Probing ice-rule-breaking transition in $\mathrm{D}{\mathrm{y}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{i}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$ thin film by proximitized transport and magnetic torque

Abstract

While the spin ice state of bulk pyrochlores such as $\mathrm{D}{\mathrm{y}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{i}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$ and $\mathrm{H}{\mathrm{o}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{i}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$ has been extensively studied in the last several decades due to its unique degenerate ground state and emergent monopole excitation, whether it survives in the thin-film form remains a mystery. The limited volume of thin-film sample makes it challenging to study the intrinsic magnetic properties. Here, we synthesized 18nm-thick $\mathrm{D}{\mathrm{y}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{i}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$ thin film on YSZ (Yttria-stabilized Zirconia with 9.5 mol% ${\mathrm{Y}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_3$) substrate and capped it by a thin conductive $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{i}}_2\mathrm{I}{\mathrm{r}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$ layer, and performed the proximitized magnetoresistance measurements. Our study found that the ice-rule-breaking phase transition survives but with a modified effective nearest-neighbor interaction (${\mathrm{J}}_{\mathrm{eff}}=$ 1.054 K) and distorted Ising spin axes ($\epsilon =+0.051)$ compared to the bulk crystal. The results are supported by the simultaneously measured capacitive torque magnetometry. Our study demonstrates that proximitized transport is an effective tool for thin films of insulating frustrated magnets.

7 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (9)

• Dirac Strings and Magnetic Monopoles in Spin Ice Dy2Ti2O7
• Why spin ice obeys the ice rules
• Intermediate magnetisation state and competing orders in Dy${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$ and Ho${}_2$Ti${}_2$O${}_7$
• Epitaxial stabilization of (111)-oriented frustrated quantum pyrochlore thin films
• Controllable emergent spatial spin modulation in Sr2IrO4 by in situ shear strain
• Synthesis of epitaxial magnetic pyrochlore heterojunctions
• Investigation of the monopole magneto-chemical potential in spin ices using capacitive torque magnetometry
• [111]-strained spin ice: Localization of thermodynamically deconfined monopoles
• Anomalous Proximitized Transport in Metal/Quantum Magnet Heterostructure $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{i}}_2\mathrm{I}{\mathrm{r}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7/Y{\mathrm{b}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{i}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Hearing the light: stray-field noise from the emergent photon in quantum spin ice