We have studied spin freezing in the diluted spin ice compound Dy2-xYxTi2O7 where the non-magnetic Y ions replace the magnetic Dy ions on the frustrated pyrochlore lattice. Magnetic a.c. and d.c. susceptibility data are presented with an analysis of relaxation times for dilutions of x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4. Site dilution apparently decreases the relative number of spins participating in the ice-like freezing near 16 K while leaving the freezing temperature unchanged. Correspondingly the distribution of relaxation times associated with the freezing is broadened only slightly with increasing dilution, suggesting that the freezing process observed near T = 16 K involves local correlations among the spins.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0205020,
title = {Dirty Spin Ice: The Effect of Dilution on Spin Freezing in Dy2Ti2O7},
author = {J. Snyder and J. S. Slusky and R. J. Cava and P. Schiffer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0205020},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
15 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Physical Review B