Magnetostriction studies of magnetic phase transitions in the copper metaborate CuB2O4

The field dependences of the longitudinal and transversal magnetostriction of the copper metaborate CuB₂O₄ were measured at various temperatures below the Néel point in magnetic fields directed along the tetragonal axis or in the basal plane. Magnetostriction was found to exhibit jumps at magnetic-field-induced phase transitions to a commensurate weak ferromagnetic state, as well as to grow smoothly in fields above and below the critical level. The magnetostriction observed in a magnetic field directed along the tetragonal axis is shown to be primarily caused by volume dilatation of the crystal. The experimental data obtained were used to construct the magnetic phase diagram of copper metaborate magnetized along the tetragonal axis.