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arXiv · 1702.05976

Mean-field theory for confinement transitions and magnetization plateaux in spin ice

Stephen Powell
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Abstract

We study phase transitions in classical spin ice at nonzero magnetization, by introducing a mean-field theory designed to capture the interplay between confinement and topological constraints. The method is applied to a model of spin ice in an applied magnetic field along the [100] crystallographic direction and yields a phase diagram containing the Coulomb phase as well as a set of magnetization plateaux. We argue that the lobe structure of the phase diagram, strongly reminiscent of the Bose-Hubbard model, is generic to Coulomb spin liquids.

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Stephen Powell. 2017-02-20. Mean-field theory for confinement transitions and magnetization plateaux in spin ice. https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8121/aa5bc6

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