Mesoscopic correlations in Tb2Ti2O7 spin liquid

Abstract

We have studied the spin correlations with $\mathbf{k}$= ($\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$) propagation vector which appear below 0.4\, K in \tbti\ spin liquid by combining powder neutron diffraction and specific heat on Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+y}$ samples with $x$=0, 0.01, -0.01. The $\mathbf{k}$= ($\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$) order clearly appears on all neutron patterns by subtracting a pattern at 1.2(1)\,K. Refining the subtracted patterns at 0.07\,K yields two possible spin structures, with spin-ice-like and monopole-like correlations respectively. Mesoscopic correlations involve Tb moments of 1 to 2 \mub\ ordered on a length scale of about 20 Å. In addition, long range order involving a small spin component of 0.1 to 0.2 \mub\ is detected for the $x$= 0 and 0.01 samples showing a peak in the specific heat. Comparison with previous single crystals data suggests that the ($\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{1}{2}$) order settles in through nanometric spin textures with dominant spin ice character and correlated orientations, analogous to nanomagnetic twins.

References in corpus (4)

• Dynamically-Induced Frustration as a Route to a Quantum Spin Ice State in Tb2Ti2O7 via Virtual Crystal Field Excitations and Quantum Many-Body Effects
• Vacancy defects and monopole dynamics in oxygen-deficient pyrochlores
• Antiferromagnetic Spin Ice Correlations at (1/2,1/2,1/2) in the Ground State of the Pyrochlore Magnet Tb2Ti2O7
• Spin-glass transition in bond-disordered Heisenberg antiferromagnets coupled with local lattice distortions on a pyrochlore lattice

Cited by in corpus (11)

• A spin liquid with pinch-line singularities on the pyrochlore lattice
• Crystal field parameters of the rare earth pyrochlores $R_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$ ($R$ = Tb, Dy, Ho)
• Quadrupole Order in the Frustrated Pyrochlore Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+y}$
• Double Vibronic process in the quantum spin ice candidate Tb${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$ revealed by terahertz spectroscopy
• Gapped and gapless short range ordered magnetic states with $(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})$ wavevectors in the pyrochlore magnet Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+\delta }$
• Sample independence of magnetoelastic excitations in the rare earth pyrochlore Tb2Ti2O7
• Neutron Larmor diffraction investigation of the rare earth pyrochlores $R_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$ ($R$ = Tb, Dy, Ho)
• Continuum excitation and pseudospin wave in quantum spin-liquid and quadrupole ordered states of Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+y}$
• Spin correlations of quantum-spin-liquid and quadrupole-ordered states of Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+y}$
• Thermodynamic properties of quadrupolar states in the frustrated pyrochlore magnet Tb${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$
• Spin and quadrupole correlations by three-spin interaction in the frustrated pyrochlore magnet Tb${}_{2+x}$Ti${}_{2-x}$O${}_{7+y}$