Equilibrium Low Temperature Heat Capacity of the Spin Density Wave compound (TMTTF)2 Br: effect of a Magnetic Field

TL;DR

This study explores how magnetic fields influence the low-temperature heat capacity of the SDW compound (TMTTF)2Br, revealing significant field-dependent effects and metastable states, with implications for understanding SDW dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the magnetic field dependence of heat capacity in (TMTTF)2Br and extends the Larkin-Ovchinnikov model to describe SDW behavior under magnetic influence.

Findings

Heat capacity increases with magnetic field, following a B^2 dependence at 2-3 T.

Metastable branches in heat capacity appear at low temperatures when the field exceeds a critical value.

The Larkin-Ovchinnikov model is partially successful but has limitations in explaining all experimental observations.

Abstract

We have investigated the effect of the magnetic field (B) on the very low-temperature equilibrium heat capacity ceq of the quasi-1 D organic compound (TMTTF)2Br, characterized by a commensurate Spin Density Wave (SDW) ground state. Below 1K, ceq is dominated by a Schottky-like contribution, very sensitive to the experimental time scale, a property that we have previously measured in numerous DW compounds. Under applied field (in the range 0.2- 7 T), the equilibrium dynamics, and hence ceq extracted from the time constant, increases enormously. For B = 2-3 T, ceq varies like B2, in agreement with a magnetic Zeeman coupling. Another specific property, common to other Charge/Spin density wave (DW) compounds, is the occurrence of metastable branches in ceq, induced at very low temperature by the field exceeding a critical value. These effects are discussed within a generalization to SDWs in a magnetic field of the available Larkin-Ovchinnikov local model of strong pinning. A limitation of the model when compared to experiments is pointed out.