace impurities) rests on the absence of secondary phases in XRD and HAXPES; quantitative upper limits on impurity volume fraction or direct comparison to bulk-crystal magnetization data would be required to make this link load-bearing.

    Authors: We agree that quantitative bounds on possible impurity contributions would make the assignment of the 19 K and 15 K transitions to the EuPdSi₃ phase more robust. In the revised manuscript we will add an explicit estimate of the XRD detection limit for secondary phases (typically <2 vol% under our measurement conditions) together with a brief comparison to the magnetic ordering temperatures reported for bulk EuPdSi₃ crystals in the literature. These additions will be placed in the transport and discussion sections to clarify that the observed transitions are consistent with the intrinsic behavior of the stoichiometric compound rather than arising from strain, interfaces, or trace impurities. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: purely experimental reporting with direct measurements

full rationale

The manuscript reports MBE growth of EuPdSi3 films on MgO(001), confirmed by XRD for epitaxial orientation, HAXPES for Eu2+ valence, and transport data showing transitions at 19 K and 15 K with field-orientation dependence. No mathematical derivations, model equations, fitted parameters renamed as predictions, or self-citation chains appear in the provided text or abstract. Symmetry arguments for allowed non-collinear states are standard crystallographic statements, not derived from or reducing to the paper's own data. All central claims rest on independent experimental observables rather than any self-referential reduction.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claims rest on standard domain assumptions about crystal symmetry and valence-determined moments with no new free parameters or postulated entities introduced.

axioms (1)
  • domain assumption The BaNiSn3-type structure is non-centrosymmetric and therefore permits non-collinear magnetic states such as Néel skyrmions and cycloids.
    Invoked to interpret the observed field-orientation sensitivity of the magnetic phases.

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