Unconventional field-induced spin gap in an $S=1/2$ chiral staggered chain

Abstract

We investigate the low-temperature magnetic properties of the molecule-based chiral spin chain [Cu(pym)(H${}_2$O)${}_4$]SiF${}_6\cdot$H${}_2$O (pym = pyrimidine). Electron-spin resonance, magnetometry and heat capacity measurements reveal the presence of staggered $g$ tensors, a rich low-temperature excitation spectrum, a staggered susceptibility and a spin gap that opens on the application of a magnetic field. These phenomena are reminiscent of those previously observed in non-chiral staggered chains, which are explicable within the sine-Gordon quantum-field theory. In the present case, however, although the sine-Gordon model accounts well for the form of the temperature-dependence of the heat capacity, the size of the gap and its measured linear field dependence do not fit with the sine-Gordon theory as it stands. We propose that the differences arise due to additional terms in the Hamiltonian resulting from the chiral structure of [Cu(pym)(H${}_2$O)${}_4$]SiF${}_6\cdot$H${}_2$O, particularly a uniform Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling and a four-fold periodic staggered field.

arXiv comment6 pages, 3 figures and supplemental information

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Magnetic order and ballistic spin transport in a sine-Gordon spin chain
• Magnetic ground-state of the one-dimensional ferromagnetic chain compounds $M$(NCS)${}_2$(thiourea)${}_2$; $M$ = Ni, Co
• Non-linear soliton confinement in weakly coupled antiferromagnetic spin chains
• Field-induced dimer orders in quantum spin chains
• Pseudo-easy-axis anisotropy in antiferromagnetic $S=1$ diamond-lattice systems Ni$X_2$(pym)${}_2$
• Magnetic properties of a staggered $S=1$ chain Ni(pym)(H${}_2$O)${}_2$(NO${}_3$)${}_2$ with an alternating single-ion anisotropy direction
• Anomalous magnetic exchange in a dimerized quantum-magnet composed of unlike spin species
• Single-ion anisotropy driven chiral magnetic order in a spin-1 antiferromagnetic chain