arXiv subjects

M. E. Zhitomirsky

Publications and source records attributed to M. E. Zhitomirsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum-classical correspondence for spins at finite temperatures: theory and applications

We derive a rigorous quantum-to-classical mapping for interacting spin systems at finite temperatures. Specifically, the large-$S$ asymptotic form of the partition function is given by the partition function of a classical model for vectors of length $S_C=\sqrt{S(S+1)}$. Quantum corrections to the asymptotic result form a series in powers of $1/[S(S+1)]$. We calculate the leading temperature-independent quantum correction to the magnetic anisotropy constant. The established mapping justifies the use of classical Monte Carlo simulations for realistic magnetic Hamiltonians, including anisotropic and frustrated interactions. As an application, we compute the Curie and Néel temperatures for a range of magnetic materials with known microscopic interaction constants. The obtained transition temperatures are in good agreement with measured values. Monte Carlo results for the magnetic susceptibility of the collinear antiferromagnet MnF$_2$ above and below the transition are also compared with experimental data.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Field-induced states and thermodynamics of the frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice

We investigate the ground-state and finite-temperature properties of the $J_1$-$J_2$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice in the presence of an external magnetic field. We focus on the highly frustrated regime around $J_2 \approx J_1/2$. The $h$-$T$ phase diagram is investigated with particular emphasis on the finite-temperature transition into the "up-up-up-down" state that is stabilized by thermal and quantum fluctuations and manifests itself as a plateau at one half of the saturation magnetization in the quantum case. We also discuss the enhanced magnetocaloric effect associated to the ground-state degeneracy that arises at the saturation field for $J_2=J_1/2$. For reference, we first study the classical case by classical Monte Carlo simulations. Then we turn to the extreme quantum limit of spin-1/2 where we perform zero- and finite-temperature Lanczos calculations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Magnetocaloric Effect of Pure and Diluted Quantum Magnet Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$

The magnetocaloric effect in the quantum dipolar magnet Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ is studied both for pure material and with non-magnetic substitution: (Yb$_{1-x}$Y$_x$)$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$. Magnetization measurements have been performed on a single crystal, $x=0$, and on powder samples with $x = 0.2$ and 0.4 in the temperature range between 70 mK to 300 K and in magnetic fields up to 8 T. The magnetic entropy change $ΔS_m$, a key figure of merit for adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration, has been derived from the magnetization data. The $x=0.2$ sample exhibits the volumetric entropy variation comparable to, and at low fields even enhanced relative to, the pure compound. In contrast, the 40\%\ diluted sample shows a reduced effect, consistent with the conventional dilution picture. The Curie-Weiss law fits reveal positive Curie temperatures in both diluted samples, indicating the persistence of ferromagnetic correlations. The robustness of the magnetocaloric response upon moderate dilution highlights the potential of YbGG-based materials for low-temperature magnetic cooling applications, particularly in addressing thermal conductivity challenges through the chemical substitution without compromising cooling power.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Longitudinal magnons in large-$S$ easy-axis magnets

Longitudinal magnons are a distinct type of multipolar excitations in magnetic materials with large spins $S\ge 1$ and strong easy-axis anisotropy. These excitations have angular momentum $S^z = \pm 2S$ and can be viewed as a propagating full spin reversal. We study longitudinal magnons for the nearest-neighbor Heisenberg ferromagnet and antiferromagnet on a square lattice with large single-ion anisotropy. In the strong-coupling limit, we derive an effective spin-1/2 model including two leading contributions in $J/D$. The effective model provides a simple description of the longitudinal magnon dynamics. For $S=1$, we compare results from several theoretical approaches that include the effective spin-1/2 model, the linked-cluster expansion, the multiboson spin-wave theory, and, for a ferromagnet, an exact two-particle solution. Among these approaches, the multiboson spin-wave theory provides the decay rate of longitudinal magnons and describes evolution of the excitation spectra from strong to weak anisotropy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Strong and selective magnon-phonon coupling in van der Waals antiferromagnet CoPS$_3$

The Raman scattering response of the biaxial antiferromagnet CoPS$_3$ has been investigated as a function of both magnetic field and temperature. The peaks observed in the low-frequency spectral range (90--200~cm$^{-1}$) have been identified as hybrid magnon--phonon excitations. The energies of the bare magnon and phonon modes, as well as the effective coupling strengths between different excitation pairs, have been determined. The strong and selective magnon--phonon interaction largely accounts for the pronounced splitting of two phonon-like modes observed at 152~cm$^{-1}$ and 158~cm$^{-1}$ in the antiferromagnetic phase of CoPS$_3$. Based on the identification of bare magnon excitations and their magnetic-field dependence, we propose an updated set of parameters for the effective exchange ($J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 9.9$~meV) and biaxial magnetic anisotropy ($D = 4.3$~meV and $E = -0.7$~meV) and advocate for an apparent anisotropic $g$-factor ($g_x = g_y = 2$, $g_z = 4$) in the CoPS$_3$ antiferromagnet.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Defect-induced spin textures in magnetic solids

Vacancy defects in isotropic noncollinear antiferromagnets produce long-range spin textures. By developing a "magnetic elasticity theory", we demonstrate that a vacancy-induced readjustment in the spin configuration decays algebraically with distance. The power law exponent depends on the multipole moment of a local spin deformation, which in turn is determined by the lattice symmetry and an equilibrium spin configuration in the absence of defects. The role of these two factors is highlighted for the J1-J2 Heisenberg model on a kagome lattice. A vacancy in this model generates spin deformations that decay as 1/r^2 for the q=0 ground state and as a 1/r for the sqrt{3} x sqrt{3} magnetic structure. The analytic conclusions are confirmed by extensive numerical simulations. We also compute the fractional magnetic moments associated with vacancies and other lattice defects. Our results shed light on relative fragility of different magnetic structures with respect to spin glass formation at higher doping levels.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Fully-frustrated octahedral antiferromagnets: emergent complexity in external field

Octahedral antiferromagnets are distinguished by crystal lattices composed of octahedra of magnetic ions. In the fully frustrated case, the Heisenberg Hamiltonian can be represented as a sum of squares of total spins for each octahedral block. We study the fully frustrated spin model for a lattice of edge-shared octahedra, which corresponds to the J1-J2 fcc antiferromagnet with J2/J1 = 1/2. The magnetization process at this strongly frustrated point features a remarkably rich sequence of different magnetic phases that include fractional plateaus at m = 1/3 and 2/3 values of the total magnetization. By performing extensive Monte Carlo simulations we construct the H-T phase diagram of the classical model with eight field-induced states, which acquire stability via the order by disorder mechanism. These antiferromagnetic states have distinct spin configurations of their octahedral blocks. The same spin configurations are also relevant for the fully frustrated corner-shared model bringing an apparent similarity to their field-induced states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Uncommon magnetic ordering in the quantum magnet Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$

The antiferromagnetic structure of Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$ is identified by neutron diffraction experiments below the previously-known transition at $T_λ=54$ mK. The magnetic propagation vector is found to be ${\bf k}=(1/2, 1/2, 0)$, an unusual wave-vector in the garnet structure. The associated complex magnetic structure highlights the role of exchange interactions in a nearly isotropic system dominated by dipolar interactions and finds echos with exotic structures theoretically proposed. Reduced values of the ordered moments may indicate significant quantum fluctuations in this effective spin-1/2 geometrically frustrated magnet.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Tuning THz magnons in a mixed van-der-Waals antiferromagnet

Alloying stands out as a pivotal technological method employed across various compounds, be they metallic, magnetic, or semiconducting, serving to fine-tune their properties to meet specific requirements. Ternary semiconductors represent a prominent example of such alloys. They offer fine-tuning of electronic bands, the band gap in particular, thus granting the technology of semiconductor heterostructures devices, key elements in current electronics and optoelectronics. In the realm of magnetically ordered systems, akin to electronic bands in solids, spin waves exhibit characteristic dispersion relations, featuring sizeable magnon gaps in many antiferromagnets. The engineering of the magnon gap constitutes a relevant direction in current research on antiferromagnets, aiming to leverage their distinct properties for THz technologies, spintronics, or magnonics. In this study, we showcase the tunability of the magnon gap across the THz spectral range within an alloy comprising representative semiconducting van-der-Waals antiferromagnets FePS$_3$ and NiPS$_3$. These constituents share identical in-plane crystal structures, magnetic unit cells and the direction of the magnetic anisotropy, but differ in the amplitude and sign of the latter. Altogether these attributes result in the wide tunability of the magnon gap in the Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$PS$_3$ alloy in which the magnetic order is imposed by stronger, perpendicular anisotropy of iron.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Metamagnetism and tricriticalilty in heavy-fermion ferromagnet URhGe

URhGe is a ferromagnetic superconductor with a distinctive magnetic behavior. In a field applied parallel to the b-axis and perpendicular to the easy axis, URhGe exhibits an abrupt orientational transition of the magnetization with a reentrant superconducting phase emerging close to the transition field. We develop a theoretical description of the magnetic properties of URhGe by considering a spin model with competing magnetic anisotropies. The model is analyzed both analytically at zero temperature and with Monte Carlo simulations at finite temperatures. The constructed H-T phase diagram for a magnetic field parallel to the b-axis features a tricritical point on the line of phase transitions between the ferromagnetic Ising state and the paramagnetic phase. We also demonstrate that the asymptotic tricritical behavior of the order parameter and the correlation length is described by the mean-field critical exponents.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Transverse and longitudinal magnons in strongly anisotropic antiferromagnet FePSe3

FePSe3 is a collinear honeycomb antiferromagnet with an easy-axis anisotropy and large spins S=2. It belongs to a family of magnetic van der Waals materials, which recently attracted a considerable attention. In this work we present an experimental magneto-optical study of the low-energy excitation spectrum in FePSe3, together with its theoretical description. The observed response contains several types of magnon excitations. Two of them are conventional transverse magnons described by a classical theory of antiferromagnetic resonance. Two other modes are identified as multimagnon hexadecapole excitations with an anomalous g factor approximately equal to four times the g factor of a single Fe^2+ ion. These quasiparticles correspond to full reversals of iron spins that coherently propagate in the up-down antiferromagnetic structure. They constitute a novel type of collective excitations in anisotropic magnetic solids, called longitudinal magnons. Comparison between theory and experiment allows us to estimate the microscopic parameters of FePSe3 including exchange coupling constants and the single-ion anisotropy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Magneto-optical sensing of the pressure driven magnetic ground states in bulk CrSBr

Competition between exchange interactions and magnetocrystalline anisotropy may bring new magnetic states that are of great current interest. An applied hydrostatic pressure can further be used to tune their balance. In this work we investigate the magnetization process of a biaxial antiferromagnet in an external magnetic field applied along the easy axis. We find that the single metamagnetic transition of the Ising type observed in this material under ambient pressure transforms under hydrostatic pressure into two transitions, a first-order spin flop transition followed by a second order transition towards a polarized ferromagnetic state near saturation. This reversible tuning into a new magnetic phase is obtained in layered bulk CrSBr at low temperature by varying the interlayer distance using high hydrostatic pressure, which efficiently acts on the interlayer magnetic exchange, and is probed by magneto-optical spectroscopy.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Chiral nematic and fluctuation-induced first-order phase transitions in AB-stacked kagome bilayers

We study a Heisenberg-Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Hamiltonian on AB-stacked kagome bilayers at finite temperature. In a large portion of the parameter space, we observe three transitions upon cooling the system: a crossover from Heisenberg to the XY chiral paramagnet, Kosterlitz-Thouless transition to a chiral nematic phase, and a fluctuation-induced first-order transition to an Ising-like phase. We characterize the properties of phases numerically using Monte Carlo finite-size analysis. To further explain the nature of the observed phase transitions, we develop an analytical coarse-graining procedure that maps the Hamiltonian onto a generalized XY model on a triangular lattice. To leading order, this effective model includes both bilinear and biquadratic interactions and is able to correctly predict the two phase transitions. Lastly, we study the Ising fluctuations at low temperatures and establish that the origin of the first-order transition stems from the quasi-degenerate ring manifold in the momentum space.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Where is the Quantum Spin Nematic?

We provide strong evidence of the spin-nematic state in a paradigmatic ferro-antiferromagnetic $J_1$--$J_2$ model using analytical and density-matrix renormalization group methods. In zero field, the attraction of spin-flip pairs leads to a first-order transition and no nematic state, while pair-repulsion at larger $J_2$ stabilizes the nematic phase in a narrow region near the pair-condensation field. A devil's staircase of multi-pair condensates is conjectured for weak pair-attraction. A suppression of the spin-flip gap by many-body effects leads to an order-of-magnitude contraction of the nematic phase compared to naïve expectations. The proposed phase diagram should be broadly valid.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Comparative study of magnetocaloric properties for Gd$^{3+}$ compounds with different frustrated lattice geometries

As materials with suppressed ordering temperatures and enhanced ground state entropies, frustrated magnetic oxides are ideal candidates for cryogenic magnetocaloric refrigeration. While previous materials design has focused on tuning the magnetic moments, their interactions, and density of moments on the lattice, there has been relatively little attention to frustrated lattices. Prior theoretical work has shown that the magnetocaloric cooling rate at the saturation field is proportional to a macroscopic number of soft mode excitations that arise due to the classical ground state degeneracy. The number of these modes is directly determined by the geometry of the frustrating lattice. For corner-sharing geometries, the pyrochlore has 50\% more modes than the garnet and kagome lattices, whereas the edge-sharing \emph{fcc} has only a subextensive number of soft modes. Here, we study the role of soft modes in the magnetocaloric effect of four large-spin Gd$^{3+}$ ($L=0$, $J=S=7/2$) Heisenberg antiferromagnets on a kagome, garnet, pyrochlore, and \emph{fcc} lattice. By comparing measurements of the magnetic entropy change $ΔS_m$ of these materials at fields up to $9$~T with predictions using mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations, we are able to understand the relative importance of spin correlations and quantization effects. We observe that tuning the value of the nearest neighbor coupling has a more dominant contribution to the magnetocaloric entropy change in the liquid-He cooling regime ($2$-$20$~K), rather than tuning the number of soft mode excitations. Our results inform future materials design in terms of dimensionality, degree of magnetic frustration, and lattice geometry.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Microscopic parameters of the van der Waals CrSBr antiferromagnet from microwave absorption experiments

Microwave absorption experiments employing a phase-sensitive external resistive detection are performed for a topical van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr. The field dependence of two resonance modes is measured in an applied field parallel to the three principal crystallographic directions, revealing anisotropies and magnetic transitions in this material. To account for the observed results, we formulate a microscopic spin model with a bi-axial single-ion anisotropy and inter-plane exchange. Theoretical calculations give an excellent description of full magnon spectra enabling us to precisely determine microscopic interaction parameters for CrSBr.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Noncoplanar multi-k states in frustrated spinel and kagome magnets

We investigate analytically and numerically the classical ground states of frustrated Heisenberg models on pyrochlore and kagome lattices in zero and finite magnetic fields. Each model has a wide region in the microscopic parameter space, where the propagation vector is turned to a commensurate position equal to a half of the reciprocal lattice vector with a nontrivial star. Within these regions the zero-field ground states for both models correspond to noncoplanar triple-k spin configurations. A universal appearance of the 3-k states can be related to the spin-space dimensionality. A strong magnetic field freezes the longitudinal spin component reducing the spin-space dimensionality. Accordingly, we find transitions into the double-k magnetic structures induced by applied field for both spin models. The predicted transition between 3-k and 2-k states may explain the hitherto unexplained transitions observed experimentally in cubic spinels GeNi2O4 and GeCo2O4 under magnetic field.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Ground state selection by magnon interactions in the fcc antiferromagnet

We study the nearest-neighbor Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a face-centered cubic lattice with arbitrary spin S. The model exhibits degenerate classical ground states including two collinear structures AF1 and AF3 described by different propagation vectors that are prime candidates for the quantum ground state. We compute the energy for each of the two states as a function of S using the spin-wave theory that includes magnon-magnon interaction in a self-consistent way and the numerical coupled cluster method. Our results unambiguously demonstrate that quantum fluctuations stabilize the AF1 state for realistic values of spin. Transition to the harmonic spin-wave result, which predicts the AF3 state, takes place only for S > 10. We also study quantum renormalization of the magnon spectra for both states as a function of spin.

cond-mat.str-el↗