Transient selection of competing order in frustrated spin Peierls systems after a quench

Abstract

We study theoretically the dynamics of frustrated spin Peierls systems after a quench from the paramagnetic state to the magnetically ordered state. By constructing and numerical simulating a minimal model, we show that it can exhibit a transient non-collinear magnetic order before settling in the equilibrium collinear magnetic order. The transient magnetic order is selected by the phonon fluctuations originated from the initial state. Our results reveal a mechanism for controlling the phases of matter by exploiting incoherent, nonequilibrium fluctuations.