Spin-ordering in S = 1 anisotropic Heisenberg models with nondiagonal spin exchange

The properties of S = 1 anisotropic Heisenberg models with nondiagonal exchange between axial and planar spin components are investigated using Monte Carlo techniques. The quantum nature is taken into account in a semi-classical approximation. The ordering of the spins when applying an external field with axial and planar components is discussed. It is argued that the quantum nature of the spins and the nondiagonal exchange may explain the peculiar shape of the magnetic specific heat of FeBr₂ as well as the weakly first-order phase transition observed in the same compound when a tilted field is applied. Received 24 January 1999     

Magnetic phases in Mn<Subscript>1</Subscript>_<Subscript>x</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>x</Subscript>WO<Subscript>4</Subscript> studied by neutron powder diffraction

The magnetic structures of Mn_1-xFe_xWO₄ with x = 0.0, 0.16, 0.21, 0.225, 0.232, 0.24, 0.27, 0.29, and 1.0 were refined from neutron powder diffraction data. The magnetic phase diagram could be completed in the coexistence range of different magnetic structures up to x = 0.29. For the magnetic state at 1.5 K a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure with a propagation vector = (±1/4, 1/2, 1/2) was found for x ⩽ 0.22 while the magnetic spins order with = (1/2, 0, 0) for x ≥ 0.22. In the latter phase, additionally, weak magnetic reflections indexed to an incommensurate ordering with = (- 0.214, 1/2, 0.457) occur in the diffraction pattern up to x = 0.29 indicating the occurence of a reentrant phase. For 0.12 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.29 the low temperature phases are separated from a magnetic high temperature phase showing only magnetic reflections indexed to a spin arrangement with = (1/2, 0, 0). The magnetic phase diagram is discussed qualitatively considering random superexchange between the statistically distributed Mn²⁺- and Fe²⁺-ions in the coexistence range 0.12 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.29 of different magnetic structures related to those of pure MnWO₄ and FeWO₄. Received 9 October 2002 Published online 14 March 2003     

Double-exchange model: phase separation versus canted spins

We study the competition between different possible ground states of the double-exchange model with strong ferromagnetic exchange interaction between itinerant electrons and local spins. Both for classical and quantum treatment of the local spins the homogeneous canted state is shown to be unstable against a phase separation. The conditions for the phase separation into the mixture of the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic/canted states are given. We also discuss another possible realization of the phase-separated state: ferromagnetic polarons embedded into an antiferromagnetic surrounding. The general picture of a percolated state, which emerges from these considerations, is discussed and compared with results of recent experiments on doped manganaties. Received 17 March 1999     

A generalized spin ladder in a magnetic field

We study the phase diagram of coupled spin-1/2 chains with bilinear and (chiral) three-spin exchange interactions in a magnetic field. The model is soluble on a one-parametric line in the space of coupling constants connecting the limiting cases of a single and two decoupled Heisenberg chains with nearest neighbour exchange only. We give a complete classification of the low-energy properties of the integrable system and introduce a numerical method which allows to study the possible phases of spin ladder systems away from the soluble line in a magnetic field. Received 17 November 1998 and Received in final form 22 January 1999     

Second- to first-order transition in two coupled antiferromagnetic rings

We numerically investigate an S=1/2 spin model, in which two dimerized antiferromagnetic rings interact with each other ferromagnetically. It is shown that the order of the magnetoelastic transition is strongly affected by the interring coupling J_⊥ and there may exist a critical J_⊥^* dividing the first-order transition and the continuous transition.     

Magnetic interaction in Mg, Ti, Nb doped manganites

An effect of Mn substitution with Me=Mg²⁺, Ti⁴⁺, Nb⁵⁺ in manganites has been investigated by preparing La_0.7Sr_0.3(Mn_1-xMe_x)O₃ and La_1-xSr_x(Mn_{1 - x/2}Nb_x/2)O₃ series. It was established that substitution of manganese with magnesium up to x = 0.16 leads to a collapse of a long-range ferromagnetic order whereas La_0.7Sr_0.3(Mn ^{3 +} _0.85Nb ^{5 +} _0.15)O₃ is ferromagnet with T _C = 123 K and exhibits a large magnetoresistance below Curie point despite an absence of four-valent manganese. Hypothetical magnetic phase diagrams are constructed for La_0.7Sr_0.3(Mn_1-xMe_x)O₃ and La_1-xSr_x(Mn_{1 - x/2}Nb_x/2)O₃. Our results show that Mn³⁺-O-Mn³⁺ exchange interaction is ferromagnetic in the orbitally disordered manganites as well as an increase of Mn⁴⁺ content above 50% from a total amount of manganese ions leads to formation of a spin glass state due to a competition between antiferromagnetic Mn⁴⁺-O-Mn⁴⁺ and ferromagnetic Mn³⁺-O-Mn⁴⁺(Mn³⁺) superexchange interactions. Received 24 January 2002 Published online 9 July 2002     

Giant entropy change at the co-occurrence of structural and magnetic transitions in the Ni Mn Ga Heusler alloy

We have studied the isothermal entropy change around a first-order structural transformation and in correspondence to the second-order Curie transition in the ferromagnetic Heusler alloy Ni_2.15Mn_0.85Ga. The results have been compared with those obtained for the composition Ni_2.19Mn_0.81Ga, in which the martensitic structural transformation and the magnetic transition occur simultaneously. With a magnetic field span from 0 to 1.6 T, the magnetic entropy change reaches the value of 20 J/kg K when transitions are co-occurring, while 5 J/kg K is found when the only structural transition occurs. Received 27 September 2002 / Received in final form 17 February 2003 Published online 11 April 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: solzi@fis.unipr.it     

Mixed spin ladders with exotic ground states

We study the “mixed spin” isotropic ladder system having S=1 spins on one leg and S=1/2 spins on the other, with general-type exchange interactions between spins on neighboring rungs. A set of model Hamiltonians with exact ground states in the form of a certain matrix product wave function is obtained. We show that sufficiently strong frustration can lead to exotic singlet ground states with infinite (exponential) degeneracy. We also list a couple of rather simple models with nontrivial ground states, including a model with only bilinear exchange. Received: 2 December 1997 / Accepted: 28 January 1998     

Jordan-Wigner approach to the frustrated spin one-half XXZ chain

The Jordan-Wigner transformation is applied to study the ground state properties and dimerization transition in the J₁-J₂ XXZ chain. We consider different solutions of the mean-field approximation for the transformed Hamiltonian. Ground state energy and the static structure factor are compared with complementary exact diagonalization and good agreement is found near the limit of the Majumdar-Ghosh model. Furthermore, the ground state phase diagram is discussed within the mean-field theory. In particular, we show that an incommensurate ground state is absent for large J₂ in a fully self-consistent mean-field analysis.     

Magnetization and neutron scattering studies of the pressure effect on the magnetic transition in Er Y Co

Neutron powder diffraction was employed to study the pressure effect on the magnetic transition in the pseudobinary Laves-phase compound Er_0.57Y_0.43Co₂ and to determine the magnetic moments of the Er- and Co-subsystems. Our studies reveal that the onset of long-range magnetic order for both the localized 4 f (Er) and itinerant 3 d (Co) electron moments appears at about the same temperature at ambient pressure. The pressure effect on T_c is found to be negative and equal for both sublattices, namely T _c / p ∼ - 0.4 K/kbar. The values of the magnetic moments of the Er and the Co ions are found = 5.40±0.15μ _B /atom, = 0.50±0.07μ _B /atom and 5.35±0.15μ _B /atom, 0.37±0.09μ _B /atom, for p = 0 and 6 kbar, respectively. Our experimental results give evidence for short-range magnetic order formation at temperatures already above T_c and for a coexistence short- and long-range order below T_c down to 4 K. Received 20 December 2001 / Received in final form 12 June 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: andrew.podlesnyak@psi.ch     

Cation disorder and size effects on the magnetic transition in Ba-containing ferromagnetic manganites

The results of ⁵⁵Mn NMR, dc magnetization, and ac susceptibility studies are presented for La_0.7Ca_0.15Ba_0.15MnO₃, La_0.7Sr_0.15Ba_0.15MnO₃, and La_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃ ferromagnetic manganites. While is a function of the mean radius of the La and alkaline-earth ions and the cation disorder, the form of the temperature dependence of the magnetic moment may be expressed as function of only. The phase transition is continuous for all three compounds. Received 5 March 1999     

Interplay between chains of S = 5/2 localised spins and two-dimensional sheets of organic donors in the synthetically built magnetic multilayer λ ‒ (BETS)2FeCl4

In order to understand the magnetic field-induced restoration of a highly conductive state in , static (SQUID) and dynamic (ESR and AFR) magnetization measurements were performed on polycrystalline samples and single crystals, respectively. In addition, cantilever and resistivity measurements under steady fields were performed. While the metal-insulator transition curve of the () phase diagram exhibits a first order character, a “spin-flop” transition line divides the insulating state when the magnetic field is applied along the easy axis of magnetization. The effects of a RKKY-type indirect exchange and of applied magnetic field are described within the framework of a generalized Kondo lattice, namely two chains of localised spins coupled through the itinerant spins of the 2D sheets of BETS. The calculations, which can incorporate intramolecular electron correlations within a mean field theory, are in qualitative agreement with the field induced transition from the antiferromagnetic insulating ground state to a canted one, i.e. a not fully oriented paramagnetic, but metallic state. Received: 6 August 1997 / Received: 5 November 1997 / Accepted: 10 November 1997     

Ordered phase of nuclear spins in uniaxial ferromagnets at ultralow temperatures

Paper investigates the onset of nuclear magnetic ordering caused by the indirect Suhl-Nakamura interaction in ferromagnets. The necessary condition for nuclear spin ordering with definite ordering vector is obtained. Particularly, it is shown that ferromagnetically ordered phase of nuclear spins could be observed only in case of disk shaped samples. The spectrum of the nuclear spin excitations is also found. Received 25 January 1999 and Received in final form 5 May 1999     

Spin-wave spectrum of a two-dimensional itinerant electron system: Analytic results for the incommensurate spiral phase in the strong-coupling limit

We study the zero-temperature spin fluctuations of a two-dimensional itinerant-electron system with an incommensurate magnetic ground state described by a single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian. We introduce the (broken-symmetry) magnetic phase at the mean-field (Hartree-Fock) level through a spiral spin configuration with characteristic wave vector Q different in general from the antiferromagnetic wave vector Q _AF, and consider spin fluctuations over and above it within the electronic random-phase (RPA) approximation. We obtain a closed system of equations for the generalized wave vector and frequency dependent susceptibilities, which are equivalent to the ones reported recently by Brenig. We obtain, in addition, analytic results for the spin-wave dispersion relation in the strong-coupling limit of the Hubbard Hamiltonian and find that at finite doping the spin-wave dispersion relation has a hybrid form between that associated with the (localized) Heisenberg model and that associated with the (long-range) RKKY exchange interaction. We also find an instability of the spin-wave spectrum in a finite region about the center of the Brillouin zone, which signals a physical instability toward a different spin- or, possibly, charge-ordered phase, as, for example, the stripe structures observed in the high-T _c materials. We expect, however, on physical grounds that for wave vectors external to this region the spin-wave spectrum that we have determined should survive consideration of more sophisticated mean-field solutions. Received 15 September 2000     

Ferromagnetism in the Hubbard model on fcc-type lattices

The Hubbard model on fcc-type lattices is studied in the dynamical mean-field theory of infinite spatial dimensions. At intermediate interaction strength finite temperature Quantum Monte Carlo calculations yield a second order phase transition to a highly polarized, metallic ferromagnetic state. The Curie temperatures are calculated as a function of electronic density and interaction strength. A necessary condition for ferromagnetism is a density of state with large spectral weight near one of the band edges. Received: 6 August 1997 / Accepted: 20 August 1997     

Double-Q magnetic structures and strong planar anisotropy in tetragonal ErRu2Ge2and ErRu2Si2

Single crystal magnetization measurements and powder neutron diffraction on tetragonal ErRu₂Ge₂ as well as anisotropy of the paramagnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements on ErRu₂Si₂ are presented. Besides the huge crystal field contribution to the uniaxial anisotropy, which favors the basal plane, a strong in-plane anisotropy is evidenced. From these features and neutron diffraction experiments it is shown that magnetic structures of these materials are double-Q and accordingly non-colinear below their Néel temperature (5.2 and 6.0 K for Ge and Si based compounds, respectively). The magnetic structures induced during the metamagnetic processes are discussed. Received 24 December 1999     

Phase transitions in a cluster molecular field approximation

Cluster molecular field approximations represent a substantial progress over the simple Weiss theory where only one spin is considered in the molecular field resulting from all the other spins. In this work we discuss a systematic way of improving the molecular field approximation by inserting spin clusters of variable sizes into a homogeneously magnetised background. The density of states of these spin clusters is then computed exactly. We show that the true non-classical critical exponents can be extracted from spin clusters treated in such a manner. For this purpose a molecular field finite size scaling theory is discussed and effective critical exponents are analysed. Reliable values of critical quantities of various Ising and Potts models are extracted from very small system sizes. Received 30 September 2002 / Received in final form 25 November 2002 Published online 27 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: pleim@theorie1.physik.uni-erlangen.de     

Investigations of the sublattice magnetizations M(T) in antiferromagnets with fourth-order exchange interactions: EuSrTe

We present a neutron scattering study of the temperature and composition dependence of the MnO-type superstructure reflection intensities in the diamagnetically diluted antiferromagnetic compounds Eu_xSr_1-xTe. In these materials antiferromagnetic biquadratic and ferromagnetic three-spin interactions have been identified recently. These fourth-order non-Heisenberg interactions are able to create their own order parameter which is believed to govern the order of the transverse moment components and which, hence, is directed perpendicular to the common Heisenberg order parameter. The observed MnO-type diffraction intensities originate in the sublattice magnetizations, , of both order parameters. Due to the different composition dependencies for biquadratic interaction processes and three-spin interaction processes , the ferromagnetic three-spin interactions dominate for x > x c =0.85, while for x <0.85 the antiferromagnetic biquadratic interactions dominate. Associated with this sign change in the fourth-order interaction sum the transverse order parameter changes from the antiferromagnetic MnO type for x <0.85 to ferromagnetic for x >0.85. This is noticed as a sudden decrease of the low-temperature MnO scattering intensities at x c =0.85. Although susceptibility measurements reveal clearly a ferromagnetic component for x >0.85 no ferromagnetic Bragg intensities were observed in standard neutron scattering spectra using EuTe powder samples. We explain this by the competition of antiferromagnetic biquadratic and ferromagnetic three-spin interactions whereby a disturbed ferromagnetic superstructure may be generated which gives rise also to weak MnO-type diffraction lines. It is found that the resulting obeys a T² law until a temperature as large as 0.75T_N irrespective of the nature of the transverse order parameter. The T² law must, hence, be common to both types of order parameter showing that the fourth-order interactions re-define the spin dynamics of both completely. From the linear composition dependence of the normalized T² coefficient the existence of three-spin interactions is again confirmed. Received 23 July 1998 and Received in final form 12 October 1998     

Macroscopic and local magnetic moments in Si-doped CuGeO 3 as determined by neutron and μSR studies

The temperature-concentration phase diagram of the Si-doped spin-Peierls compound CuGeO₃ is investigated by means of neutron scattering and muon spin rotation spectroscopy in order to determine the microscopic distribution of the magnetic and lattice dimerised regions as a function of doping. The analysis of the zero-field muon spectra has confirmed the spatial inhomogeneity of the staggered magnetisation that characterises the antiferromagnetic superlattice peaks observed with neutrons. In addition, the variation of the macroscopic order parameter with doping can be understood by considering the evolution of the local magnetic moment as well as of the various regions contributing to the muon signal. Received 6 September 2000 and Received in final form 29 January 2001     

Studies of the exactly dimerized bilayer Heisenberg model via strong coupling expansions

The one-triplet excitation spectra and thermodynamic properties for the dimerized phase of the frustrated bilayer Heisenberg model are studied using strong-coupling expansion theory. The model has an exact dimerized ground state as well as exact one-triplet excitations in a special case that the frustration J₂ is equal to the in-plane coupling J₁. We demonstrate that the models with and without frustrations have distinct excitation spectra, so their thermodynamic properties exhibit quite different behaviors. Especially, the low-temperature behaviors of the frustrated model with J ₁=J ₂ are independent of the inter-dimer couplings, due to the exact one-triplet excitations. Received 16 March 2000 and Received in final form 2 July 2000