Quantum Scalar Spin Chirality in Coplanar Kagome Antiferromagnets
Nanse Esaki, Gyungchoon Go, Se Kwon Kim
TLDR
Quantum fluctuations can generate scalar spin chirality at zero temperature in coplanar kagome antiferromagnets, even without noncoplanar spin structures.
Key contributions
- Quantum fluctuations induce scalar spin chirality at zero temperature in coplanar kagome antiferromagnets.
- This chirality emerges when an effective antiunitary symmetry is broken and allowed by the magnetic point group.
- Scalar spin chirality fluctuations intensify with increasing temperature due to thermally excited magnons.
- The magnitude of these fluctuations can rival static chirality found in noncoplanar spin systems.
Why it matters
This paper reveals a new mechanism for generating scalar spin chirality in coplanar magnets, challenging previous assumptions. It highlights the significant role of quantum fluctuations and thermal effects in these systems. This understanding could lead to new insights into exotic magnetic phenomena.
Original Abstract
We theoretically demonstrate that quantum fluctuations inherent to antiferromagnets can generate scalar spin chirality at zero temperature even in coplanar ordered magnets. In a kagome antiferromagnet with coplanar ground-state spin configurations, the quantum-fluctuation-induced scalar spin chirality is shown to arise at zero temperature when an effective time-reversal-like antiunitary symmetry is broken in the Hamiltonian describing fluctuations, and a magnetic point group of the classical ground state allows for its presence. The scalar spin chirality fluctuations are shown to grow further with increasing temperature by thermally excited magnons. These scalar spin chirality fluctuations can reach a magnitude comparable to the static one predicted for noncoplanar spin structures, highlighting their physical implications in coplanar spin systems.
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