2016/03/02 by Víctor Laliena, Victor Laliena, Javier Campo +7 · 4 citations
Materials Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Condensed matter physics #Field (mathematics) #Geometry #Line (geometry) #Magnetic Properties and Applications #Magnetic Properties of Alloys #Magnetic field #Magnetic properties of thin films #Mathematics #Perpendicular #Phase (matter) #Phase diagram #Phase transition #Physics #Plane (geometry) #Quantum mechanics #Tricritical point #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.93.134424
10 pages, 9 figures
arxiv created 2016/03/02 · openalex publication_date 2016/04/20 · arxiv updated 2016/05/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The zero-temperature phase diagram of the monoaxial chiral helimagnet in the magnetic-field plane formed by the components parallel and perpendicular to the helical axis is thoroughly analyzed. The nature of the transition to the commensurate state depends on the angle between the field and the helical axis. For field directions close to the directions parallel or perpendicular to the helical axis the transition is continuous, while for intermediate angles the transition is discontinuous and the incommensurate and commensurate states coexist on the transition line. The continuous and discontinuous transition lines are separated by two tricritical points with specific singular behavior. The location of the continuous and discontinuous lines and of the tricritical points depend strongly on the easy-plane anisotropy, the effect of which is analyzed. For high anisotropy the conical approximation locates the transition line very accurately, although it does not predict the continuous transitions and the tricritical behavior. It is shown that for high anisotropy, as in CrNb3S6, the form of the transition line is universal, that is, independent of the sample, and obeys a simple equation. The position of the tricritical points, which is not universal, is theoretically estimated for a sample of CrNb3S6.