Reentrant behavior and possible $2/3$ magnetization plateau on the double-trillium langbeinite K$_2$Ni$_2$(SO$_4$)$_3$
Abstract
KNi(SO) is a member of the langbeinite family, consisting of two intertwined trillium lattices, out of which one is strongly coupled (strong-TL) and the other is weakly coupled (weak-TL). Further inter-trillium interactions give rise to a highly-frustrated Heisenberg Hamiltonian. Despite ordering at low temperatures, KNi(SO) lies close in parameter space to a spin-liquid region that surrounds the tetratrillium limit, where each triangle belonging to strong-TL turns into a tetrahedron by connecting to a single spin from weak-TL. Here, we compare the experimentally determined magnetization process using pulsed magnetic fields up to T with classical Monte Carlo calculations, uncovering a series of phase transitions at both low and intermediate fields. Furthermore, we reveal a signature of a magnetization plateau consisting of a phase on strong-TL and a fully polarized phase on weak-TL. Although in the classical limit no plateau is expected, we find a very prominent dome structure reflecting the tendency of the system to stabilize this particular spin configuration. The presence of a dome leads to a reentrant phenomenon in which the system recovers the Hamiltonian symmetries when increasing the magnetic field. Finally, we show that this plateau-like phase is also present in the classical Heisenberg model on the single trillium and tetratrillium lattices, indicating its possible presence in the large family of double-trillium langbeinite compounds. Our findings motivate future studies on the presence of the plateau phase in the quantum limit of both trillium and double-trillium materials within the langbeinite family.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.13263,
title = {Reentrant behavior and possible $2/3$ magnetization plateau on the double-trillium langbeinite K$_2$Ni$_2$(SO$_4$)$_3$},
author = {Matías G. Gonzalez and Yurii Skourski and Johannes Reuther and Ivica Živković},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.13263},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
9 pages, 9 figures