DZYALOSHINSKII-MORIYA INTERACTION IN THE CUPRATES

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, which arises from a mixture of superexchange and spin-orbit coupling NN Cu2+ spin with a term of the D(ij).(S(i) X S(j)). The coupling constants D(ij) are estimated for several cuprate crystal structures. The pattern of the D(ij) varies considerably between these structures and only in some cases causes a weak ferromagnetic component in an ordered antiferromagnetic of the Cu spins. In no case, however, does this interaction stabilize a flux phase.