The magnetic properties of α-NaFeO2 are studied by neutron diffraction and magnetization measurements. An ordered phase with spins aligned along the bhex axis exists at low temperatures (T < 4 K). At intermediate temperatures (4 K < T < 11 K), the system passes through an incommensurate ordered phase before transforming into a short range ordered state at higher temperatures that persists up to at least 50 K. Although the short range ordering does not persist to room temperature according to neutron diffraction, the magnetic susceptibility does not follow Curie-Weiss behavior, even up to 320 K. This rich magnetic behavior can be understood qualitatively as a competition between different magnetic exchange interactions that are similar in magnitude. The delicate balance between these interactions makes α-NaFeO2 a candidate for more detailed theoretical work to understand magnetic behavior in frustrated magnetic systems.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0703195,
title = {Magnetic Structure and Properties of the S = 5/2 Triangular Antiferromagnet $\alpha$-NaFeO$_2$},
author = {T. M. McQueen and Q. Huang and J. W. Lynn and R. F. Berger and T. Klimczuk and B. G. Ueland and P. Schiffer and R. J. Cava},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0703195},
year = {2009}
}