Interplay between magnetic and spatial order in quasicrystals

Abstract

The stable magnetization configurations of antiferromagnets on quasiperiodic tilings are investigated theoretically. The exchange coupling is assumed to decrease exponentially with the distance between magnetic moments. It is demonstrated that the combination of geometric frustration and the quasiperiodic order of atoms leads to complicated non-collinear ground states. The structure can be divided into subtilings of different energies. The symmetry of the subtilings depends on the quasiperiodic order of magnetic moments. The subtilings are spatially ordered. However, the magnetic ordering of the subtilings in general does not correspond to their spatial arrangements. While subtilings of low energy are magnetically ordered, those of high energy can be completely disordered due to local magnetic frustration.