Entropic topography associated with field-induced quantum criticality in a magnetic insulator DyVO4

TL;DR

This study investigates quantum criticality in DyVO4, revealing a field-induced tricritical point where antiferromagnetic and metamagnetic phases meet, characterized by entropic topography and divergence in thermodynamic responses.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive experimental evidence of a field-tuned quantum critical point in DyVO4, with detailed phase diagram and entropic analysis.

Findings

Identification of a tricritical point separating different magnetic phases.

Observation of hyperbolic divergence in magnetic Gruneisen parameter near criticality.

Evidence of a V-shaped entropy region indicating quantum critical behavior.

Abstract

Exploration of low temperature phase transitions associated with quantum critical point is one of the most mystifying fields of research which is under intensive focus in recent times. In this work, through comprehensive experimental evidences, we report the possibility of achieving quantum criticality in the neighborhood of a magnetic field-tuned tricritical point separating paramagnetic, antiferromagnetic and metamagnetic phases in a magnetic insulator, DyVO4. Magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity indicate to the presence of a long-range second order antiferromagnetic transition at TN ~ 3.2 K. Field variation of Magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity, along with differential magnetic susceptibility and DC field dependent AC susceptibility gives evidence of the modification of the antiferromagnetic structure below the tricritical point; implying the presence of a field-induced first order metamagnetic transition which persists down to 1.8 K. Further, the magnetic field dependence of the thermodynamic quantity -dM/dT, which is related to magnetic Gruneisen parameter, approaches a minimum, followed by a crossover near 5 kOe to a maximum; along with a hyperbolic divergence in temperature response of dM/dT in the critical field regime. Temperature response of heat capacity at 5 kOe also shows a deviation from the conventional behavior. Entropic topography phase diagram allows tracking of the variation of the entropy, which indicates towards the emergence of the peak at quantum critical point into a V-shaped region at high temperatures. Our studies yield an inimitable phase diagram describing a tricritical point at which the second-order antiferromagnetic phase line terminates followed by a first order line of metamagnetic transition, as the temperature is lowered, leading to metamagnetic quantum critical end point.