A second-order spin-flop transition in collinear two-sublattice antiferromagnets

Abstract

Identifying the nature of a spin-flop (SFO) transition, first- or second-order (FO or SO), remains a major challenge in condensed-matter physics due to the technically undistinguishable effect of misalignment between applied-field direction and the relevant antiferromagnetic (AFM) easy axis. A classical SFO transition is believed to be of FO in character. Here a mean-field theoretical calculation endowed with AFM exchange interaction (\emph{J}), easy axis anisotropy ($\gamma$), uniaxial single-ion exchange anisotropy (\emph{D}), and Zeeman coupling to a magnetic field parallel to the easy axis unambiguously reveals that a SO SFO transition indeed exists by virtue of its relatively lower free energy. Their equilibrium phase conditions are found to be: $D\ge 0$ (FO); $-\frac{1}{2}\gamma <D<0$ (SO). Compared numerically to the associated AFM and spin-flip phases, the deduced SO SFO transition results from a negative single-ion anisotropy which is restricted to a certain range by the anisotropic exchange interaction

5 Pages, 4 Figures

References in corpus (14)

• Quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator in a gas of ultracold atoms
• High-temperature superconductivity in iron-based materials
• "Deconfined" quantum critical points
• Quantum Simulation of Antiferromagnetic Spin Chains in an Optical Lattice
• Quantum criticality
• Quantum magnetism and criticality
• Direct Observation of the Superfluid Phase Transition in Ultracold Fermi Gases
• Quantum Phase Transition in the Normal State of High-Tc Cuprates at Optimum Doping
• Possible magnetic-polaron-switched positive and negative magnetoresistance in the GdSi single crystal
• Incommensurate antiferromagnetic order in the manifoldly-frustrated SrTb${}_2$O${}_4$ with transition temperature up to 4.28 K
• Spin-1 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain with exchange and single-ion anisotropies
• Magnetization, crystal structure and anisotropic thermal expansion of single-crystal SrEr2O4
• Nonmagnetic ordering state of single-crystal SrTm${}_2$O${}_4$: A polarized and unpolarized neutron-scattering study
• Distinct itinerant spin-density waves and local-moment antiferromagnetism in an intermetallic ErPd${}_2$Si${}_2$ single crystal

Cited by in corpus (12)

• Spin-flop transition in atomically thin MnPS${}_3$ crystals
• In-plane antiferromagnetic moments in axion topological insulator candidate EuIn${}_2$As${}_2$
• Large negative magnetoresistance in the new antiferromagnetic rare-earth dichalcogenide EuTe${}_2$
• Enhanced magnetocaloric effect and magnetic phase diagrams of single-crystal GdCrO${}_3$
• Spin-flop led peculiar behavior of temperature-dependent anomalous Hall effect in Hf/Gd-Fe-Co
• High-temperature magnetism and crystallography of a YCrO${}_3$ single crystal
• Magnetic structures, spin-flop transition and coupling of Eu and Mn magnetism in the Dirac semimetal EuMnBi${}_2$
• Crystalline and magnetic structures, magnetization, heat capacity and anisotropic magnetostriction effect in a yttrium-chromium oxide
• Crystal growth engineering and origin of the weak ferromagnetism in antiferromagnetic matrix of orthochromates from $t$-$e$ orbital hybridization
• Spin-flop phase transition in the orthorhombic antiferromagnetic topological semimetal Cu0.95MnAs
• Structure and magnetic properties of a La${}_{0.75}$Sr${}_{0.25}$Cr${}_{0.90}$O${}_{3-\delta }$ single crystal
• Ground and Applied-Field-Driven Magnetic States of Antiferromagnets