Phase diagram of the Kondo lattice model on the kagome lattice

Abstract

We consider the potential for novel forms of magnetism arising from the subtle interplay between electrons and spins in the underscreened kagome Kondo lattice model. At weak coupling, we show that incommensurate noncoplanar multiwave vector magnetic orders arise at nearly all fillings and that this results from Fermi surface effects that introduce competing interactions between the spins. At strong coupling, we find that such a complex order survives near half filling despite the presence of ferromagnetism at all other fillings. We show this arises due to state selection among a massive degeneracy of states at infinite coupling. Finally, we show that at intermediate filling only commensurate orders seem to survive, but these orders still include noncoplanar magnetism. So, the mere presence of both local moments and itinerant electrons enables complex orders to form unlike any currently observed in kagome materials.