Phase Diagram and Incommensurate Phases in Undoped Manganites

Abstract

We study the existence of incommensurate phases in the phase diagram of the two orbital double exchange model coupled with Jahn-Teller phonons and with superexchange interactions. In agreement with experimental results, we find that undoped manganites $RMnO_3$ ($R$ being some rare earth element) show temperature induced commensurate-incommensurate phase transitions. In the incommensurate phase the magnetic wave vector varies with temperature. The incommensurate phase arises from the competition between the short range antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction and the long range ferromagnetic double exchange interaction.