Magnetic dephasing in mesoscopic spin glasses

TL;DR

This study measures electron phase coherence in metallic spin glasses, revealing that decoherence persists deep within the spin glass phase and is influenced by temperature and magnetic field.

Contribution

It provides the first direct measurement of phase coherence time in a metallic spin glass using universal conductance fluctuations.

Findings

Phase coherence time increases with inverse temperature

Magnetic field enhances phase coherence

Decoherence mechanisms remain active deep in the spin glass phase

Abstract

We have measured Universal Conductance Fluctuations in the metallic spin glass Ag:Mn as a function of temperature and magnetic field. From this measurement, we can access the phase coherence time of the electrons in the spin glass. We show that this phase coherence time increases with both the inverse of the temperature and the magnetic field. From this we deduce that decoherence mechanisms are still active even deep in the spin glass phase.