Structural Fluctuations in the Spin Liquid State of Tb2Ti2O7

Abstract

High resolution X-ray scattering measurements on single crystal Tb2Ti2O7 reveal finite structural correlations at low temperatures. This geometrically frustrated pyrochlore is known to exhibit a spin liquid, or cooperative paramagnetic state, at temperatures below ~ 20 K. Parametric studies of structural Bragg peaks appropriate to the Fd$\bar{3}$m space group of Tb2Ti2O7 reveal substantial broadening and peak intensity reduction in the temperature regime 20 K to 300 mK. We also observe a small, anomalous lattice expansion on cooling below a density maximum at ~ 18 K. These measurements are consistent with the development of fluctuations above a cooperative Jahn-Teller, cubic-tetragonal phase transition at very low temperatures.

5 pages, 4 figures, submitted for publication

References in corpus (3)

• Dynamically-Induced Frustration as a Route to a Quantum Spin Ice State in Tb2Ti2O7 via Virtual Crystal Field Excitations and Quantum Many-Body Effects
• Field Induced Order and Spin Waves in the Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet Tb2Ti2O7
• Symmetry considerations on the magnetization process of the Heisenberg model on the pyrochlore lattice

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Phonon and crystal field excitations in geometrically frustrated rare earth titanates
• Structural distortion and the spin liquid state in Tb2Ti2O7
• Low temperature and high pressure Raman and x-ray studies of pyrochlore Tb${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$ : phonon anomalies and possible phase transition
• Field induced spin ice like orders in spin liquid Tb${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$
• Critical X-ray Scattering Studies of Jahn-Teller Phase Transitions in TbV${}_{1-x}$As${}_x$O${}_4$