Skip to main content
SHARE
Publication

Spin-orbit coupled j(eff)=1/2 iridium moments on the geometrically frustrated fcc lattice...

by Stephanie Matern, Ciaran Hickey, Adam A Aczel, A. Cook, A. Paramekanti
Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Physical Review B
Publication Date
Volume
92
Issue
2

Motivated by experiments on the double perovskites La2ZnIrO6 and La2MgIrO6, we study the magnetism of spin-orbit coupled j(eff) = 1/2 iridium moments on the three-dimensional, geometrically frustrated, face-centered cubic lattice. The symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor interaction includes Heisenberg, Kitaev, and symmetric off-diagonal exchange. A Luttinger-Tisza analysis shows a rich variety of orders, including collinear A-type antiferromagnetism, stripe order with moments along the {111} direction, and incommensurate noncoplanar spirals, and we use Monte Carlo simulations to determine their magnetic ordering temperatures. We argue that existing thermodynamic data on these iridates underscores the presence of a dominant Kitaev exchange, and also suggest a resolution to the puzzle of why La2ZnIrO6, but not La2MgIrO6, exhibits "weak" ferromagnetism.