Half-magnetization plateau stabilized by structural distortion in the antiferromagnetic heisenberg model on a pyrochlore lattice.
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.
Penc
Karlo
K
Research Institute for Theoretical Solid State Physics and Optics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O.B. 49, Hungary.
Shannon
Nic
N
Shiba
Hiroyuki
H