On the possible coexistence of spiral and collinear structures in antiferromagnetic KFe(MoO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The static and resonance properties of a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet phase on a distorted triangular lattice of KFe(MoO₄)₂ have been experimentally studied. Magnetization curves exhibit features corresponding to the spin-flop transition in a collinear biaxial antiferromagnet and simultaneously show a magnetization plateau characteristic of a triangular spin structure. The magnetic resonance spectra also display absorption lines corresponding to the spin structures of both types. The experimental data are described in terms of a model comprising alternating weakly bound magnetic layers, in which the main two exchange integrals have different values. Below the Néel temperature (T _N =2.5 K), some of these layers possess a collinear antiferromagnetic structure, while the other layers have a triangular or spiral structure.     

Degenerate ferrimagnetic ground state of frustrated kagome lattice

The frustrated Ising model on kagome lattice with nearest-neighboring antiferromagnetic interaction is investigated by using Monte Carlo simulation of the Wang-Landau algorithm and Glauber dynamics. The geometrical frustration leads to a particularly high degeneracy of ground states in this system. A small magnetic field applied can lift the degeneracy partially, and produce the magnetization plateau of 1/3 saturate value (Ms), which is analogous to the magnetic behavior in triangular antiferromagnetic system. However, different from the long-range ferrimagnetic state responsible for 1/3 Ms plateau in triangular lattice, the ferrimagnetic ground state corresponding to 1/3 Ms plateau in kagome lattice is short-ranged and still highly degenerate. Furthermore, the spin configuration of these degenerate ferrimagnetic ground states show an inherent characteristic that the spins along the magnetic field must be aligned on the closed loops, which can be well understood in terms of geometrical frustration.     

Partially disordered antiferromagnetic state in two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet

The partially disordered antiferromagnetic (PDA) state, as an exotic phase peculiar to the antiferromagnet with Ising spin in triangular lattice, is investigated by using Monte Carlo simulations of Wang-Landau algorithm and Glauber algorithm. It is revealed that PDA state, as the ground state of the triangular antiferromagnetic system, presents the complicated spin configuration due to geometrical frustration. The formation of multi-domain structure within the framework of honeycomb antiferromagnet results in the high degeneracy of PDA state. And this degeneracy of ground state can be lifted by a small magnetic field. Consequently the system shows the ferrimagnetic state, and the magnetization plateau of 1/3 saturate value (Ms) is observed in many experiments. Moreover, due to the multi-domain structure of PDA state and those spins on domain walls, the metastable steps may manifest themselves superposed on the 1/3Ms plateau in some special cases.     

Crystal structure and magnetic state of the LaMn1−x VxO3 perovskites

The crystal structure and the magnetic state of polycrystalline LaMn_1?x V_xO₃ (0.1<x<0.9) compounds have been studied by x-ray and neutron diffraction methods, as well as by magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. It is shown that substitution of vanadium for manganese ions leaves the orthorhombic crystal structure of the compounds (space group Pnma) unchanged. The magnetic structure is observed to change from a canted antiferromagnetic ordering (wavevector k=[0, 0, 0], with the antiferromagnetic moments aligned with the a axis and the ferromagnetic component of the magnetic moment parallel to the b axis) at vanadium concentrations x<0.4 to a collinear antiferromagnetic ordering (with the magnetic moments parallel to the b axis) at x>0.8; at this transition occurs through an intermediate state exhibiting spin-glass properties.     

Geometry effect on the magnetic ordering of geometrically frustrated rectangular and triangular magnets

We investigate the effect of geometry on the ground-state ordering of artificially frustrated magnetic rectangular and triangular lattices by Monte Carlo method. By varying the vertical lattice spacing while keeping the horizontal one fixed, we show that when the ratio of vertical to horizontal lattice spacing, labeled by η, is less than 1.82, the ground state of the rectangular lattice presents long-range antiferromagnetic order and for η?1.82 the ground state changes to long-range mixed ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic order. For the frustrated triangular lattice, the short-range ordered state as well as two long-range ordered ground states occurs transiently at η=0.87 and 2, where the energies of the two ground states with long-range order are approximately equal. In addition, the level of frustration of both frustrated lattices is found to be largely relevant to the ratio η.     

High-pressure effect on the crystal and magnetic structure of LuMnO3: Correlation between a distortion of the triangular lattice and the symmetry of the magnetic state in hexagonal frustrated manganites

The effect of a high pressure (up to 6 GPa) on the crystal and magnetic structure of the hexagonal manganite LuMnO₃ is studied by neutron diffraction in the temperature range 10–295 K. It is found that, as the pressure increases, the ordered magnetic moment of Mn ions at T = 10 K decreases noticeably from 2.48 (0 GPa) to 1.98 μ_B (6 GPa). This decrease is due to an enhancement of the geometrical frustration effects on the triangular lattice. At the same time, the symmetry of the triangular antiferromagnetic state (the irreducible representation Γ₂) remains unchanged. A correlation is revealed between the distortion parameter of the triangular lattice formed by Mn ions and the symmetry of the antiferromagnetic state of hexagonal manganites RMnO₃. Based on this correlation, a generalized magnetic phase diagram of these compounds is constructed. The obtained phase diagram provides an explanation for the changes observed in the magnetic state of hexagonal manganites caused by high pressure and chemical substitution.     

Antiferromagnetic resonance and magnetic anisotropy in single crystals of the YFe3(BO3)4-GdFe3(BO3)4 system

The antiferromagnetic resonance in single crystals of the YFe₃(BO₃)₄-GdFe₃(BO₃)₄ system is studied in the frequency range 25–140 GHz and the temperature range 4.2–50.0 K. It is established that the YFe₃(BO₃)₄ crystal containing only the magnetic subsystem of Fe³⁺ ions is an antiferromagnet with an easy anisotropy plane. The temperature dependences of the gaps in the antiferromagnetic resonance spectra of GdFe₃(BO₃)₄ and Y _x Gd_{1 ? x} Fe₃(BO₃)₄ are used to calculate the contributions of the Fe³⁺ and Gd³⁺ subsystems to the magnetic anisotropy of these crystals. The contributions are found to be close in magnitude and have opposite signs. This leads to a relatively weak uniaxial anisotropy field in the crystals under investigation. Since the exchange interaction between the Gd³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions magnetizes the magnetic subsystem of gadolinium, both subsystems start to contribute simultaneously at the Néel temperature of the iron subsystem.     

The coupling effect between ferroelectric and frustrated antiferromagnetic ordering in hexagonal ferroelectromagnet

Effects of the magnetoelectric coupling between the frustrated antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric ordering in hexagonal ferroelectromagnet are investigated by the soft-mode theory and molecular-field approximation. Applying the Heisenberg model for frustrated triangular antiferromagnets with exchange anisotropy and Diffour model for ferroelectric interaction, we discuss thermodynamic properties of the hexagonal ferroelectromagnetic system, including mean magnetization 〈s_i〉, polarization p, magnetization susceptibility χ_m, and polarization susceptibility χ_p, in a possible coupling form related to a combination of electric polarization and spin correlation. It is found that polarization induced by magnetic coupling leads to an anomaly in χ_p and a cusp in χ_m at low-temperature, which is consistent qualitatively with experimental results in hexagonal ferroelectromagnet YMnO₃.     

Fine structure of the field-induced magnetic transition in Nd0.1La0.9Fe11.5Al1.5

For the Nd_0.1La_0.9Fe_11.5Al_1.5 compound, the fine structure of the magnetic transition from the ferromagnetic (FM) to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) states has been studied carefully by means of magnetization (M) and heat capacity (C_p) measurements. Although a single phase with the cubic NaZn₁₃-type structure (Fm3c) has been proved by the room temperature X-ray diffraction pattern, the phase transition has been clearly found to be a stepwise process in M(T) and C_p(T) curves under proper fields. Due to the strong competition between the FM order and AFM order, the characteristic is especially evident under low fields, weakens gradually with the increasing applied field and finally vanishes when the field is higher than 2 T. This multi-step magnetic transition results from the inhomogeneity of the sample, probably due to the inhomogeneous distribution of Nd atoms.     

Magnetic structure of the Mn5Si3-type Er5Ge3 compound

The Er₅Ge₃ compound (Mn₅Si₃-type, hP16, P6₃/mcm) at 4 K shows magnetic ordering of the antiferromagnetic type. Its magnetic structure consists of sine modulated collinear magnetic moments of Er that are parallel to the c axis (with a propagation vector k=[0 0 ±0.3]). This corresponds to the magnetic unit cell (a a 10c), the values of the magnetic moment of the Er atoms being, as a general formula, M_z≈M₀ cos [2π(Z–1/4)(1–kZ)], with M₀=9.2(2) μ_B at 4 K.     

Numerical simulation of magnetic interactions in polycrystalline YFeO3

The magnetic behavior of polycrystalline yttrium orthoferrite was studied from the experimental and theoretical points of view. Magnetization measurements up to 170 kOe were carried out on a single-phase YFeO₃ sample synthesized from heterobimetallic alkoxides. The complex interplay between weak-ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, observed in the experimental M(H) curves, was successfully simulated by locally minimizing the magnetic energy of two interacting Fe sublattices. The resulting values of exchange field (H_E=5590 kOe), anisotropy field (H_A=0.5 kOe) and Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya antisymmetric field (H_D=149 kOe) are in good agreement with previous reports on this system.     

Thermal and magnetic properties of DyB62 at low temperatures

Temperature dependences of heat capacity C_P(T) and magnetization M(T) of an icosahedral dysprosium boride (DyB₆₂) single crystal have been experimentally investigated in the temperature range of 2-300 K. The magnetic susceptibility χ(T) of DyB₆₂ follows Curie-Weiss law with a paramagnetic Curie temperature of −3.7 K, which implies that the antiferromagnetic interactions are dominant in this material and suggests the possibility of magnetic ordering at low temperatures. This conjecture is supported by the temperature dependence of heat capacity C_P(T), which decreases upon heating from 2 to 7 K. The heat capacity of DyB₆₂ at 2 K is analyzed as a sum of magnetic, Debye, two-level system and soft atomic potential components.     

Behaviour at ok and at different magnetic fields of the double magnetic helix

We study the behaviour at 0K and at all magnetic field values up to the magnetic saturation of the magnetic helix in which two distinct magnetic ions of spin lengths S₁, and S₂ are acted on by two unequal molecular fields. Although limited to the case of zigzag and collinear chains on which only the magnetic interactions J between first nearest neighbours (n.n) and J₁, or J₁ between second n.n. are considered, complex phase diagrams are obtained. The most disclosing features show up by taking S₁, S₂, J₁,J₂ as parameters and h, J as variables. Whereas the biconical configuration appears as the most general solution, triangular and oblique configurations also exist in finite field in all (h, J) diagrams. In addition, a collinear ferrimagnetic configuration is found to be stable for definite h and J values. We finally observe that according to the ratio values S₁S₂ and $\text{(J}{}_2\text{J}{}_1\text{)}\text{1}\text{2}$, eight types of (h, J) diagrams exist which differ from each other by distinct approaches to the ferri- or ferromagnetic alignment.     

Electrodynamic features of anisotropic hard superconductors

The low-frequency electromagnetic response of superconducting plates characterized by strong anisotropy of current-carrying capacity in the plane of the sample is studied experimentally and theoretically. Measurements are made on polycrystalline textured plates of the Y-123 system with the c axis lying in the plane of the sample and on a single crystal with a single preferred direction of twinning boundaries. It is shown that the shape of the curves describing the dependence of the relative losses q on the ac field amplitude h ₀ is quite sensitive to the orientation of vector h ₀ in the sample plane. As in the case of isotropic samples, the q(h ₀) dependence is characterized by a single size peak if vector h ₀ is oriented along one of the principal symmetry directions of the anisotropic critical current density. If h ₀ deviates considerably from principal directions, two size peaks are observed on the q(h ₀) curve. A detailed analysis of the evolution of the q(h ₀) curves upon a rotation of vector h ₀ in the sample plane is carried out.     

Temperature dependence of magnetic anisotropy constant in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

The temperature dependence of the effective magnetic anisotropy constant K(T) of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles is obtained based on the SQUID magnetometry measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The variation of the blocking temperature T_B as a function of particle radius r is first determined by associating the particle size distribution and the anisotropy energy barrier distribution deduced from the hysteresis curve and the magnetization decay curve, respectively. Finally, the magnetic anisotropy constant at each temperature is calculated from the relation between r and T_B. The resultant effective magnetic anisotropy constant K(T) decreases markedly with increasing temperature from 1.1×10⁷ J/m³ at 5 K to 0.6×10⁵ J/m³ at 280 K. The attempt time τ₀ is also determined to be 6.1×10⁻¹² s which together with the K(T) best explains the temperature dependence of superparamagnetic fraction in Mössbauer spectra.     

Antiferromagnetic Resonance in GdB<Subscript>6</Subscript>

The electron spin resonance has been measured for the first time both in the paramagnetic phase of the metallic GdB₆ antiferromagnet (T_N = 15.5K) and in the antiferromagnetic state (T < T_N). In the paramagnetic phase below T* ~ 70 K, the material is found to exhibit a pronounced increase in the resonance linewidth and a shift in the g-factor, which is proportional to the linewidth Δg(T) ~ ΔH(T). Such behavior is not characteristic of antiferromagnetic metals and seems to be due to the effects related to displacements of Gd³⁺ ions from the centrosymmetric positions in the boron cage. The transition to the antiferromagnetic phase is accompanied by an abrupt change in the position of resonance (from μ₀H₀ ≈ 1.9 T to μ₀H₀ ≈ 3.9 T at ν = 60 GHz), after which a smooth evolution of the spectrum occurs, resulting eventually in the formation of the spectrum consisting of four resonance lines. The magnetic field dependence of the frequency of the resonant modes ω₀(H₀) obtained in the range of 28–69 GHz is well interpreted within the model of ESR in an antiferromagnet with the easy anisotropy axis ω/γ = (H ₀ ² +2H_AH_E)^1/2, where H_E is the exchange field and H_A is the anisotropy field. This provides an estimate for the anisotropy field, H_A ≈ 800 Oe. This value can result from the dipole?dipole interaction related to the mutual displacement of Gd³⁺ ions, which occurs at the antiferromagnetic transition.     

Magnetic and electronic properties of the antiferromagnetic YbFe4Al8 compound

The magnetic, electrical and electronic properties of the tetragonal ternary YbFe₄Al₈ compound have been investigated. This compound was supposed to be an antiferromagnetic superconductor due to the negative magnetization signal appearing at a low field of the field cooling mode, however, based on the measurements of the temperature dependence of magnetization and resistivity we do not confirm the presence of superconductivity in this material and we ascribe the negative magnetization to the complicated non-collinear magnetic structure. A switch to the antiferromagnetic order at about 150 K has been visible both on the M(T) and ρ(T) curves. The valence state of the Yb ions has been studied by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The valence band spectrum at the Fermi level exhibits the domination of the hybridized Yb(4f) and Fe(3d) states.     

Relaxation of geometrical frustration in three typical ways indicated by density of states

The relaxation of geometrical frustration under different factors is investigated by comparing the density of states and magnetic behavior obtained in Wang–Landau simulation. Starting from the same triangular antiferromagnetic system with high frustration, three typical ways, in which the non-trivial high degeneracy of ground states is lifted by different relaxative factors, are revealed. Correspondingly, the typical magnetic behavior with $M_0/3$ (where $M_0$ is the saturated magnetization) plateau in frustrated triangular system, shows distinct variations in these three cases.     

Frustrated antiferromagnetism in the Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>YRuO<Subscript>6</Subscript> double perovskite

The spins of Ru⁵⁺ ions in Sr₂YRuO₆ form a face-centered cubic lattice with antiferromagnetic nearest neighbor interaction J≈25 meV. The antiferromagnetic structure of the first type experimentally observed below the Néel temperature T _N =26 K corresponds to four frustrated spins of 12 nearest neighbors. In the Heisenberg model in the spin-wave approximation, the frustrations already cause instability of the antiferromagnetic state at T=0 K. This state is stabilized by weak anisotropy D or exchange interaction I with the next-nearest neighbors. Low D/J～I/J～10^?3 values correspond to the experimental T _N and sublattice magnetic moment values.     

A new type of peak effect in the magnetization of anisotropic superconductors

Experimental and theoretical studies of the magnetization curves M(_H) obtained for plates of an anisotropic hard superconductor are performed. The samples are YBCO single-domain textured crystals with the c axis lying in the sample plane. It is shown that, for some orientations of the magnetic field in the sample plane, the magnetization curves contain additional extrema; at the same time, the virgin magnetization curve M(H) exhibits features characteristic of the peak effect. This proves that the anisotropy of the current-carrying ability can give rise to a new type of peak effect.