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Absence of Spontaneous Magnetic Order of Lattice Spins Coupled to Itinerant Interacting Electrons in One and Two Dimensions

Daniel Loss, Fabio L. Pedrocchi, and Anthony J. Leggett
Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 107201 – Published 1 September 2011
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Abstract

We extend the Mermin-Wagner theorem to a system of lattice spins which are spin coupled to itinerant and interacting charge carriers. We use the Bogoliubov inequality to rigorously prove that neither (anti-) ferromagnetic nor helical long-range order is possible in one and two dimensions at any finite temperature. Our proof applies to a wide class of models including any form of electron-electron and single-electron interactions that are independent of spin. In the presence of Rashba or Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions (SOI) magnetic order is not excluded and intimately connected to equilibrium spin currents. However, in the special case when Rashba and Dresselhaus SOIs are tuned to be equal, magnetic order is excluded again. This opens up a new possibility to control magnetism electrically.

  • Received 6 July 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.107201

© 2011 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Balance excludes magnetism

Published 1 September 2011

Magnetic ordering in a low-dimensional spin system cannot be generally excluded in the presence of spin-orbit interactions.

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Authors & Affiliations

Daniel Loss1, Fabio L. Pedrocchi1, and Anthony J. Leggett2

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
  • 2Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801-3080, USA

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Issue

Vol. 107, Iss. 10 — 2 September 2011

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