Nontrivial magnetic order: Localized versus itinerant systems (invited) (abstract)

Abstract

Recently the interest in non-Neel ground states for antiferromagnetically interacting localized spin systems has been revived. We discuss to what extent the generalization of such states is possible for itinerant electrons. Multiple spin correlation functions can be used to enumerate nontrivial order parameters for localized spins. This approach can be applied to itinerant systems without any modification. However, for the transition which breaks translational symmetry, electronic states far away from the Fermi surface are important and, hence, there is no distinct energetic mechanism for the nontrivial magnetic ordering. The only exception is the Fermi surface with the nesting property. As it is shown, among all phases known for localized spins only p-type spin nematic and chiral spin states can appear as a result of a Fermi liquid breakdown with respect to the electron-hole condensation near the Fermi surface. All other phases with zero local average spin known for localized systems, either are accompanied by the charge density wave or persistent orbital currents creating orbital magnetic moments, or can not appear as a result of a phase transition driven by such mechanism. Although two aforementioned phases are equivalent to their counterparts for localized spins from the symmetry viewpoint, the driving order parameter in an itinerant case is not a multiple spin average, but a wave function of the electron-hole condensate.