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The monoclinic double perovskite Sr 2 YRuO 6 has recently gained a renewed interest in order to get a deeper insight into the exotic magnetic ground states associated with geometric frustration. Striking discrepancies between the spin order derived from the neutron diffraction refinements and the macroscopic magnetic and thermal responses is a major challenge that must be addressed. In this work, detailed neutron diffraction measurements as a function of temperature yield a completely different interpretation of the patterns. We show that at low temperatures a spin structure of the K 2 NiF 4 -type is an accessible configuration for the magnetic ground state. In the neighborhood of the magnetic transition, this configuration evolves into a canted superstructure. The deduced temperature dependence of the canting angle exhibits two closely spaced peaks, which are in excellent agreement with the double peaks in the magnetic contribution to the specific heat and in the thermal expansion coefficient. We explain these features in terms of reorientation of the net ferromagnetic moment of the noncollinear spin state, due to the local breaking of the inversion symmetry promoted by the monoclinic distortions, with structural changes acting as the driving force.

Among double perovskites, the interpretation of the magnetic, thermal and transport properties of Sr(2)YRuO(6) remains a challenge. Characterization using different techniques reveals a variety of features that are not understood, described as anomalous, and yields contradictory values for several relevant parameters. We solved this situation through detailed susceptibility, specific heat, thermal expansion and x-ray diffraction measurements, including a quantitative correlation of the parameters characterizing the so-called anomalies. The emergence of short-range magnetic correlations, surviving well above the long-range transition, naturally accounts for the observed unconventional behavior of this compound. High resolution x-ray powder diffraction and thermal expansion results conclusively show that the magnetic and thermal responses are driven by lattice changes, providing a comprehensive scenario in which the interplay between the spin and structural degrees of freedom plays a relevant role.

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