Giant and anisotropic magnetostriction in $β$-O$_{2}$ at 110 T ...

Magnetostriction is a crystal's deformation under magnetic fields, usually in the range of $10^{-6}$ - $10^{-3}$, where the lattice change occurs with the change of spin and orbital state through spin-lattice couplings. In strong magnetic fields beyond 100 T, the significant Zeeman energy competes with the lattice interactions, where one can expect considerable magnetostriction. However, directly observing magnetostriction above 100 T is challenging, because generating magnetic fields beyond 100 T accompanies the destruction of the coil with a single-shot $μ$-second pulse. Here, we observed the giant and anisotropic magnetostriction of $\sim$1 % at 110 T in the spin-controlled crystal of $β$-O$_{2}$, by combining the single-shot diffraction of x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) and the state-of-the-art portable 100 T generator. The magnetostriction of $\sim$1 % is the largest class as a deformation of the unit cell. It is a response of the soft lattice of $β$-O$_{2}$ originating, not only in the competing van ... : 8 pages, 5 figures ...