Probing short-range magnetic order in a geometrically frustrated magnet by spin Seebeck effect

Abstract

Competing magnetic interactions in geometrically frustrated magnets give rise to new forms of correlated matter, such as spin liquids and spin ices. Characterizing the magnetic structure of these states has been difficult due to the absence of long-range order. Here, we demonstrate that the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) is a sensitive probe of magnetic short-range order (SRO) in geometrically frustrated magnets. In low temperature (2 - 5 K) SSE measurements on a model frustrated magnet \mathrm{Gd_{3}Ga_{5}O_{12}}, we observe modulations in the spin current on top of a smooth background. By comparing to existing neutron diffraction data, we find that these modulations arise from field-induced magnetic ordering that is short-range in nature. The observed SRO is anisotropic with the direction of applied field, which is verified by theoretical calculation.