title: Magnetic inhomogeneity on a triangular lattice: the magnetic-exchange versus the elastic energy and the role of disorder.
abstract: Inhomogeneity in the ground state is an intriguing, emergent phenomenon in magnetism. Recently, it has been observed in the magnetostructural channel of the geometrically frustrated α-NaMnO2, for the first time in the absence of active charge degrees of freedom. Here we report an in-depth numerical and local-probe experimental study of the isostructural sister compound CuMnO2 that emphasizes and provides an explanation for the crucial differences between the two systems. The experimentally verified, much more homogeneous, ground state of the stoichiometric CuMnO2 is attributed to the reduced magnetoelastic competition between the counteracting magnetic-exchange and elastic-energy contributions. The comparison of the two systems additionally highlights the role of disorder and allows the understanding of the puzzling phenomenon of phase separation in uniform antiferromagnets.
authors: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Zorko
authors: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kokalj
authors: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Komelj
authors: Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, Vassilika Vouton, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Adamopoulos
authors: Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Luetkens
authors: 1] Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia [2] Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska c. 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Arčon
authors: Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, Vassilika Vouton, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Lappas