Macroscopic Anisotropy and Symmetry Breaking in the Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet Gd$_{2}$Ti$_{2}$O$_{7}$}

Abstract

In the Heisenberg antiferromagnet $Gd_2Ti_2O_7$, the exchange interactions are geometrically frustrated by the pyrochlore lattice structure. This ESR study reveals a strong temperature dependent anisotropy with respect to a [111] body diagonal below a temperature $T_A=80$ K, despite the spin only nature of the $Gd^{3+}$ ion. Anisotropy and symmetry breaking can nevertheless appear through the superexchange interaction. The presence of short range planar correlation restricted to specific Kagom\'{e} planes is sufficient to explain the two ESR modes studied in this work.