J. O. Piatek

Scale-free antiferromagnetic fluctuations in the s = 1/2 kagome antiferromagnet herbertsmithite.

Neutron spectroscopy and diffuse neutron scattering on herbertsmithite [ZnCu(3)(OH)(6)Cl(2)], a near-ideal realization of the s=1/2 kagome antiferromagnet, reveal the hallmark property of a quantum spin liquid: instantaneous short-ranged antiferromagnetic correlations in the absence of a time-averaged ordered moment. These dynamic antiferromagnetic correlations are weakly dependent of neutron-energy transfer and temperature, and persist up to 25 meV and 120 K. At low energy transfers a shift of the magnetic scattering to low Q is observed with increasing temperature, providing evidence of gapless spinons. It is argued that these observations provide important evidence in favor of resonating-valence-bond theories of (doped) Mott insulators.

Dipolar Antiferromagnetism and Quantum Criticality in LiErF4

Dropping a Dimension? In most magnetic materials, the exchange interaction causes the spins on the neighboring sites of a crystal lattice to align. In the absence of exchange interactions, dipolar interactions, which are highly orientation dependent, are also expected to be able to cause magnetism. Kraemer et al. (p. 1416) present evidence for antiferromagnetism in a dipolar-coupled material, LiErF4. Although a three-dimensional system, its critical behavior was more reminiscent of a two-dimensional material. Scattering experiments reveal that magnetic ordering can arise from dipolar interactions, not only from exchange. Magnetism has been predicted to occur in systems in which dipolar interactions dominate exchange. We present neutron scattering, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility data for LiErF4, establishing it as a model dipolar-coupled antiferromagnet with planar spin-anisotropy and a quantum phase transition in applied field Hc|| = 4.0 ± 0.1 kilo-oersteds. We discovered non–mean-field critical scaling for the classical phase transition at the antiferromagnetic transition temperature that is consistent with the two-dimensional XY/h4 universality class; in accord with this, the quantum phase transition at Hc exhibits three-dimensional classical behavior. The effective dimensional reduction may be a consequence of the intrinsic frustrated nature of the dipolar interaction, which strengthens the role of fluctuations.

An ultra-low temperature scanning Hall probe microscope for magnetic imaging below 40 mK.

We describe the design of a low temperature scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) for a dilution refrigerator system. A detachable SHPM head with 25.4 mm OD and 200 mm length is integrated at the end of the mixing chamber base plate of the dilution refrigerator insert (Oxford Instruments, Kelvinox MX-400) by means of a dedicated docking station. It is also possible to use this detachable SHPM head with a variable temperature insert (VTI) for 2 K-300 K operations. A microfabricated 1μm size Hall sensor (GaAs/AlGaAs) with integrated scanning tunneling microscopy tip was used for magnetic imaging. The field sensitivity of the Hall sensor was better than 1 mG/√Hz at 1 kHz bandwidth at 4 K. Both the domain structure and topography of LiHoF4, which is a transverse-field Ising model ferromagnet which orders below TC = 1.53 K, were imaged simultaneously below 40 mK.

Low-temperature spin dynamics of a valence bond glass in Ba2YMoO6

We carried out ac magnetic susceptibility measurements and muon spin relaxation spectroscopy on the cubic double perovskite Ba2YMoO6, down to 50mK. Below 1K the muon relaxation is typical of a magnetic insulator with a spin-liquid type ground state, i.e. without broken symmetries or frozen moments. However, the ac susceptibility revealed a dilute-spin-glass-like transition below 1K. Antiferromagnetically coupled Mo 5+ 4d 1 electrons in triply degenerate t2g orbitals are in this material arranged in a geometrically frustrated fcc lattice. Bulk magnetic susceptibility data has previously been interpreted in terms of a freezing to a heterogeneous state with non-magnetic sites where 4d 1 electrons have paired in spin-singlets dimers, and residual unpaired Mo 5+ 4d 1 electron spins. Based on the magnetic heat capacity data it has been suggested that this heterogeneity is the result of kinetic constraints intrinsic to the physics

Spangolite: an s = 1/2 maple leaf lattice antiferromagnet?

Spangolite, Cu(6)Al(SO(4))(OH)(12)Cl·3H(2)O, is a hydrated layered copper sulfate mineral. The Cu(2+) ions of each layer form a systematically depleted triangular lattice which approximates a maple leaf lattice. We present details of the crystal structure, which suggest that in spangolite this lattice actually comprises two species of edge linked trimers with different exchange parameters. However, magnetic susceptibility measurements show that despite the structural trimers, the magnetic properties are dominated by dimerization. The high temperature magnetic moment is strongly reduced below that expected for the six s = 1/2 in the unit cell.

Electronic structure of KTi(SO4)2•H2O: An S=½ frustrated chain antiferromagnet

The compound KTi(SO4)(2)center dot H2O was recently reported as a quasi-one-dimensional spin-1/2 compound with competing antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor exchange J(1) and next-nearest-neighbor exchange J(2) along the chain with a frustration ratio alpha = J(2)/J(1) approximate to 0.29 [G. J. Nilsen, H. M. Ronnow, A. M. Lauchli, F. P. A. Fabbiani, J. Sanchez-Benitez, K. V. Kamenev, and A. Harrison, Chem. Mater. 20, 8 (2008)]. Here, we report a microscopically based magnetic model for this compound derived from density functional theory (DFT) based electronic structure calculations along with respective tight-binding models. Our (LSDA+U-d) calculations confirm the quasi-one-dimensional nature of the system with antiferromagnetic J(1) and J(2), but suggest a significantly larger frustration ratio alpha(DFT) approximate to 0.94-1.4, depending on the choice of U-d and structural parameters. Based on transfer matrix renormalization group (TMRG) calculations we find alpha(TMRG) = 1.5. Due to an intrinsic symmetry of the J(1)-J(2) model, our larger frustration ratio alpha is also consistent with the previous thermodynamic data. To identify the frustration ratio alpha unambiguously, we propose performing high-field magnetization and low-temperature susceptibility measurements.

Phase diagram with an enhanced spin-glass region of the mixed Ising-XYmagnet LiHoxEr1-xF4

We present the experimental phase diagram of LiHoxEr1-xF4, a dilution series of dipolar-coupled model magnets. The phase diagram was determined using a combination of ac susceptibility and neutron scattering. Three unique phases in addition to the Ising ferromagnet LiHoF4 and the XY antiferromagnet LiErF4 have been identified. Below x=0.86, an embedded spin-glass phase is observed, where a spin glass exists within the ferromagnetic structure. Below x=0.57, an Ising spin glass is observed consisting of frozen needlelike clusters. For x∼0.3–0.1, an antiferromagnetically coupled spin glass occurs. A reduction of TC(x) for the ferromagnet is observed which disobeys the mean-field predictions that worked for LiHoxY1-xF4.

Phase diagram with an enhanced spin-glass region of the mixed Ising–XY magnet LiHo{x}Er{1-x}F{4}

We present the experimental phase diagram of LiHoxEr1-xF4, a dilution series of dipolar-coupled model magnets. The phase diagram was determined using a combination of ac susceptibility and neutron scattering. Three unique phases in addition to the Ising ferromagnet LiHoF4 and the XY antiferromagnet LiErF4 have been identified. Below x=0.86, an embedded spin-glass phase is observed, where a spin glass exists within the ferromagnetic structure. Below x=0.57, an Ising spin glass is observed consisting of frozen needlelike clusters. For x∼0.3–0.1, an antiferromagnetically coupled spin glass occurs. A reduction of TC(x) for the ferromagnet is observed which disobeys the mean-field predictions that worked for LiHoxY1-xF4.

Probing strongly hybridized nuclear-electronic states in a model quantum ferromagnet

We present direct local-probe evidence for strongly hybridized nuclear-electronic spin states of an Ising ferromagnet

Phase diagram of diluted Ising ferromagnet LiHoxY1−xF4

{\mathrm{LiHoF}}_{4}