Field-induced magnetic structures in Tb2Ti2O7 at low temperatures: From spin-ice to spin-flip structures
Abstract
We studied the field-induced magnetic structures of the Tb2Ti2O7 pyrochlore by single-crystal neutron diffraction with a magnetic field applied along a [110] axis, focusing on the influence of a small misalignment. Both induced magnetic structures with k=0 and k=(0,0,1) propagation vectors are found to be sensitive to the misalignment, which controls the magnitude and orientation of the Tb moments involved in the β chains, with local [111] anisotropy axis perpendicular to the field. For k=0 , spin-icelike structures are observed for a misalignment of a few degrees whereas other structures, where the Tb-β moments flip by “melting” on the field axis, occur when the field is perfectly aligned. The field evolution of the k=0 structure is well reproduced by a molecular field model with anisotropic exchange. We give a complete symmetry analysis of the k=0 and k=(0,0,1) magnetic structures, both being described by the basis functions of single irreducible representations.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- November 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.174406
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1008.2979
- Bibcode:
- 2010PhRvB..82q4406S
- Keywords:
-
- 71.27.+a;
- 61.05.fm;
- 75.25.-j;
- Strongly correlated electron systems;
- heavy fermions;
- Neutron diffraction;
- Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
- E-Print:
- 11 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables