In the quasi-one-dimensional cuprate PrBa2Cu4O8, the Pr cations order antiferromagnetically at 17 K in zero field. Through a combination of magnetic susceptibility, torque magnetometry, specific heat and interchain transport measurements, the anisotropic temperature-magnetic field phase diagram associated with this ordering has been mapped out. A low-temperature spin-flop transition in the Pr sub-lattice is found to occur at the same magnetic field strength and orientation as a dimensional crossover in the ground state of the metallic CuO chains. This coincidence suggests that the spin reorientation is driven by a change in the anisotropic Rudermann-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction induced by a corresponding change in effective dimensionality of the conduction electrons.
@article{arxiv.1009.2885,
title = {Dimensionality-driven spin-flop transition in quasi-one-dimensional PrBa2Cu4O8},
author = {Xiaofeng Xu and A. Carrington and A. I. Coldea and A. Enayati-Rad and A. Narduzzo and S. Horii and N. E. Hussey},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1009.2885},
year = {2015}
}