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Restoration of the third law in spin ice thin films.

Author(s) : BOVO L., MOYA X., PRABHAKARAN D., et al.

Type of article: Article

Summary

A characteristic feature of spin ice is its apparent violation of the third law of thermo- dynamics. This leads to a number of interesting properties including the emergence of an effective vacuum for magnetic monopoles and their currents – magnetricity. Here we add a new dimension to the experimental study of spin ice by fabricating thin epitaxial films of Dy2 Ti2 O7, varying between 5 and 60 monolayers on an inert substrate. The films show the distinctive characteristics of spin ice at temperatures >2 K, but at lower temperature we find evidence of a zero entropy state. This restoration of the third law in spin ice thin films is consistent with a predicted strain-induced ordering of a very unusual type, previously discussed for analogous electrical systems. Our results show how the physics of frustrated pyrochlore magnets such as spin ice may be significantly modified in thin-film samples.

Details

  • Original title: Restoration of the third law in spin ice thin films.
  • Record ID : 30010875
  • Languages: English
  • Source: www.nature.com
  • Publication date: 2014/03/12
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4439

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