Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2013 May 24;110(21):217210. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.217210. Epub 2013 May 23.
We analyze instabilities of the collinear up-up-down state of a two-dimensional quantum spin-S spatially anisotropic triangular lattice antiferromagnet in a magnetic field. We find, within the large-S approximation, that near the end point of the plateau, the collinear state becomes unstable due to the condensation of two-magnon bound pairs rather than single magnons. The two-magnon instability leads to a novel two-dimensional vector chiral phase with alternating spin currents but no magnetic order in the direction transverse to the field. This phase breaks a discrete Z(2) symmetry but preserves a continuous U(1) one of rotations about the field axis. It possesses orbital antiferromagnetism and displays a magnetoelectric effect.
我们分析了在磁场中二维各向异性三角格子反铁磁体的共线 up-up-down 态的不稳定性。在大 S 近似下,我们发现,在平台的终点附近,由于双磁子束缚对而不是单磁子的凝聚,共线态变得不稳定。双磁子不稳定性导致了一种新型的二维矢量手征相,具有交替的自旋流,但在垂直于磁场的方向上没有磁序。这个相破坏了一个离散的 Z(2) 对称性,但保留了一个关于磁场轴的连续 U(1) 旋转对称性。它具有轨道反铁磁性,并表现出磁电效应。