Spin-Density Wave as a Superposition of Two Magnetic States of Opposite Chirality and Its Implications

A magnetic solid with weak spin frustration tends to adopt a noncollinear magnetic structure such as a cycloidal structure below a certain temperature and a spin-density wave (SDW) slightly above this temperature. The causes for these observations were explored by studying the magnetic structure of BaYFeO4, which undergoes a SDW and a cycloidal phase transition below 48 and 36 K, respectively, in terms of the density functional theory calculations. We show that a SDW structure arises from a superposition of two magnetic states of opposite chirality, an SDW state precedes a chiral magnetic state because of the lattice relaxation, and whether a SDW is transversal or longitudinal is governed by the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic ions.