Magnetic frustration in a stoichiometric spin-chain compound, Ca$_3$CoIrO$_6$

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetic properties of Ca$_3$CoIrO$_6$, revealing frustration-induced magnetic ordering below 30 K without typical antiferromagnetic signatures, highlighting its unique topological frustration effects in a stoichiometric spin-chain compound.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Ca$_3$CoIrO$_6$ exhibits magnetic frustration without conventional signatures, providing new insights into topological frustration in stoichiometric spin-chain materials.

Findings

Magnetic ordering occurs below 30 K without partial disorder signatures.

Large frequency dependence in ac susceptibility near 30 K.

Frustrated magnetic state remains stable under external magnetic fields.

Abstract

The temperature dependent ac and dc magnetization and heat capacity data of Ca$_3$CoIrO$_6$, a spin-chain compound crystallizing in a K$_4$CdCl$_6$-derived rhombohedral structure, show the features due to magnetic ordering of a frustrated-type below about 30 K, however without exhibiting the signatures of the so-called "partially disordered antiferromagnetic structure" encountered in the isostructural compounds, Ca$_3$Co$_2$O$_6$ and Ca$_3$CoRhO$_6$. This class of compounds thus provides a variety for probing the consequences of magnetic frustration due to topological reasons in stoichiometric spin-chain materials, presumably arising from subtle differences in the interchain and intrachain magnetic coupling strengths. This compound presents additional interesting situations in the sense that, ac susceptibility exhibits a large frequency dependence in the vicinity of 30 K uncharacteristic of conventional spin-glasses, with this frustrated magnetic state being robust to the application of external magnetic fields.