Common Glass-Forming Spin-Liquid State in the Pyrochlore Magnets Dy2Ti2O7 and Ho2Ti2O7
Abstract
Despite a well-ordered pyrochlore crystal structure and strong magnetic interactions between the Dy3+ or Ho3+ ions, no long range magnetic order has been detected in the pyrochlore titanates Ho2Ti2O7 and Dy2Ti2O7. To explore the actual magnetic phase formed by cooling these materials, we measure their magnetization dynamics using toroidal, boundary-free magnetization transport techniques. We find that the dynamical magnetic susceptibility of both compounds has the same distinctive phenomenology, that is indistinguishable in form from that of the dielectric permittivity of dipolar glass-forming liquids. Moreover, Ho2Ti2O7 and Dy2Ti2O7 both exhibit microscopic magnetic relaxation times that increase along the super-Arrhenius trajectories analogous to those observed in glass-forming dipolar liquids. Thus, upon cooling below about 2K, Dy2Ti2O7 and Ho2Ti2O7 both appear to enter the same magnetic state exhibiting the characteristics of a glass-forming spin-liquid.
Turn this paper into a lesson
ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.