Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published June 15, 2012 | public
Journal Article

Dipolar Antiferromagnetism and Quantum Criticality in LiErF_4

Abstract

Magnetism has been predicted to occur in systems in which dipolar interactions dominate exchange. We present neutron scattering, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility data for LiErF_4, establishing it as a model dipolar-coupled antiferromagnet with planar spin-anisotropy and a quantum phase transition in applied field H_(c||) to = 4.0 +/- 0.1 kilo-oersteds. We discovered non-mean-field critical scaling for the classical phase transition at the antiferromagnetic transition temperature that is consistent with the two-dimensional XY/h_4 universality class; in accord with this, the quantum phase transition at H_c exhibits three-dimensional classical behavior. The effective dimensional reduction may be a consequence of the intrinsic frustrated nature of the dipolar interaction, which strengthens the role of fluctuations.

Additional Information

© 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received for publication 13 March 2012. Accepted for publication 19 April 2012. We gratefully acknowledge fruitful discussions with J. Mesot, J. Jensen, A. J. Fisher, S. T. Bramwell, and S. Sachdev; support from Swiss National Science Foundation and Materials with Novel Electronic Properties; and neutron beam access at the Berlin Neutron Scattering Center, Helmholz-Zentrum Berlin, and the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source, Paul Scherrer Institut. Work at the University of Chicago was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences, the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and the London Centre for Nanotechnology by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
March 5, 2024