Melting of spin ice state and development of fifth order susceptibility with magnetic field in pyrochlore Tb2Sn2O7

Abstract

Pyrochlores offer an ideal playground to investigate the magnetic ground state of frustrated magnetic systems. In this class of materials, competition between various magnetic interactions remains frustrated and prevents an ordered magnetic state at low temperatures. Tb _2 Sn _2 O _7 has recently attracted significant attention due to its ordered spin-ice state. Additionally, in such systems, application of external magnetic field might result in exotic magnetic states. Our current investigation on Tb _2 Sn _2 O _7 reveal the presence of a new phase associated with fifth order susceptibility at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. In this compound, at zero fields, for a stabilized spin-ice state, the singlet–singlet state separated by δ play an imperative role. Under magnetic fields, δ increases and the Zeeman energy associated with the magnetic anisotropy is believed to get enhanced; which can be the key ingredient for evolution of higher-order moments, above 10 kOe, in this compound.

Keywords

• pyrochlore
• geometrical frustration
• higher order moments
• spin ice
• Zeeman splitting