Monte Carlo simulations on magnetic behavior of a spin-chain system in triangular lattice doped with antiferromagnetic bonds

Abstract

A three-dimensional Ising-like model doped with anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) bonds is proposed to investigate the magnetic properties of a doped triangular spin-chain system by using a Monte-Carlo simulation. The simulated results indicate that a steplike magnetization behavior is very sensitive to the concentration of AFM bonds. A low concentration of AFM bonds can suppress the stepwise behavior considerably, in accordance with doping experiments on Ca₃Co₂O₆. The analysis of spin snapshots demonstrates that the AFM bond doping not only breaks the ferromagnetic ordered linear spin chains along the hexagonal c-axis but also has a great influence upon the spin configuration in the ab-plane.