Candidate quantum spin ice in the pyrochlore Pr$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$

Romain Sibille; Elsa Lhotel; Monica Ciomaga Hatnean; Geetha Balakrishnan; Björn Fåk; Nicolas Gauthier; Tom Fennell; Michel Kenzelmann

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.94.024436

Candidate quantum spin ice in the pyrochlore Pr$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2016-08-15 v2

Authors: Romain Sibille , Elsa Lhotel , Monica Ciomaga Hatnean , Geetha Balakrishnan , Björn Fåk , Nicolas Gauthier , Tom Fennell , Michel Kenzelmann

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Abstract

We report the low temperature magnetic properties of the pyrochlore Pr $_2$ Hf $_2$ O $_7$ . Polycrystalline and single-crystal samples are investigated using time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy and macroscopic measurements, respectively. The crystal-field splitting produces a non-Kramers doublet ground state for Pr $^{3+}$ , with Ising-like anisotropy. Below 0.5 K ferromagnetic correlations develop, which suggests that the system enters a spin ice-like state associated with the metamagnetic behavior observed at $\mu_0H_c\sim2.4$ ~T. In this regime, the development of a discrete inelastic excitation in the neutron spectra indicates the appearance of spin dynamics which are likely related to cooperative quantum fluctuations.

Keywords

magnetic materials and spin systems frustrated magnetism spin excitations in condensed matter

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@article{arxiv.1601.05071,
  title  = {Candidate quantum spin ice in the pyrochlore Pr$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$},
  author = {Romain Sibille and Elsa Lhotel and Monica Ciomaga Hatnean and Geetha Balakrishnan and Björn Fåk and Nicolas Gauthier and Tom Fennell and Michel Kenzelmann},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1601.05071},
  year   = {2016}
}

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7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table

Candidate quantum spin ice in the pyrochlore Pr$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$

Abstract

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