Disordered Ground State and Magnetic Field-Induced Long-Range Order in an S=3/2 Antiferromagnetic Honeycomb Lattice Compound Bi3Mn4O12(NO3)

Bi3Mn4O12(NO3), in which the Mn4+ ions carry S = 3/2, is the first honeycomb lattice system that shows no long-range magnetic order. Using neutron scattering, we have determined that short-range antiferromagnetic correlations develop at low temperatures. Applied magnetic fields induce a magnetic transition, in which the short-range order abruptly expands into a long-range order.