Dynamical crossover in hot spin ice

Abstract

The magnetic dynamics of the spin ice material Ho2Ti2O7 in its paramagnetic ('hot') phase have been investigated by a combination of neutron spin echo and ac-susceptibility techniques. Relaxation at high temperatures (T > 15 K) is proved to occur by a thermally activated single-ion process that is distinct from the process that dominates at lower temperatures (1 K < T < 15 K). It is argued that the low-temperature process must involve quantum mechanical spin tunnelling, as quasi-classical channels of relaxation are exhausted in this temperature range. Our results resolve a mystery in the physics of spin ice: why has a 15 K ac-susceptibility peak been observed in Dy2Ti2O7 but not in Ho2Ti2O7 or Ho2Sn2O7?