Dr Dharmalingam Prabhakaran

Abstract:

Neutron time-of-flight spectroscopy has been employed to study the crystal-field splitting of Pr3+ in the pyrochlore stannate Pr 2Sn2O7. The crystal field has been parameterized from a profile fit to the observed neutron spectrum. The single-ion ground state is a well-isolated non-Kramers doublet of Γ3+ symmetry with a large Ising-like anisotropy, χzz/ χ⊥≈60 at 10 K, but with a significant admixture of terms |MJ≠±J, which can give rise to quantum zero-point fluctuations. This magnetic state satisfies the requirements for quantum spin-ice behavior. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Abstract:

We have studied the dynamic and static critical behavior of spin glass transition in insulating La0.9Sr0.1CoO3 single crystal by ac susceptibility and dc magnetization measurements in the vicinity of its freezing temperature (Tf). The dynamic scaling analysis of the frequency dependence of ac susceptibility data yields the characteristic time constant τ 0 1.6 (9) × 10 - 12 s, the dynamic critical exponent z ν 9.5 (2), and a frequency dependence factor K Δ T f / T f (Δ log f) 0.017, indicating that the sample enters into a canonical spin-glass phase below Tf 34.8(2) K. The scaling analysis of non-linear magnetization in the vicinity of Tf through the static scaling hypothesis yields critical exponents β 0.89(1) and γ 2.9(1), which match well with that observed for well known three-dimensional (3D) Heisenberg spin glasses. From the longitudinal component of zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization measurement, we have constructed the H-T phase diagram which represents the field evolution of two characteristic temperatures: the upper one, T w (H), indicates the onset of spin freezing in a uniform external field H, while the lower one, T s (H), marks the onset of strong irreversibility of the frozen state. The low field T s (H) follows the critical line suggested by dAlmeida-Thouless model for canonical spin glass, whereas the T w (H) exhibits a re-entrant behavior with a maximum in the T w (H) at a nonzero field above which it follows the Gabay-Toulouse (GT) critical line which is a characteristic of Heisenberg spin glass. The reentrant behavior of the GT line resembles that predicted theoretically for n-component vector spin glasses in the presence of a uniaxial anisotropy field. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Abstract:

Spin ice illustrates many unusual magnetic properties, including zero point entropy, emergent monopoles and a quasi liquid-gas transition. To reveal the quantum spin dynamics that underpin these phenomena is an experimental challenge. Here we show how crucial information is contained in the frequency dependence of the magnetic susceptibility and in its high frequency or adiabatic limit. The typical response of Dy(2)Ti(2)O(7) spin ice indicates that monopole diffusion is Brownian but is underpinned by spin tunnelling and is influenced by collective monopole interactions. The adiabatic response reveals evidence of driven monopole plasma oscillations in weak applied field, and unconventional critical behaviour in strong applied field. Our results clarify the origin of the relatively high frequency response in spin ice. They disclose unexpected physics and establish adiabatic susceptibility as a revealing characteristic of exotic spin systems.