On the Competition between Ferromagnetic and Antiferromagnetic States in Sr$_2$MnMoO$_6

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetic states of Sr$_2$MnMoO$_6$, showing that its ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic configurations are energetically close, influenced by structural distortions, which impacts its magnetic properties.

Contribution

It reveals the near-degeneracy of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic states in Sr$_2$MnMoO$_6$ and the role of breathing distortion in determining magnetic behavior.

Findings

Ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic states are nearly degenerate in energy.

Structural distortions influence the magnetic state stability.

The magnetic behavior depends on the breathing distortion magnitude.

Abstract

It is argued that the magnetic behavior of Sr$_2$MnMoO$_6$ is determined by the existence of two total energy minima corresponding to the metallic ferromagnetic and insulating antiferromagnetic states, which may be nearly degenerate depending on the magnitude of the breathing distortion.