Superstructures at low spin - high spin transitions

Abstract

In many transition metal compounds, in particular those containing Fe^{2+} and Co^{3+}, there occur spin-state transitions between low-spin and high-spin (or intermediate-spin) states. We show that typical interactions between similar spin-state ions are short-range repulsion, and long-range interaction which can have different sign depending on the elastic anisotropy of the lattice and on the direction between respective ions. Due to such character of effective interactions at the spin-state transitions there may occur different superstructures -- ordered arrangement of different spin-states, which in particular may have the form of stripes. The properties of the system TlSr_2CoO_5 for which such a superstructure was recently observed experimentally, are discussed from this point of view.