An inelastic neutron scattering study of the magnetic field dependence of the quantum dipolar garnet: Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$

Abstract

The garnet compound Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ is a fascinating material that is considered highly suitable for low-temperature refrigeration, via the magnetocaloric effect, in addition to enabling the exploration of quantum states with long-range dipolar interactions. It has previously been theorized that the magnetocaloric effect can be enhanced, in Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ , via magnetic soft mode excitations which in the hyperkagome structure would be derived from an emergent magnetic structure formed from nanosized 10-spin loops. We study the magnetic field dependence of bands of magnetic soft mode excitations in the effective spin $S = 1/2$ hyperkagome compound Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ using single crystal inelastic neutron scattering. We probe the magnetically short ranged ordered state, in which we determine magnetic nanoscale structures coexisting with a fluctuating state, and the magnetically saturated state. We determine that Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ can be described as a quantum dipolar magnet with perturbative weak near-neighbor and inter-hyperkagome exchange interaction. The magnetic excitations, under the application of a magnetic field, reveal highly robust soft modes with distinctive signatures of the quantum nature of the Yb3+ spins. Our results enhance our understanding of soft modes in topological frustrated magnets that drive both the unusual physics of quantum dipolar systems and future refrigerant material design.