Two geometrically frustrated magnets studied by neutron diffraction
Abstract
In the pyrochlore compounds, Tb2Ti2O7 and Tb2Sn2O7, only the Tb3+ ions are magnetic. They exhibit quite abnormal -- and, in view of their chemical similarity, strikingly different -- magnetic behaviour, as probed by neutron diffraction at ambient and applied pressure. Tb2Ti2O7 is a cooperative paramagnet (`spin liquid'), without long range order at ambient pressure; however, it does become ordered under pressure. By contrast, Tb2Sn2O7 enters an "ordered spin ice" state already at ambient pressure. We analyse a simple model which already clearly exhibits some of the qualitative features observed experimentally. Overall, comparing these two compounds emphasizes the power of small perturbations in selecting low-temperature states in geometrically frustrated systems.
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