Frustration from Localized Zhang-Rice States: A Unified Theory of Doping-Driven Magnetic Transitions in Cuprates
Abstract
The microscopic mechanism by which doped holes disrupt the antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is one of the fundamental questions in cuprates. In this work, we propose a unified microscopic theory in which doped holes form spatially localized Zhang-Rice singlets which actively mediate emergent spin exchange. Rather than acting as simple non-magnetic vacancies, these localized states introduce emergent next-nearest J2 and third-nearest J3 neighbor superexchanges. This dopant-induced exchange pathway generates significant magnetic frustration, naturally explaining the rapid collapse of the Néel AFM order and the emergence of a spin-glass phase on the hole-doped side. In contrast, electron doping primarily leads to spin dilution, allowing AFM order to persist to substantially higher doping levels, consistent with the experimentally observed electron-hole asymmetry. Our findings provide a unified microscopic framework for understanding doping-driven magnetic transitions in lightly doped cuprates.
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BibTeX
@misc{wang2026frustration,
title = {{Frustration from Localized Zhang-Rice States: A Unified Theory of Doping-Driven Magnetic Transitions in Cuprates}},
author = {Xiaodong Wang and Ping Xu and Jiong Mei and Shao-Hang Shi and Zi-Xiang Li and Mingpu Qin and Kun Jiang and Hui-Ke Jin},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2605.18453},
eprint = {2605.18453},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.18453},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Frustration from Localized Zhang-Rice States: A Unified Theory of Doping-Driven Magnetic Transitions in Cuprates
AU - Xiaodong Wang
AU - Ping Xu
AU - Jiong Mei
AU - Shao-Hang Shi
AU - Zi-Xiang Li
AU - Mingpu Qin
AU - Kun Jiang
AU - Hui-Ke Jin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2605.18453
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.18453
AB - The microscopic mechanism by which doped holes disrupt the antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is one of the fundamental questions in cuprates. In this work, we propose a unified microscopic theory in which doped holes form spatially localized Zhang-Rice singlets which actively mediate emergent spin exchange. Rather than acting as simple non-magnetic vacancies, these localized states introduce emergent next-nearest J_2 and third-nearest J_3 neighbor superexchanges. This dopant-induced exchange pathway generates significant magnetic frustration, naturally explaining the rapid collapse of the Néel AFM order and the emergence of a spin-glass phase on the hole-doped side. In contrast, electron doping primarily leads to spin dilution, allowing AFM order to persist to substantially higher doping levels, consistent with the experimentally observed electron-hole asymmetry. Our findings provide a unified microscopic framework for understanding doping-driven magnetic transitions in lightly doped cuprates.
ER -