Geometric Frustration in the Mixed Layer Pnictide Oxides

The authors present results from a Monte Carlo investigation of a simple bilayer model with geometrically frustrated interactions similar to those found in the mixed layer pnictide oxides (Sr{sub 2}Mn{sub 3}Pn{sub 2}O{sub 2}, Pn = As, Sb). The model is composed of two inequivalent square lattices with nearest-neighbor intra- and interlayer interactions. They find a ground state composed of two independent Neel ordered layers when the interlayer exchange is an order of magnitude weaker than the intralayer exchange, as suggested by experiment. Evidence for local orthogonal order between the layers is found, but it occurs in regions of parameter space which are not experimentally realized. Qualitatively similar results were observed in models with a larger number of layers. They conclude that frustration caused by nearest-neighbor interactions in the mixed layer pnictide oxides is not sufficient to explain the long-range orthogonal order that is observed experimentally.