Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-condensed-matter-physics-major-option-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/4/c/solution

In both collinear trial states, a spin and its second neighbor are parallel. The next-nearest-neighbor energy is therefore per spin in either case. Making negative makes that contribution positive and raises both energies.
A negative prefers opposite second-neighbor spins. Neither all-parallel order nor the simple alternating nearest-neighbor pattern satisfies that preference: in the latter, alternating twice returns to the original direction. This competition is a source of frustration when the nearest-neighbor interaction favors one of those collinear patterns, and allows a noncollinear twist to lower the energy. Merely calling antiferromagnetic does not mean that the nearest-neighbor alternating state satisfies it.

New to topics? Read the docs here!