Neutron Scattering Study on the Spin Disordered Ground State in the Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet Ce2Zr2O7

ORAL

Abstract

The pyrochlore antiferromagnet Ce2Zr2O7 is sensitive to an instability of the Ce3+ oxidation state, whereby the 4f1 electronic configuration of Ce3+ can be diluted via sample oxidation and the concomitant introduction of Ce4+ to the lattice.1 For that reason, reduction of Ce2Zr2O7 samples is required to enable a neutron scattering study of this material, the subject of this presentation. The spins in Ce2Zr2O7 possess a local Ising anisotropy and interact via an antiferromagnetic coupling, which typically results in all-in all-out antiferromagnetic order. However the crystal electric field (CEF) wavefunctions of the Ce3+ ground state can have a dipole-octupole nature which is an ingredient for moment fragmentation and can allow for a disordered U(1) quantum spin liquid ground state.2 High energy neutron spectroscopy confirms the dipole-octupole CEF ground state, and higher energy resolution inelastic neutron scattering shows a disordered ground state for Ce2Zr2O7.

1. S. Urban et al., Chem. Mater. 29 (21) (2017) 9218-9226
2. Y.D. Li et al., Phys. Rev. B 95 (4) 041106(R) (2017)

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Presenters

  • Evan Smith

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1, McMaster University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University

Authors

  • Evan Smith

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1, McMaster University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University

  • Jonathan Gaudet

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, Institute for Quantum Matter and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, IQM, Johns Hopkins University

  • Jérémi Dudemaine

    Département de Physique, Université de Montréal

  • Casey Marjerrison

    Department of Physics, Duke University, Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Duke University

  • Andrea Bianchi

    Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, Universite de Montreal

  • Connor Buhariwalla

    McMaster University, Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University

  • Michael Nicklas

    Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Str. 40 D-01187 Dresden, Germany

  • Roman Movshovich

    Los Alamos National Laboratory, Condensed Matter and Magnet Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Nicholas Butch

    NIST Center for Neutron Research, Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park & NIST

  • Matthew Brandon Stone

    Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Lab, Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Bruce Gaulin

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, McMaster University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1, Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University