Phenomenological Magnetic Model in Tsai-Type Approximants

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phenomenological magnetic model for Tsai-type approximants that captures their magnetic structure and thermodynamics, highlighting the role of cubic symmetry and suggesting coexistence of order and aperiodicity.

Contribution

It presents a new magnetic model explaining magnetic behaviors in Tsai-type approximants and explores the potential coexistence of magnetic order with aperiodic structures.

Findings

Model reproduces magnetic structure observed in neutron diffraction

Explains thermodynamic properties of the approximants

Suggests coexistence of magnetic order and aperiodicity

Abstract

Motivated by recent discovery of canted ferromagnetism in Tsai-type approximants Au-Si-RE (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho), we propose a phenomenological magnetic model reproducing their magnetic structure and thermodynamic quantities. In the model, cubic symmetry ($m\bar{3}$) of the approximately-regular icosahedra plays a key role in the peculiar magnetic structure determined by a neutron diffraction experiment. Our magnetic model does not only explain magnetic behaviors in the quasicrystal approximants, but also provides a good starting point for the possibility of coexistence between magnetic long-range order and aperiodicity in quasicrystals.