Restoring Higher Symmetric Crystal Structure with Magnetic Field in Triangular Lattice Antiferromagnet CuFeO_2(Condensed matter: electronic structure and electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

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Structural deformations associated with magnetic phase transitions have been studied by synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction in high magnetic fields up to 14T for the geometrically frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuFeO_2. When a magnetic field is applied along the hexagonal c-axis, "scalene triangular" (ST) lattice distortion, which causes the three different exchange interaction paths in the basal plane, is successively relieved at the critical fields corresponding to field-induced magnetic phase transitions. In particular, the ST lattice is deformed into the higher symmetric "isosceles triangular" lattice at the second-field-induced magnetic phase transition (〜13.5T). We thus conclude that the spontaneous lattice distortion in CuFeO_2, which occurs without any orbital degrees of freedom, originates from a magnetoelastic coupling produced by spin frustration.
社団法人日本物理学会の論文
2006-11-15