Electromagnetic origin of the microwave absorption response of Fe3O4 thin films

Low-field microwave absorption techniques are ultrasensitive, nondestructive methods for probing electric and magnetic properties of solids. Nonresonant low-field microwave absorption techniques such as magnetic field modulated microwave spectroscopy (MFMMS) can easily detect electromagnetic phase transitions in minute and inhomogeneous samples. While this technique can easily and almost selectively identify superconducting transitions, magnetic phase transitions produce more varied responses. Here, we present a technique to investigate the electric and magnetic properties of a sample with complex electromagnetic responses. This technique involves taking a series of magnetic hysteresis loops and magnetoresistance measurements. These can be compared to MFMMS data to identify features having electric or magnetic origin. This approach is applied to magnetite (Fe3O4), which possesses an electric, magnetic, and structural phase transition across its Verwey transition. By measuring high-quality Fe3O4 thin films in MFMMS and complementary techniques, the previously inscrutable MFMMS signal is analyzed. Furthermore, a model of the MFMMS signal can be calculated from the magnetic and electric data, which reproduces most of the features of the experimentally obtained MFMMS signal. This technique broadens the capabilities of MFMMS beyond the detection of superconductors.