Eur. Phys. J. B 64, 185-192 (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00298-2

Interplay of metamagnetic and structural transitions in Ca_2-xSr_xRuO₄

¹ Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, UMR 8502, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
² Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
³ Theoretische Physik, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland

Corresponding author: ^a roldan@lps.u-psud.fr

Received: 8 May 2008
Revised: 23 June 2008
Published online: 23 July 2008

Abstract

Metamagnetism in layered ruthenates has been interpreted as a novel kind of quantum critical behavior. In an external magnetic field, Ca_2-xSr_xRuO₄ undergoes a metamagnetic transition accompanied by a pronounced magnetostriction effect. In this paper we present a mean-field study for a microscopic model that naturally reproduces the key features of this system. The phase diagram calculated is equivalent to the experimental T-x phase diagram. The presented model also gives a good basis to discuss the critical metamagnetic behavior measured in the system.