Spin-chain system as a tunable simulator of frustrated planar magnetism

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that spin-chain systems, specifically BaCo2V2O8, can serve as tunable simulators for frustrated planar magnetism by controlling interchain interactions with magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces a method to emulate frustrated planar magnetism using spin chains with tunable interactions, revealing new ordered states.

Findings

Identification of two ordered states in BaCo2V2O8 via NMR.

Demonstration of continuous tuning of J1 with magnetic field.

Spin chains can simulate frustrated planar magnetic systems.

Abstract

At low temperatures, weakly coupled spin chains develop a magnetic order that reflects the character of gapless spin fluctuations along the chains. Using nuclear magnetic resonance, we identify and characterize two ordered states in the gapless region of the antiferromagnetic, Ising-like spin-chain system BaCo2V2O8, both arising from the incommensurate fluctuations along the chains. They correspond to the columnar and ferromagnetic ordered states of the frustrated J1-J2 spin model on a square lattice, where the spins are encoded in original spin chains. As a result of field-dependent incommensurate fluctuations and frustrated interchain interaction, J1 can be tuned continuously with the magnetic field, and its value with respect to a fixed J2 selects the ordered state. Spin-chain systems can thus be used as tunable simulators of frustrated planar magnetism.