Shivaji Sondhi

Abstract:

The emergent gauge field characteristic of the Coulomb phase of spin ice betrays its existence via pinch points in the spin structure factor S in reciprocal space which takes the form of a transverse projector P at low temperature: S(q) ~ P ~ q perpendicular(2)/q(2). We develop a theory which establishes the fate of the pinch points at low and high temperature, for hard and soft spins, for short- and long-ranged (dipolar) interactions, as well as in the presence of disorder. We find that their detailed shape can be used to read off the relative sizes of entropic and magnetic Coulomb interactions of monopoles in spin ice, and we resolve the question of why pinch points have been experimentally observed for Ho(1.7)Y(0.3)Ti(2)O(7) even at high temperature in the presence of strong disorder.