Half-magnetization plateau stabilized by structural distortion in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a pyrochlore lattice

2004/08/18 by K. Penc, N. Shannon, H. Shiba · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.str-el #cond-mat.mtrl-sci

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.93.197203

published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 197203 (2004) · 4 pages, 4 figures

arxiv created 2004/08/18 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01

Abstract

Magnetization plateaus, visible as anomalies in magnetic susceptibility at low temperatures, are one of the hallmarks of frustrated magnetism. We show how an extremely robust half-magnetization plateau can arise from coupling between spin and lattice degrees of freedom in a pyrochlore antiferromagnet, and develop a detailed symmetry of analysis of the simplest possible scenario for such a plateau state. The application of this theory to the spinel oxides CdCr2O4 and HgCr2O4, where a robust half magnetization plateau has been observed, is discussed.

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