Analytical theory for proton correlations in common water ice $I_h$

Abstract

We provide a fully analytical microscopic theory for the proton correlations in water ice $I_h$. We compute the full diffuse elastic neutron scattering structure factor, which we find to be in excellent quantitative agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. It is also in remarkable qualitative agreement with experiment, in the absence of any fitting parameters. Our theory thus provides a tractable analytical starting point to account for more delicate features of the proton correlations in water ice. In addition, it directly determines an effective field theory of water ice as a topological phase.

5 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (1)

• Pyrochlore Photons: The U(1) Spin Liquid in a S=1/2 Three-Dimensional Frustrated Magnet

Cited by in corpus (6)

• A spin liquid with pinch-line singularities on the pyrochlore lattice
• Classical and quantum theories of proton disorder in hexagonal water ice
• Lindblad dynamics of a quantum spherical spin
• Polarization Plateaus in Hexagonal Water Ice $I_h$
• Pinch-point spectral singularity from the interference of topological loop states
• Spinor ice correlation in flat-band electronic states on kagome and pyrochlore lattices with spin-orbit coupling