Chiral critical lines of stacked triangular antiferromagnets under magnetic fields

Abstract

The critical behavior of weakly anisotropic stacked triangular antiferromagnets in applied magnetic fields is studied. Under appropriate conditions, an unusual chiral criticality is shown to occur universally along a critical line. Several experiments are proposed that might serve to discriminate between the chiral universality scenario for the phase transition of chiral magnets and the nonuniversality scenario. Critical behavior under an applied stress is also discussed.