Generic nearest-neighbour kagome model: XYZ & Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya, and comparison to pyrochlore

Abstract

The kagome lattice is a paragon of geometrical frustration, long-studied for its association with novel ground-states including spin liquids (SLs). Many recently synthesized kagome materials feature rare-earth ions, which may be expected to exhibit highly anisotropic exchange interactions. The consequences of this combination of strong exchange anisotropy and extreme geometrical frustration are yet to be fully understood. Here, we establish a general picture of the interactions and resulting ground-states (GSs) arising from nearest neighbour exchange anisotropy on the kagome lattice. We determine a generic anisotropic exchange Hamiltonian from symmetry arguments. In the high-symmetry case where reflection in the kagome plane is a symmetry of the system, the generic nearest-neighbour Hamiltonian can be locally defined as a XYZ model with out-of-plane Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. We proceed to study its phase diagram in the classical limit, making use of an exact reformulation of the Hamiltonian in terms of irreducible representations (irreps) of the lattice symmetry group. This reformulation in terms of irreps naturally explains the three-fold mapping between SLs recently studied on kagome by the present authors [Nat Commun 7, 10297 (2016)]. In addition, a number of unusual states are stabilised in the regions where different forms of GS order compete, including a stripy phase with a local Z8 symmetry and a classical analogue of a chiral SL. This generic Hamiltonian also turns out to be a fruitful hunting ground for coexistence of different forms of magnetic order, or of order and disorder, which we find is a particular property of the kagome lattice arising from the odd number of spins per frustrated unit. These results are compared and contrasted with those obtained on the pyrochlore lattice, and connection is made with recent progress in understanding quantum models with S = 1/2