Abstract
In many materials, ordered phases and their order parameters are easily characterized by standard experimental methods. ‘Hidden order’ refers to a phase transition in which an ordered state emerges without such an easily detectable order parameter, despite clear thermodynamic evidence of the transition. The underlying mechanisms for these unconventional states of matter stem from spin–orbit coupling, which intertwines intersite exchange, classical electron–magnetic interactions and electron–lattice effects. This physics is elusive to experimental probes and beyond traditional theories of insulating magnetism, requiring sophisticated methodologies for its exploration. In this Review, we survey exotic hidden-order phases in correlated insulators, particularly focusing on the latest progress in material-specific theories and numerical approaches. The relevant degrees of freedom in these phases are local high-rank multipole moments of magnetic and charge density that emerge from spin–orbit-entangled correlated shells of heavy d and f electron ions and interact on the lattice via various mechanisms. We discuss approaches to modelling hidden orders in realistic systems via direct ab initio calculations or by constructing low-energy many-body effective Hamiltonian. We also describe how these new theoretical tools have helped to uncover driving mechanisms for recently discovered multipolar phases in double perovskites of heavy transition metals and how they have proved instrumental in disentangling the role of various interactions in ‘traditional’ f-electron multipolar materials such as actinide dioxides. In both cases, material-specific theories have played a key part in interpreting and predicting experimental signatures of hidden orders.
Nature Reviews Materials
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-025-00824-z
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