Classical Heisenberg antiferromagnets with nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions on the face-centered cubic lattice: a model for EuTe?

Abstract

Magnetic properties of the Heisenberg antiferromagnet with spin quantum numberS→∞ on the face-centered cubic lattice are studied as function of temperature and magnetic field, using molecular field approximation and Monte Carlo methods. In order to model Europiumtelluride, we use isotropic exchange interactions between nearest- and nextnearest neighbors; the values of these exchange constants are taken from experiments. In addition, a pseudo-dipolar anisotropy (truncated after the next-nearest neighbor distance) is included; the molecular field calculations also are performed with the full dipolar of real EuTe in two respects: the structure in zero magnetic field involves 8 sublattices in the model rather than only two; the bicritical point, above which in the temperatureT magnetic fieldH plane the spin flop phase appears, occurs atH=0 in the model rather than at nonzero field. Possible additional interactions responsible for these discrepancies are discussed. Applying finite size scaling techniques we give also a preliminary analysis of the critical behavior of the model.