Effects of quantum impurity spins on the magnetic properties of zigzag and linear spin chains

Abstract

We investigated the magnetic ground state and low-energy excitations of the spin chains compounds SrCuO$_{2}$ (zigzag chains) and Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$ (linear chains) in the presence of quantum impurities induced by lightly doping ($\leq 1 \%$) with Zn$^{2+}$ ($S = 0$), Co$^{2+}$ ($S =1/2$) and Ni$^{2+}$ ($S = 1$) impurities at the Cu$^{2+}$ site. We show that the ground states and the nature of low-lying excitations (i.e., gapped or gapless) depend on the spin state and symmetry of the defects. For Ni doped chains a spin gap is observed but for Zn and Co doping the excitations remain gapless. Co-doped chains exhibit magnetic order with critical temperatures significantly enhanced compared to those of the pristine compounds. In the specific case of 1 \% Co impurities, the linear chains exhibit long-range order below 11 K, while the zigzag chain is characterized by a quasi-long range ordered phase below 6 K with correlation lengths of about 12\textit{a} and 40\textit{c} units along the crystal axes \textit{a} and \textit{c}, respectively. The different magnetic behaviours of these two compounds with comparable intra- and interchain couplings underpin the role of spin frustration in the zigzag chains.