Magnetic Frustration Driven by Itinerancy in Spinel CoV2O4

Localized spins and itinerant electrons rarely coexist in geometrically-frustrated spinel lattices. They exhibit a complex interplay between localized spins and itinerant electrons. In this paper, we study the origin of the unusual spin structure of the spinel CoV2O4, which stands at the crossover from insulating to itinerant behavior using the first principle calculation and neutron diffraction measurement. In contrast to the expected paramagnetism, localized spins supported by enhanced exchange couplings are frustrated by the effects of delocalized electrons. This frustration produces a non-collinear spin state even without orbital orderings and may be responsible for macroscopic spin-glass behavior. Competing phases can be uncovered by external perturbations such as pressure or magnetic field, which enhances the frustration

Orbital Glass State of the Nearly Metallic Spinel Cobalt Vanadate

Strain, magnetization, dielectric relaxation, and unpolarized and polarized neutron diffraction measurements were performed to study the magnetic and structural properties of spinel Co1 amp; 8722;xV2 xO4. The strain measurement indicates that, upon cooling, amp; 916;L L in the order of amp; 8764;10 amp; 8722;4 starts increasing below TC, becomes maximum at Tmax, and then decreases and changes its sign at T . Neutron measurements indicate that a collinear ferrimagnetic order develops below TC and upon further cooling noncollinear ferrimagnetic ordering occurs below Tmax. At low temperatures, the dielectric constant exhibits a frequency dependence, indicating slow dynamics. These results indicate the existence of an orbital glassy state at low temperatures in this nearly metallic frustrated magnet. DOI 10.110