Higher-rank spin liquids and spin nematics from competing orders in pyrochlore magnets
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Contributors
Abstract
Pyrochlore magnets provide an excellent arena for the realization of various many-body phenomena, such as classical and quantum order-by-disorder, as well as spin-liquid phases described by emergent gauge-field theories. These phenomena arise from competition between different symmetry-breaking magnetic orders. In this paper, we consider a subspace of the most general bilinear nearest-neighbor Hamiltonian on the pyrochlore lattice, parameterized by the local interaction parameter Jz±, where three symmetry-breaking phases converge. We demonstrate that for small values of |Jz±|, a conventional q=0 ordered phase is selected by a thermal order-by-disorder mechanism. For |Jz±| above a certain finite threshold, a spin-nematic phase is stabilized at low temperatures. Instead of the usual Bragg peaks, the spin-nematic phase features lines of high intensity in the spin structure factor. At intermediate temperatures above the low-temperature orders, a rank-2 U(1) classical spin liquid is realized for all Jz±≠0. We fully characterize these phases using classical Monte Carlo simulations and a self-consistent Gaussian approximation.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 085140 |
Journal | Physical Review B |
Volume | 111 |
Issue number | 8 |
Publication status | Published - 15 Feb 2025 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |