Spin-orbital exchange as a route to intertwined dipole-quadrupole orbital order in MnV 2 O 4 under strong trigonal crystal field
The research investigated MnV2O4 by combining first-principles calculations with an effective spin-orbital model to understand its orbital state. It found that a strong trigonal crystal field dominates low-energy physics, and including subdominant hopping processes stabilizes a two-in/two-out magnetic configuration featuring spin canting and intertwined dipole-quadrupole orbital order.