Universality of phase transitions of frustrated antiferromagnets

Abstract

Recent theoretical and experimental studies on the critical properties of frustrated antiferromagnets with the noncollinear spin order, including stacked-triangular antiferromagnets and helimagnets, are reviewed. Particular emphasis is put on the novel critical and multicritical behaviors exhibited by these magnets, together with an important role played by the ‘chirality’. Phase transitions and critical phenomena have been a central issue of statistical physics for many years. In particular, phase transitions of magnets or of ‘spin systems ’ have attracted special interest. Thanks to extensive theoretical and experimental studies, we now have rather good understanding of the nature of phase