In the lacunar spinels,
with the formula AB
4
X
8
, transition-metal ions
form tightly bound B
4
clusters
resulting in exotic physical properties such as the stabilization
of Néel-type skyrmion lattices, which hold great promise for
energy-efficient switching devices. These properties are governed
by the symmetry of these compounds with distortion of the parent noncentrosymmetric
F
4̅3
m
space group to the polar
R
3
m
, with recent observation of a coexisting
Imm
2 low-temperature phase. In this study, through powder
neutron diffraction, we further confirm that a metastable
Imm
2 coexists with the
R
3
m
phase in GaMo
4
Se
8
and we present its structure.
By applying the mode crystallography approach to the distortions together
with anisotropic microstrain broadening analysis, we postulate that
the formation origin of the minority
Imm
2 phase stems
from the high compressive stress observed in the
R
3
m
phase. Bond valence sum analysis also suggests
a change in electronic configuration in the transition to
Imm
2 which could have implications on the electrical properties
of the compound. We further establish the nature of the magnetic phase
transition using critical exponent analysis obtained from single-crystal
magnetization measurements which shows a mixture of tricritical mean-field
and 3D Heisenberg behavior [β = 0.22(4), γ = 1.19(1),
and δ = 6.42(1)]. Magnetoentropic mapping performed on a single
crystal reveals the signature of a positive entropy region near the
magnetic phase transition which corresponds to the skyrmion phase
field observed in a polycrystalline sample.
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