The problem of spin arrangement in ultrathin films of materials with competing medium-range interactions has been investigated by classical Monte Carlo simulations, assuming the model pertinent to bulk holmium.We find that in addition to distorted helical configurations at low temperature, unusual blocked phases—with some inner disordered planes intercalating ordered blocks and with the inner planes undergoing a Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition as the temperature rises—may appear at intermediate temperature. The blocked phases turn out to be much more structured than those predicted by mean-field calculations, and their contribution to the static structure factor appear substantially indistinguishable from that corresponding to helical order thus constituting a challenge for their experimental probing by conventional elastic scattering techniques.

Exotic magnetic structures in ultrathin helimagnetic holmium films / F. Cinti; A. Cuccoli; A. Rettori. - In: PHYSICAL REVIEW. B, CONDENSED MATTER AND MATERIALS PHYSICS. - ISSN 1098-0121. - STAMPA. - 78:(2008), pp. 020402(R)-1-020402(R)-4. [10.1103/PhysRevB.78.020402]

Exotic magnetic structures in ultrathin helimagnetic holmium films

CINTI, FABIO;CUCCOLI, ALESSANDRO;RETTORI, ANGELO
2008

Abstract

The problem of spin arrangement in ultrathin films of materials with competing medium-range interactions has been investigated by classical Monte Carlo simulations, assuming the model pertinent to bulk holmium.We find that in addition to distorted helical configurations at low temperature, unusual blocked phases—with some inner disordered planes intercalating ordered blocks and with the inner planes undergoing a Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition as the temperature rises—may appear at intermediate temperature. The blocked phases turn out to be much more structured than those predicted by mean-field calculations, and their contribution to the static structure factor appear substantially indistinguishable from that corresponding to helical order thus constituting a challenge for their experimental probing by conventional elastic scattering techniques.
2008
78
020402(R)-1
020402(R)-4
F. Cinti; A. Cuccoli; A. Rettori
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
CCR08.pdf

Accesso chiuso

Tipologia: Versione finale referata (Postprint, Accepted manuscript)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati
Dimensione 175.72 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
175.72 kB Adobe PDF   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/316572
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 16
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 16
social impact