CdEr2Se4: a new erbium spin ice system in a spinel structure.
Here we present a detailed study of the spinel CdEr2Se4 and show it to be a new instance of spin ice, the first one in an erbium material and the first one in a spinel. Definitive experimental evidence comes from the temperature dependence of the magnetic entropy, which shows an excellent agreement with the predicted behavior for a spin ice state. Crystal field calculations demonstrate that the change in the local environment from that of the titanates completely alters the rare-earth anisotropy giving rise, in the case of Er3+, to the required Ising anisotropy, when Er2Ti2O7 behaves as an XY antiferromagnet. This finding opens up the possibility of new exotic ground states within the CdR2Se4 and CdR2Se4 families.
Lago
J
J
Departament of Inorganic Chemistry, Univ. del Pas Vasco, 48080 Bilbao, Spain. jorge.lago@ehu.es
Zivković
I
I
Malkin
B Z
BZ
Rodriguez Fernandez
J
J
Ghigna
P
P
Dalmas de Réotier
P
P
Yaouanc
A
A
Rojo
T
T