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arXiv · 2508.19248

Disorder-induced proximate quantum spin ice phase in Pr2Sn2O7

Yi Luo·Brenden R. Ortiz·Miles J. Knudtson·Stephen D. Wilson·Jue Liu·Benjamin A. Frandsen·Si Athena Chen·Matthias D. Frontzek·Andrey A. Podlesnyak·Joseph A. M. Paddison·Adam A. Aczel
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Abstract

Magnetic pyrochlores with non-Kramers rare-earth ions provide a platform for exploring emergent gauge physics and quantum spin-ice behavior, yet the influence of structural disorder on their ground states remains insufficiently understood. Here we combine bulk characterization and single-crystal neutron-scattering measurements to investigate the non-Kramers pyrochlore Pr2Sn2O7. At temperatures below ~1 K, the system exhibits key hallmarks of quantum spin-ice physics, including anisotropic spin-ice correlations and two distinct dynamical timescales. Upon further cooling, however, we observe a complete spin-freezing transition at T_f ~ 0.15 K, accompanied by recovery of the full nuclear Schottky anomaly, the emergence of a gapped magnetic excitation, and the development of incipient (100) magnetic correlations. Comparison with related Pr-based pyrochlores places Pr2Sn2O7 near the spin-frozen boundary of a disorder-perturbed phase diagram. These results establish a disorder-driven framework for the evolution of quantum spin-ice behavior into frozen ground states, revealing how signatures of a proximate quantum spin liquid can persist despite disorder-induced spin freezing in non-Kramers pyrochlores.

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Yi Luo, Brenden R. Ortiz, Miles J. Knudtson, Stephen D. Wilson, Jue Liu, Benjamin A. Frandsen, Si Athena Chen, Matthias D. Frontzek, Andrey A. Podlesnyak, Joseph A. M. Paddison, Adam A. Aczel. 2025-08-26. Disorder-induced proximate quantum spin ice phase in Pr2Sn2O7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2026.102169

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