Magnetic structures and Z₂ vortices in a non-Abelian gauge model

Abstract

The magnetic order of the triangular lattice with antiferromagnetic interactions is described by an SO(3) field and allows for the presence of Z₂ magnetic vortices as defects. In this work we show how these Z₂ vortices can be fitted into a local SU(2) gauge theory. We propose simple Ansätze for vortex configurations and calculate their energies using well-known results of the Abelian gauge model. We comment on how Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions could be derived from a non-Abelian gauge theory and speculate on their effect on nontrivial configurations.