• Kulbakov, A.A.; Sadrollahi, E.; Rasch, F.; Avdeev, M.; Gaß, S.; Corredor Bohorquez, L.T.; Wolter, A.U.B.; Feig, M.; Gumeniuk, R.; Poddig, H.; Stötzer, M.; Litterst, F.J.; Puente-Orench, I.; Wildes, A.; Weschke, E.; Geck, J.; Inosov, D.S.; Peets, D.C.: Incommensurate and multiple-q magnetic misfit order in the frustrated quantum spin ladder material antlerite Cu3SO4(OH)4. Physical Review B 106 (2022), p. 174431/1-17

10.1103/PhysRevB.106.174431
Open Access Version (externer Anbieter)

Abstract:
In frustrated magnetic systems, the competition amongst interactions can introduce extremely high degeneracy and prevent the system from readily selecting a unique ground state. In such cases, the magnetic order is often exquisitely sensitive to the balance among the interactions, allowing tuning among novel magnetically ordered phases. In antlerite, Cu3SO4(OH)4, Cu2+ (S=1/2) quantum spins populate three-leg zigzag ladders in a highly frustrated quasi-one-dimensional structural motif. We demonstrate that at zero applied field, in addition to its recently reported low-temperature phase of coupled ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spin chains, this mineral hosts an incommensurate helical+cycloidal state, an idle-spin state, and a multiple-q phase which is the magnetic analog of misfit crystal structures. The antiferromagnetic order on the central leg is reentrant. The high tunability of the magnetism in antlerite makes it a particularly promising platform for pursuing exotic magnetic order.