Topological metamagnetism: Thermodynamics and dynamics of the transition in spin ice under uniaxial compression

L. PILI; STEPPKE, A.; BARBER, MARK E.; JERZEMBECK, F.; HICKS, CLIFFORD W.; GURUCIAGA, P C; PRABHAKARAN, D.; R. MOESSNER; MACKENZIE, A.P.; GRIGERA, S A; BORZI, R A

PHYSICAL REVIEW B

AMER PHYSICAL SOC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2022 vol. 105 p. 18442101 - 18442208

1098-0121

Metamagnetic transitions are analogs of a pressure-driven gas-liquid transition in water. In insulators, they are marked by a superlinear increase in the magnetization that occurs at a field strength set by the spin exchange interactions. Here we study topological metamagnets, in which the magnetization is itself a topological quantity and for which we find a single transition line for two materials with substantially different magnetic interactions: the spin ices Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 . We study single crystals under magnetic field and stress applied along the [001] direction and show that this transition, of the Kasteleyn type, has a magnetization versus field curve with upward convexity and a distinctive asymmetric peak in the susceptibility. We also show that the dynamical response of Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 is sensitive to changes in the Ho 3+ environment induced by compression along [001]. Uniaxial compression may open up experimental access to equilibrium properties of spin ice at lower temperatures.