Competing energetic states in γ-Fe₂WO₆ with strong spin-charge-lattice coupling

We report magnetic and electronic properties of γ-Fe₂WO₆ via neutron powder diffraction measurements and first-principles density function theory calculations. We reveal a magnetic ground state which is distinct from an earlier report [1], despite the fact that both materials studied have the same space group but with slightly different atomic positions. Interestingly, both spin structures are well captured by first-principles calculations. Furthermore, we show that the spin structures of this system are correlated with electronic properties, with one being insulating and the other being metallic. These features suggest that γ-Fe₂WO₆ exhibits competing energetic states in which spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom are strongly coupled to each other.

[1] H. Pinto, M. Melamud, and H. Shaked, Acta Crystallogr., Sect. A: Cryst. Phys., Diffr., Theor. Gen. Crystallogr. 33, 663 (1977).