1,530 research outputs found

    Gapped and gapless short range ordered magnetic states with (12,12,12)(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2}) wavevectors in the pyrochlore magnet Tb2+x_{2+x}Ti2−x_{2-x}O7+δ_{7+\delta}

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    Recent low temperature heat capacity (CP_P) measurements on polycrystalline samples of the pyrochlore antiferromagnet Tb2+x_{2+x}Ti2−x_{2-x}O7+δ_{7+\delta} have shown a strong sensitivity to the precise Tb concentration xx, with a large anomaly exhibited for x∼0.005x \sim 0.005 at TC∼0.5T_C \sim 0.5 K and no such anomaly and corresponding phase transition for x≤0x \le 0. We have grown single crystal samples of Tb2+x_{2+x}Ti2−x_{2-x}O7+δ_{7+\delta}, with approximate composition x=−0.001,+0.0042x=-0.001, +0.0042, and +0.0147+0.0147, where the x=0.0042x=0.0042 single crystal exhibits a large CP_P anomaly at TCT_C=0.45 K, but neither the x=−0.001x=-0.001 nor the x=+0.0147x=+0.0147 single crystals display any such anomaly. We present new time-of-flight neutron scattering measurements on the x=−0.001x=-0.001 and the x=+0.0147x=+0.0147 samples which show strong (12,12,12)\left(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2}\right) quasi-Bragg peaks at low temperatures characteristic of short range antiferromagnetic spin ice (AFSI) order at zero magnetic field but only under field-cooled conditions, as was previously observed in our x=0.0042x = 0.0042 single crystal. These results show that the strong (12,12,12)\left(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2}\right) quasi-Bragg peaks and gapped AFSI state at low temperatures under field cooled conditions are robust features of Tb2_2Ti2_2O7_7, and are not correlated with the presence or absence of the CP_P anomaly and phase transition at low temperatures. Further, these results show that the ordered state giving rise to the CP_P anomaly is confined to 0≤x≤0.010 \leq x \leq 0.01 for Tb2+x_{2+x}Ti2−x_{2-x}O7+δ_{7+\delta}, and is not obviously connected with conventional order of magnetic dipole degrees of freedom.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
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