Phenomenological theory of helical multiple spin density waves in FCC transition metals

Abstract The relative stability among the 1- Q , 2- Q , and 3- Q helical spin density wave (SDW) states in FCC transition metals has been investigated on the basis of the Ginzburg–Landau free energy with the terms up to the fourth order in magnetic moments. The obtained magnetic-phase diagram in the space of the Landau parameters shows up the possibility of the 3- Q helical multiple SDW states, which has been neglected so far without detailed considerations in the band structure calculations of bulk cubic γ-Fe.