Unconventional magnets in external magnetic fields

Abstract

This short review surveys phenomena observed when a magnetic field is applied to a system of localised spins on a lattice. Its focus is on frustrated magnets in dimension d ≥ 2. The interplay of field and entropy is illustrated in the context of their unusual magnetocaloric properties, where field-tuned degeneracies assert themselves. Magnetisation plateaux can reveal the physics of fluctuations, with unusual excitations (such as local modes, extended string defects or monopoles) involved in plateau termination. Field-tuning lattice geometry is the final topic, where mechanisms for dimensional reduction and conversion between different lattice types are discussed. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.