We show that a continuous set of degenerate critical soft modes strongly enhances the first-order character of a fluctuation-induced first-order transition in the pyrochlore dipolar Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Such a degeneracy seems essential to explain the strong first-order transition recently observed in Gd(2)Sn(2)O(7). We present some evidence from Monte-Carlo simulations and a perturbative renormalization group expansion.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0507289,
title = {Degeneracy and Strong Fluctuation-Induced First-Order Phase Transition in the Dipolar Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet},
author = {O. Cepas and A. P. Young and B. S. Shastry},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0507289},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
8 pages, 9 figures, new version to appear in PRB, added refs