The Tb2Ti2O7 pyrochlore magnetic material is attracting much attention for its {\em spin liquid} state, failing to develop long range order down to 50 mK despite a Curie-Weiss temperature θCW∼−14 K. In this paper we reinvestigate the theoretical description of this material by considering a quantum model of independent tetrahedra to describe its low temperature properties. The naturally-tuned proximity of this system near a N\'eel to spin ice phase boundary allows for a resurgence of quantum fluctuation effects that lead to an important renormalization of its effective low energy spin Hamiltonian. As a result, Tb2Ti2O7 is argued to be a {\em quantum spin ice}. We put forward an experimental test of this proposal using neutron scattering on a single crystal.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0608523,
title = {Dynamically-Induced Frustration as a Route to a Quantum Spin Ice State in Tb2Ti2O7 via Virtual Crystal Field Excitations and Quantum Many-Body Effects},
author = {Hamid R. Molavian and Michel J. P. Gingras and Benjamin Canals},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0608523},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
5 pages, 3 figures. Version 2 has a modified introduction. Figure 2b of version 1 (experimental neutron scattering has been removed. A proposal for an experimental test is now included accompanied by a new Figure (Fig. 3)