Inhomogeneous magnetic order in the archetypical 2D van der Waals magnet CrI3

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets have become the subject of intense interest due to their rich diversity of optical, electronic and topologically states. CrI3 is a well known example. While the near monolayer limit has been the subject of intense scrutiny, it has become clear that even the bulk material hosts a much richer behaviour than initially assumed. In a recent study combining µSR and other techniques, it was revealed that bulk CrI3 hosts several magnetic phases with distinct transitions. Remarkably, Tc does not correspond to long range order in the full volume but rather to a partial transition. While µSR is able to clarify the local magnetic behaviour, it is unable to provide details on correlation lengths and domain sizes. Here, we aim to quantify the magnetic correlation length associated with the spatially inhomogeneous ferromagnetism in CrI3 using SANS.