Pressure-tuned spin switching in compensated GdCrO₃ ferrimagnet

The effect of hydrostatic pressure on antiferromagnetic ordering of Cr spins, magnetic compensation, and exotic spin switching in the single-crystal GdCrO3 ferrimagnet is studied. The Neel temperature T-N = 168 K increases under pressure with the rate of 0.42 K/kbar, and the compensation temperature T-comp = 144 K at which the canted ferromagnetic moment of Cr spins and antiparallel polarized moment of Gd spins cancel each other also increases by 0.3 K/kbar. It was found that the spin switching temperature T-sw, at which the ferromagnetic moment is reversed, noticeably increases under pressure, and the spin switching energy required for magnetization reversal reduces significantly because of a decrease in magnetic anisotropy. Due to this mechanism, the spin switching line, described in the T-H diagram by a certain ratio of switching energy to canted ferromagnetic moment, is shifted under pressure towards higher temperatures. Thus, switching between two opposite spin configurations in the GdCrO3 ferrimagnet can be controlled by both applied magnetic field and external pressure.