Y. Todate et al., SPIN CORRELATION IN THE DILUTED TRIANGULAR-LATTICE ANTIFERROMAGNET LUFEMGO4, Physical review. B, Condensed matter, 57(1), 1998, pp. 485-491
Spin correlation in the diluted triangular-lattice antiferromagnet LuF
eMgO4 has been investigated. LuFeMgO4 is one of the simplest insulatin
g antiferromagnets where spin-glass-like random freezing is caused by
random dilution of the frustrating antiferromagnetic interactions. Sev
eral magnetic properties obtained by Monte Carlo simulation are compar
ed with experimental results including neutron scattering on a single
crystal. Possible ionic distribution of Fe3+ and Mg2+ on the triangula
r lattice is also examined. The simulation reproduces the characterist
ic short-range spin correlation remarkably well and provides a qualita
tive description on the ''observed'' freezing in this two-dimensional
model system. The short-range spin correlation itself does not change
significantly at the freezing temperature but forms a long-range netwo
rk of quasistatic spins. At lower temperature, a higher order structur
e of the short-range correlation is expected as a consequence of the r
esidual degree of freedom on the cluster orientation.