Quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice RbFe(MoO4)2 -: art. no. 094434

RbFe(MoO4)(2) is a rare example of a nearly two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice. Magnetic resonance spectra and magnetization curves reveal that the system has a layered spin structure with six magnetic sublattices. The sublattices within a layer are arranged in a triangular manner with the magnetization vectors 120degrees apart. The H-T phase diagram, containing at least five different magnetic phases is constructed. In zero field, RbFe(MoO4)(2) undergoes a phase transition at T-N = 3.8 K into a noncollinear triangular spin structure with all the spins confined in the basal plane. The application of an in-plane magnetic field induces a collinear spin state between the fields H-c1 = 47 kOe and H-c2 = 71 kOe and produces a magnetization plateau at one-third of the saturation moment. Both the ESR and the magnetization measurements also clearly indicate an additional first-order phase transition in a field of 35 kOe. The exact nature of this phase transition is uncertain.