Partially disordered antiferromagnetic state in two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet

The partially disordered antiferromagnetic (PDA) state, as an exotic phase peculiar to the antiferromagnet with Ising spin in triangular lattice, is investigated by using Monte Carlo simulations of Wang-Landau algorithm and Glauber algorithm. It is revealed that PDA state, as the ground state of the triangular antiferromagnetic system, presents the complicated spin configuration due to geometrical frustration. The formation of multi-domain structure within the framework of honeycomb antiferromagnet results in the high degeneracy of PDA state. And this degeneracy of ground state can be lifted by a small magnetic field. Consequently the system shows the ferrimagnetic state, and the magnetization plateau of 1/3 saturate value (M(s)) is observed in many experiments. Moreover, due to the multi-domain structure of PDA state and those spins on domain walls. the metastable steps may manifest themselves superposed on the 1/3M(s) plateau in some special cases. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.