title: Spin-stripe phase in a frustrated zigzag spin-1/2 chain.
abstract: Motifs of periodic modulations are encountered in a variety of natural systems, where at least two rival states are present. In strongly correlated electron systems, such behaviour has typically been associated with competition between short- and long-range interactions, for example, between exchange and dipole-dipole interactions in the case of ferromagnetic thin films. Here we show that spin-stripe textures may develop also in antiferromagnets, where long-range dipole-dipole magnetic interactions are absent. A comprehensive analysis of magnetic susceptibility, high-field magnetization, specific heat and neutron diffraction measurements unveils β-TeVO4 as a nearly perfect realization of a frustrated (zigzag) ferromagnetic spin-1/2 chain. Notably, a narrow spin-stripe phase develops at elevated magnetic fields due to weak frustrated short-range interchain exchange interactions, possibly assisted by the symmetry-allowed electric polarization. This concept provides an alternative route for the stripe formation in strongly correlated electron systems and may help understanding of other widespread, yet still elusive, stripe-related phenomena.
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pregelj
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zorko
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen CH-5232, Switzerland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zaharko
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nojiri
authors.affiliation: Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Institut Laue-Langevin, BP 156X, Grenoble 38042, France.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chapon
authors.affiliation: 1] Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova c. 39, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia [2] Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska c. 19, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arčon