title: Universal spin-flip transition in itinerant antiferromagnets.
abstract: We reveal a universal spin-flip (SF) transition as a function of temperature in spin-density-wave (SDW) systems. At low temperatures the antiferromagnetic (AFM) polarization is parallel to the applied field and above a critical temperature the AFM polarization flips perpendicular to the field. This transition occurs in any SDW system and may be considered as a qualitative probe of the itinerant character of AFM in a given material. Our SF transition may provide an explanation to the long-standing puzzle of the SF transition observed in chromium and may be at the origin of the equally puzzling SDW-I to SDW-II transition in Bechgaard salts for which we make experimental predictions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, GR-15780 Athens, Greece. varelogi@central.ntua.gr
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Varelogiannis