The magnetic structure of Gd_2Ti_2O_7

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetic structure of Gd_2Ti_2O_7, a spin-ice analogue, using experimental data and theoretical modeling to identify possible magnetic states and their temperature-dependent transitions.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical approach to determine the magnetic structure of Gd_2Ti_2O_7, revealing two distinct states and explaining the complex energetics involving competing interactions.

Findings

Two possible magnetic states: coplanar and three-dimensional

Near the transition, the system favors a coplanar state

At low temperatures, the ground state is fully three-dimensional

Abstract

We attempt to solve the magnetic structure of the gadolinium analogue of `spin-ice', using a mixture of experimental and theoretical assumptions. The eventual predictions are essentially consistent with both the Mossbauer and neutron measurements but are unrelated to previous proposals. We find two possible distinct states, one of which is coplanar and the other is fully three-dimensional. We predict that close to the initial transition the preferred state is coplanar but that at the lowest temperature the ground-state becomes fully three-dimensional. Unfortunately the energetics are consequently complicated. There is a dominant nearest-neighbour Heisenberg interaction but then a compromise solution for lifting the final degeneracy resulting from a competition between longer-range Heisenberg interactions and direct dipolar interactions on similar energy scales.