Stability and symmetry of the spin-density-wave state in chromium

Magnetic Structure of CoO

The paper reports evidence that the multi-spin-axis magnetic structure proposed in 1964 by van Laar is realized in antiferromagnetic CoO. This tetragonal spin arrangement produces both the strong tetragonal and the weaker monoclinic distortion experimentally observed in this material. The monoclinic distortion is proposed to be a “monoclinic-like” distortion of the array of the oxygen atoms, comparable with the rhombohedral-like distortion of the oxygen atoms recently proposed to be present in NiO and MnO. The monoclinic-like distortion has no influence on the tetragonal magnetic structure, which is generated by a special nonadiabatic atomic-like motion of the electrons near the Fermi level. It is argued that it is this atomic-like motion that qualifies CoO to be a Mott insulator.

Nonadiabatic Atomic-Like State Stabilizing Antiferromagnetism and Mott Insulation in MnO

This paper reports evidence that the antiferromagnetic and insulating ground state of MnO is caused by a nonadiabatic atomic-like motion, as is evidently the case in NiO. In addition, it is shown that experimental findings on the displacements of the Mn and O atoms in the antiferromagnetic phase of MnO corroborate the presented suggestion that the rhombohedral-like distortion in antiferromagnetic MnO, as well as in antiferromagnetic NiO is an inner distortion of the monoclinic base-centered Bravais lattice of the antiferromagnetic phases.

Structural Distortion Stabilizing the Antiferromagnetic and Insulating Ground State of NiO

We report evidence that the experimentally observed small deformation of antiferromagnetic NiO modifies the symmetry of the crystal in such a way that the antiferromagnetic state becomes an eigenstate of the electronic Hamiltonian. This deformation closely resembles a rhombohedral contraction, but does not possess the perfect symmetry of a trigonal (rhombohedral) space group. We determine the monoclinic base centered magnetic space group of the antiferromagnetic structure within the deformed crystal which is strongly influenced by the time-inversion symmetry of the Hamiltonian. The antiferromagnetic state is evidently stabilized by a nonadiabatic atomic-like motion of the electrons near the Fermi level. This atomic-like motion is characterized by the symmetry of the Bloch functions near the Fermi level and provides in NiO a perfect basis for a Mott insulator in the antiferromagnetic phase.