Stripe-yz magnetic order in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet KCeS2

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Contributors

Abstract

Yb- and Ce-based delafossites were recently identified as effective spin-1/2 antiferromagnets on the triangular lattice. Several Yb-based systems, such as NaYbO2, NaYbS2, and NaYbSe2, exhibit no long-range order down to the lowest measured temperatures and therefore serve as putative candidates for the realization of a quantum spin liquid. However, their isostructural Ce-based counterpart KCeS2 exhibits magnetic order below T (N) = 400 mK, which was so far identified only in thermodynamic measurements. Here we reveal the magnetic structure of this long-range ordered phase using magnetic neutron diffraction. We show that it represents the so-called 'stripe-yz' type of antiferromagnetic order with spins lying approximately in the triangular-lattice planes orthogonal to the nearest-neighbor Ce-Ce bonds. No structural lattice distortions are revealed below T (N), indicating that the triangular lattice of Ce3+ ions remains geometrically perfect down to the lowest temperatures. We propose an effective Hamiltonian for KCeS2, based on a fit to the results of ab initio calculations, and demonstrate that its magnetic ground state matches the experimental spin structure.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number425802
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Volume33
Issue number42
Publication statusPublished - 20 Oct 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85113302448
WOS 000683127300001
ORCID /0000-0001-7523-9313/work/142238548

Keywords

Keywords

  • triangular-lattice antiferromagnets, spin liquids, rare-earth magnetism, f-electron systems, rare-earth delafossites, stripe-yz magnetic order, magnetic anisotropy, KAGOME-LATTICE, LIQUID, CRYSTAL, STATE, EXCHANGE

Library keywords