2001/11/08 by A. E. Jacobs, Tetsuro Nikuni, T. Nikuni
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.65.174405
9 pages, 8 figures
arxiv created 2001/11/08 · openalex publication_date 2002/04/16 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
A recent high-field magnetization experiment found a phase transition of unknown character in the layered, frustrated antiferromagnet RbCuCl3, in a transverse field (in the layers). Motivated by these results, we have examined the magnetic structures predicted by a model of RbCuCl3, using the classical approximation. At small fields, we obtain the structure already known to be optimal, an incommensurate (IC) spiral with wave vector q in the layers. At higher fields, we find a staircase of long-period commensurate (C) phases (separated initially by the low-field IC phase), then two narrow IC phases, then a fourth IC phase (also with intermediate C phases), and finally the ferromagnetically aligned phase at the saturation field HS. The three-sublattice C states familiar from the theory of the triangular antiferromagnet are never optimal. The C phases and the two intermediate IC phases were previously unknown in this context. The magnetization is discontinuous at a field \ensuremath≈0.4HS, in qualitative agreement with experiment, though we find much fine structure not reported.