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 language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 425802 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 42 |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Oct 2021 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| Scopus | 85113302448 |
|---|---|
| WOS | 000683127300001 |
| ORCID | /0000-0001-7523-9313/work/142238548 |
Keywords
Keywords
- CRYSTAL, EXCHANGE, KAGOME-LATTICE, LIQUID, STATE, f-electron systems, magnetic anisotropy, rare-earth delafossites, rare-earth magnetism, spin liquids, stripe-yz magnetic order, triangular-lattice antiferromagnets