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Phase transitions induced by an external magnetic field in frustrated hexagonal antiferromagnets

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Zeitschrift für Physik B Condensed Matter

Abstract

The behavior of the ABX3 hexagonal antiferromagnets in an external magnetic field is currently investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Usually the zero field in-plane configuration is the 120°-three sublattice configuration but elastic neutron scattering experiments on RbMnBr3 at low temperature revealed the existence of three phases: an incommensurate one for a magnetic fieldH<3T; two commensurate phases both characterized by a unit magnetic cell with 16 spins. The former occurs for 3T<H<4T, the latter forH>4T. Here we show that relevant features are entered by moderate competing in-plane interactions in the Heisenberg hexagonal model where antiferromagnetic chains are weakly coupled by in-plane interactions up to third neighbors. We recover some qualitative features observed in RbMnBr3 even if a quantitative and complete description of this compound is beyond the model we consider.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Universitá delig Studi di Parma, via delle Scienze, I-43100, Parma, Italy

    E. Rastelli & A. Tassi

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  1. E. Rastelli
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  2. A. Tassi
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Rastelli, E., Tassi, A. Phase transitions induced by an external magnetic field in frustrated hexagonal antiferromagnets. Z. Phys. B - Condensed Matter 99, 61–67 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002570050011

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002570050011

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