Magnetism in Parent Iron Chalcogenides: Quantum Fluctuations Select Plaquette Order

Samuel Ducatman, Natalia B. Perkins, and Andrey Chubukov
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 157206 – Published 12 October 2012
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Abstract

We analyze magnetic order in Fe chalcogenide Fe1+yTe, the parent compound of the high-temperature superconductor Fe1+yTe1xSex. Experiments show that magnetic order in this material contains components with momentum Q1=(π/2,π/2) and Q2=(π/2,π/2) in the Fe only Brillouin zone. The actual spin order depends on the interplay between these two components. Previous works assumed that the ordered state has a single Q (either Q1 or Q2). In such a state, spins form double stripes along one of the diagonals breaking the rotational C4 symmetry. We show that quantum fluctuations actually select another order—a double Q plaquette state with equal weight of Q1 and Q2 components, which preserves C4 symmetry. We argue that the order in Fe1+yTe is determined by the competition between quantum fluctuations and magnetoelastic coupling.

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  • Received 9 July 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.157206

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Samuel Ducatman, Natalia B. Perkins, and Andrey Chubukov

  • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA

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Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 15 — 12 October 2012

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