Article abstract
Nature Physics 3, 566 - 572 (2007)
Published online: 10 June 2007 | doi:10.1038/nphys632
Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics
Pinch points and Kasteleyn transitions in kagome ice
T. Fennell1,2, S. T. Bramwell1,3, D. F. McMorrow1,2,4, P. Manuel4 & A. R. Wildes5
Abstract
Complex disordered states—from liquids and glasses to exotic quantum matter—are ubiquitous in nature. Their key properties include finite entropy, power-law correlations and emergent organizing principles. In spin ice, spin correlations are determined by the 'ice rules' organizing principle that stabilizes a magnetic state with the same zero-point entropy as water ice. The entropy can be manipulated with great precision by an applied magnetic field: when directed along the three-fold crystallographic axis, the field produces a state of finite entropy, known as kagome ice. Here, we investigate the spin-ice material Ho2Ti2O7 by tilting the magnetic field slightly away from that axis. We thus realize a classic statistical system named after Kasteleyn, in which the entropy of a critical phase can be continuously tuned. Our neutron scattering experiments reveal how this process occurs at a microscopic level.
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, 17-19 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
- Department of Physics, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK
- Institut Laue Langevin, 6, rue Jules Horowitz BP156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
Correspondence to: T. Fennell1,2 e-mail: t.fennell@ucl.ac.uk
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Condensed-matter physics Taking the frustration out of iceNature News and Views (27 May 1999)
Condensed-matter physics Magnetic frustration squeezed outNature News and Views (07 Nov 2002)
See all 5 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Zero-point entropy in stuffed spin-iceNature Physics Letter (01 Apr 2006)
Magnetic monopoles in spin iceNature Letters to Editor (03 Jan 2008)
See all 13 matches for Research