Spin and quadrupole correlations by three-spin interaction in the frustrated pyrochlore magnet Tb$_{2+x}$Ti$_{2-x}$O$_{7+y}$

TL;DR

This study reveals that three-spin interactions induced by low crystal-field excitations explain the observed magnetic correlations in Tb$_{2+x}$Ti$_{2-x}$O$_{7+y}$, indicating a quantum disordered ground state with intertwined spin and quadrupole correlations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that three-spin interactions are essential to understanding magnetic correlations and quantum disordered states in frustrated pyrochlore magnets, beyond conventional exchange models.

Findings

Three-spin interactions induce specific magnetic correlations.

Spin and quadrupole correlations coexist at low temperatures.

The ground state is close to multiple ordered phases, influenced by three-spin interactions.

Abstract

We have investigated the origin of the magnetic dipole correlations $\langle \sigma_{\boldsymbol{Q}}^z \sigma_{\boldsymbol{-Q}}^z \rangle$ characterized by the modulation wave vector $\boldsymbol{k} \sim (\tfrac{1}{2},\tfrac{1}{2},\tfrac{1}{2})$ observed in the frustrated pyrochlore magnet Tb$_{2+x}$Ti$_{2-x}$O$_{7+y}$. This magnetic short-range order cannot be accounted for by adding further-neighbor exchange interactions to the nearest-neighbor pseudospin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ Hamiltonian for quantum pyrochlore magnets. Using classical Monte Carlo simulation and quantum simulation based on thermally pure quantum (TPQ) states we have shown that the spin correlations with $\boldsymbol{k} \sim (\tfrac{1}{2},\tfrac{1}{2},\tfrac{1}{2})$ are induced at low temperatures by a three-spin interaction of a form $\sigma_{\boldsymbol{r}}^{\pm} \sigma_{\boldsymbol{r}^{\prime}}^z \sigma_{\boldsymbol{r}^{\prime \prime}}^z $, which is a correction to the Hamiltonian due to the low crystal-field excitation. Simulations using TPQ states have shown that the spin correlations coexist with electric quadrupole correlations $\langle \sigma_{\boldsymbol{Q}}^{\alpha} \sigma_{\boldsymbol{-Q}}^{\beta} \rangle$ ($\alpha, \beta = x, y$) with $\boldsymbol{k} \sim \boldsymbol{0}$. These results suggest that the putative quantum spin liquid state of Tb$_{2+x}$Ti$_{2-x}$O$_{7+y}$ is located close to phase boundaries of the spin-ice, quadrupole-ordered, and magnetic-ordered states in the classical approximation, and that the three-spin interaction brings about a quantum disordered ground state with both spin and quadrupole correlations.