No Arabic abstract
Recent DFT calculations for Ba2CoO4 (BCO) and neutron scattering experiments for SrRuO3 (SRO) have shown that oxygen develops a magnetic polarization. Moreover, DFT calculations for these compounds also unveiled unexpected nodes in the spin density, both along Co-O and Ru-O. For BCO, the overall antiferromagnetic state in its triangular lattice contains unusual zigzag spin patterns. Here, using simple model calculations supplemented by DFT we explain and extend these results. We predict that ligands that in principle should be spinless, such as O$^{2-}$, will develop a net polarization when they act as electronic bridges between transition metal (TM) spins ferromagnetically ordered, regardless of the number of intermediate ligand atoms. The reason is the hybridization between atoms and mobility of the electrons with spins opposite to those of the closest TM atoms. Moreover, for bonds with TMs antiferromagnetically ordered, counterintuitively our calculations show that oxygens should also have a net magnetization for the super-super-exchange cases TM-O-O-TM while for only one oxygen, as in Cu-O-Cu, the O-polarization should cancel. Our simple model also allows us to explain the presence of nodes based on the antibonding character of the dominant singly occupied molecular orbitals along the TM-O bonds. Finally, the zigzag pattern order becomes the ground state mainly due to the influence of the Hubbard $U$, that creates the moments, in combination with a robust easy-axis anisotropy that suppresses the competing 120$^{circ}$ degree antiferromagnetic order of a triangular lattice. Our predictions are generic and should be applicable to any other compound with characteristics similar to those of BCO and SRO.
Magnetism of transition metal (TM) oxides is usually described in terms of the Heisenberg model, with orientation-independent interactions between the spins. However, the applicability of such a model is not fully justified for TM oxides because spin polarization of oxygen is usually ignored. In the conventional model based on the Anderson principle, oxygen effects are considered as a property of the TM ion and only TM interactions are relevant. Here, we perform a systematic comparison between two approaches for spin polarization on oxygen in typical TM oxides. To this end, we calculate the exchange interactions in NiO, MnO, and hematite (Fe2O3) for different magnetic configurations using the magnetic force theorem. We consider the full spin Hamiltonian including oxygen sites, and also derive an effective model where the spin polarization on oxygen renormalizes the exchange interactions between TM sites. Surprisingly, the exchange interactions in NiO depend on the magnetic state if spin polarization on oxygen is neglected, resulting in non-Heisenberg behavior. In contrast, the inclusion of spin polarization in NiO makes the Heisenberg model more applicable. Just the opposite, MnO behaves as a Heisenberg magnet when oxygen spin polarization is neglected, but shows strong non-Heisenberg effects when spin polarization on oxygen is included. In hematite, both models result in non-Heisenberg behavior. General applicability of the magnetic force theorem as well as the Heisenberg model to TM oxides is discussed.
We report the results of muon-spin spectroscopy ($mu^+$SR) measurements on the staggered molecular spin chain [pym-Cu(NO$_3$)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$] (pym = pyrimidine), a material previously described using sine-Gordon field theory. Zero-field $mu^+$SR reveals a long range magnetically-ordered ground state below a transition temperature $T_mathrm{N}=0.22(1)$ K. Using longitudinal-field (LF) $mu^+$SR we investigate the dynamic response in applied magnetic fields $0< B < 500$ mT and find evidence for ballistic spin transport. Our LF $mu^+$SR measurements on the chiral spin chain [Cu(pym)(H$_2$O)$_4$]SiF$_6 cdot $H$_2$O instead demonstrate one-dimensional spin diffusion and the distinct spin transport in these two systems likely reflects differences in their magnetic excitations.
The collective behavior of correlated electrons in the VO$_2-$interface layer of LaVO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ heterostructure is studied within a quarter-filled $t_{2g}$-orbital Hubbard model on a square lattice. We argue that the ground state is ferromagnetic driven by the double exchange mechanism, and is orbitally and charge ordered due to a confined geometry and electron correlations. The orbital and charge density waves open gaps on the entire Fermi surfaces of all orbitals. The theory explains the observed insulating behavior of the $p$-type interface between LaVO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$.
The spin polarization (P) of high-density InSb two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) has been measured using both parallel and tilted magnetic fields. P is found to exhibit a superlinear increase with the total field B. This P-B nonlinearity results in a difference in spin susceptibility between its real value Xs and Xgm ~ m*g*(m* and g* are the effective mass and g factor, respectively) as routinely used in experiments. We demonstrate that such a P-B nonlinearity originates from the linearly P-dependent g* due to the exchange coupling of electrons rather than from the electron correlation as predicted for the low-density 2DES.
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, e.g., 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 $beta$-TeVO$_4$ as a nearly perfect realization of a frustrated (zigzag) ferromagnetic spin-1/2 chain. Strikingly, 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 other widespread, yet still elusive, stripe-related phenomena.