Jahn–Teller Magnets

Abstract

A wide class of materials with different crystal and electronic structures including quasi-2D unconventional superconductors, such as cuprates, nickelates, ferropnictides/chalcogenides, ruthenate Sr2RuO4, and 3D systems, such as manganites RMnO3, ferrates (CaSr)FeO3, nickelates RNiO3, silver oxide AgO, are based on Jahn–Teller 3d and 4d ions. These unusual materials, called Jahn–Teller (JT) magnets, are characterized by an extremely rich variety of phase states, spanning from non-magnetic and magnetic insulators to unusual metallic and superconducting states. The unconventional properties of JT magnets can be attributed to the instability of their highly symmetric Jahn–Teller “progenitors” with the ground orbital E-state with repect to charge transfer, anti-Jahn–Teller d-d disproportionation, and the formation of a system of effective local composite spin–singlet or spin–triplet, electronic, or hole S-type bosons moving in a non-magnetic or magnetic lattice. We consider specific features of the anti-JT-disproportionation reaction, properties of the electron–hole dimers, possible phase states and effective Hamiltonians for single- and two-band JT magnets, concluding with a short overview of physical properties for actual JT magnets.