Field-induced magnetic structures in Tb2Ti2O7 at low temperatures: From spin-ice to spin-flip structures

A. P. Sazonov, A. Gukasov, I. Mirebeau, H. Cao, P. Bonville, B. Grenier, and G. Dhalenne
Phys. Rev. B 82, 174406 – Published 4 November 2010

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.

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  • Received 6 August 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.174406

©2010 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. P. Sazonov*, A. Gukasov, I. Mirebeau, and H. Cao

  • Centre de Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, CEA, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

P. Bonville

  • Centre de Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/Service de Physique de l’Etat Condensé, CEA, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

B. Grenier

  • SPSMS, UMR-E 9001, CEA-INAC/UJF-Grenoble 1, MDN, F-38054 Grenoble, France

G. Dhalenne

  • Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie de l’Etat Solide, ICMMO, Université Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay, France

  • *andrew.sazonov@cea.fr

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Issue

Vol. 82, Iss. 17 — 1 November 2010

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