Investigation of the monopole magneto-chemical potential in spin ices using capacitive torque magnetometry

Abstract

The single-ion anisotropy and magnetic interactions in spin-ice systems give rise to unusual non-collinear spin textures, such as Pauling states and magnetic monopoles. The effective spin correlation strength (J_eff) determines the relative energies of the different spin-ice states. With this work, we display the capability of capacitive torque magnetometry in characterizing the magneto-chemical potential associated with monopole formation. We build a magnetic phase diagram of Ho₂Ti₂O₇, and show that the magneto-chemical potential depends on the spin sublattice (α or β), i.e., the Pauling state, involved in the transition. Monte Carlo simulations using the dipolar-spin-ice Hamiltonian support our findings of a sublattice-dependent magneto-chemical potential, but the model underestimates the J_eff for the β-sublattice. Additional simulations, including next-nearest neighbor interactions (J₂), show that long-range exchange terms in the Hamiltonian are needed to describe the measurements. This demonstrates that torque magnetometry provides a sensitive test for J_eff and the spin-spin interactions that contribute to it.