Domainlike antiferromagnetic correlations of paramagnetic FeCl₂: A field-induced Griffiths phase?

Authors

Christian Binek, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Wolfgang Kleemann, Angewandte Physik, Universitat Duisburg, Federal Republic of GermanyFollow

Date of this Version

2-21-1994

Comments

Published by American Physical Society. Copyright 1994. Permission to use. Phys. Rev. Lett. 72 (1994) 1287.

Abstract

Domainlike antiferromagnetic correlations are detected by SQUID measurements of the low-frequency susceptibility in the metamagnet FeCl₂ when exposed to an axial magnetic field H at temperatures T_c (H)≤T≤T_N. A distinct change of curvature of χ’’ vs T appearing at T_N is explained in terms of fluctuating distributions of demagnetizing fields and, hence, transition temperatures. The field-induced dynamic domain phase—an analog of the Griffiths phase predicted for a ferromagnet with dilution x within T_c(x)≤T≤T_c(0)—is confirmed by elastic light scattering experiments.