Spin glass state and enhanced spiral phase in doped delafossite oxide CuCrO2

Abstract

In this work, we study the doping effects on the magnetic states of CuCrO2 based on the classical frustrated spin model [Lin et al., Phys. Rev. B 89, 220405(R) (2014)]. Several experimental observations can be well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulations of the modified spin models. Our work suggests that the disorder induced by V/Al doping cooperated with the frustration in the system may contribute to the emergence of the spin glass state. Furthermore, the hole-doping by Mg2+ substituting Cr3+ enhances the quantum fluctuations and bond disorder which modulate the biquadratic exchanges, and in turn results in the promotion of the spiral phase, consistent with the experimental report.