No Arabic abstract
We show that pharmacosiderite is a novel cluster antiferromagnet comprising frustrated regular tetrahedra made of spin-5/2 Fe3+ ions that are arranged in the primitive cubic lattice. The connectivity of the tetrahedra and the inter-cluster interaction of 2.9 K, which is significantly large compared with the intra-cluster interaction of 10.6 K, gives a unique playground for frustration physics. An unconventional antiferromagnetic order is observed below TN ~ 6 K, which is accompanied by a weak ferromagnetic moment and a large fluctuation as evidenced by Mossbauer spectroscopy. A q = 0 magnetic order with the total S = 0 for the tetrahedral cluster is proposed based on the irreducible representation analysis, which may explain the origin of the weak ferromagnetism and fluctuation.
Muon spin relaxation experiments have been performed in the pyrochlore iridate Pr_2Ir_2O_7 for temperatures in the range 0.025-250 K. Kubo-Toyabe relaxation functions are observed up to > 200 K, indicating static magnetism over this temperature range. The T -> 0 static muon spin relaxation rate Delta(0) ~ 8 mus^-1 implies a weak quasistatic moment (~0.1 mu_B). The temperature dependence of Delta is highly non-mean-field-like, decreasing smoothly by orders of magnitude but remaining nonzero below ~150 K. The data rule out ordering of the full Pr^3+ CEF ground-state moment (3.0 mu_B) down to 0.025 K. The weak static magnetism is most likely due to hyperfine-enhanced ^141Pr nuclear magnetism. The dynamic relaxation rate lambda increases markedly below ~20 K, probably due to slowing down of spin fluctuations in the spin-liquid state. At low temperatures lambda is strong and temperature-independent, indicative of a high density of low-lying spin excitations as is common in frustrated antiferromagnets.
Dimensionality is a critical factor in determining the properties of solids and is an apparent built-in character of the crystal structure. However, it can be an emergent and tunable property in geometrically frustrated spin systems. Here, we study the spin dynamics of the tetrahedral cluster antiferromagnet, pharmacosiderite, via muon spin resonance and neutron scattering. We find that the spin correlation exhibits a two-dimensional characteristic despite the isotropic connectivity of tetrahedral clusters made of spin 5/2 Fe3+ ions in the three-dimensional cubic crystal, which we ascribe to two-dimensionalisation by geometrical frustration based on spin wave calculations. Moreover, we suggest that even one-dimensionalisation occurs in the decoupled layers, generating low-energy and one-dimensional excitation modes, causing large spin fluctuation in the classical spin system. Pharmacosiderite facilitates studying the emergence of low-dimensionality and manipulating anisotropic responses arising from the dimensionality using an external magnetic field.
Pyrochlore lattices, which are found in two important classes of materials -- the $A_2B_2X_7$ pyrochlore family and the $AB_2X_4$ spinel family -- are the quintessential 3-dimensional frustrated lattice architecture. While historically oxides ($X =$~O) have played the starring role in this field, the past decade has seen materials synthesis breakthroughs that have lead to the emergence of fluoride ($X =$~F) and chalcogenide ($X =$~S, Se) pyrochlore lattice materials. In this Research Update, we summarize recent progress in understanding the magnetically frustrated ground states in three families of non-oxide pyrochlore lattice materials: (i) $3d$-transition metal fluoride pyrochlores, (ii) rare earth chalcogenide spinels, and (iii) chromium chalcogenide spinels with a breathing pyrochlore lattice. We highlight how the change of anion can modify the single ion spin anisotropy due to crystal electric field effects, stabilize the incorporation of new magnetic elements, and dramatically alter the exchange pathways and thereby lead to new magnetic ground states. We also consider a range of future directions -- materials with the potential to define the next decade of research in frustrated magnetism.
Magnetic ($chi$), transport ($rho$) and heat capacity ($C_m$)properties of CeIrSi are investigated to elucidate the effect of geometric frustration in this compound with trillium type structure because, notwithstanding its robust effective moment, $mu_{rm eff}approx 2.46mu_B$, this Ce-lattice compound does not undergo a magnetic transition. In spite of that it shows broad $C_m(T)/T$ and $chi(T)$ maxima centered at $T_{max}approx 1.5$,K, while a $rho propto T^2$ thermal dependence, characteristic of electronic spin coherent fluctuations, is observed below $T_{coh} approx 2.5$,K. Magnetic field does not affect significantly the position of the mentioned maxima up to $approx 1$,T, though $chi(T)$ shows an incipient structure that completely vanishes at $mu_0 H approx 1$,T. Concerning the $rho propto T^2$ dependence, it is practically not affected by magnetic field up to $mu_0 H = 9$,T, with the residual resistivity $rho_0(H)$ slightly decreasing and $T_{coh}(H)$ increasing. These results are compared with the physical properties observed in other frustrated intermetallic compounds
Thermodynamic properties of cubic Heisenberg ferromagnets with competing exchange interactions are considered near the frustration point where the coefficient $D$ in the spin-wave spectrum $E_{mathbf{k}}sim D k^{2}$ vanishes. Within the Dyson-Maleev formalism it is found that at low temperatures thermal fluctuations stabilize ferromagnetism by increasing the value of $D$. For not too strong frustration this leads to an unusual concave shape of the temperature dependence of magnetization, which is in agreement with experimental data on the europium chalcogenides. Anomalous temperature behavior of magnetization is confirmed by Monte Carlo simulation. Strong field dependence of magnetization (paraprocess) at finite temperature is found near the frustration point.