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Spin-lattice coupling in frustrated anti...
Tchernyshyov, O....

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Spin-lattice coupling in frustrated antiferromagnets by Tchernyshyov, O. ( Author )
Lemonjar Open Access
N.A
09-07-2009
We review the mechanism of spin-lattice coupling in relieving the geometrical frustration of pyrochlore antiferromagnets, in particular spinel oxides. The tetrahedral unit, which is the building block of the pyrochlore lattice, undergoes a spin-driven Jahn-Teller instability when lattice degrees of freedom are coupled to the antiferromagnetism. By restricting our considerations to distortions which preserve the translational symmetries of the lattice, we present a general theory of the collective spin-Jahn-Teller effect in the pyrochlore lattice. One of the predicted lattice distortions breaks the inversion symmetry and gives rise to a chiral pyrochlore lattice, in which frustrated bonds form helices with a definite handedness. The chirality is transferred to the spin system through spin-orbit coupling, resulting in a long-period spiral state, as observed in spinel CdCr2O4. We discuss explicit models of spin-lattice coupling using local phonon modes, and their applications in other frustrated magnets.
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Article
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36.88 KB
English
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MYR 0.00
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https://arxiv.org/abs/0907.1693
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