Incommensurate Spiral Order from Double-Exchange Interactions

The double-exchange model describing interactions of itinerant electrons with localized spins is usually used to explain ferromagnetism in metals. We show that for a variety of crystal lattices of different dimensionalities and for a wide range of model parameters, the ferromagnetic state is unstable against a noncollinear spiral magnetic order. We revisit the phase diagram of the double-exchange model on a triangular lattice and show in a large part of the diagram the incommensurate spiral state has a lower energy than the previously discussed commensurate states. These results indicate that double-exchange systems are inherently frustrated and can host unconventional spin orders.