Partially disordered state and spin-lattice coupling in an S=32 triangular lattice antiferromagnet Ag ₂CrO ₂

Ag ₂CrO ₂ is an S=3/2 frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet without an orbital degree of freedom. With decreasing temperature, a four-sublattice spin state develops. However, a long-range partially disordered state with five sublattices abruptly appears at T _N=24 K, accompanied by a structural distortion, and persists at least down to 2 K. The spin-lattice coupling stabilizes the anomalous state, which is expected to appear only in limited ranges of further-neighbor interactions and temperature. It was found that the spin-lattice coupling is a common feature in triangular lattice antiferromagnets with multiple-sublattice spin states, since the triangular lattice is elastic.