Abstract
From muon spin relaxation spectroscopy experiments, we show that the sharp peak (-type anomaly) detected by specific heat measurements at 54 mK for the ytterbium gallium garnet compound, , does not correspond to the onset of a magnetic phase transition, but to a pronounced building up of dynamical magnetic pair correlations. Beside the anomaly, a broad hump is observed at higher temperature in the specific heat of this garnet and other geometrically frustrated compounds. Comparing with other frustrated magnetic systems we infer that a ground state with long-range order is reached only when at least of the magnetic entropy is released at the transition.
- Received 25 April 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.167201
©2003 American Physical Society