Department of Physics and Astronomy: Publications and Other Research
Date of this Version
2016
Citation
AIP ADVANCES 6, 055704 (2016)
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4942950]
Abstract
It is investigated how a transverse magnetic field affects the quantum-mechanical character of LiHoF4, a system generally considered as a textbook example for an Ising-like quantum-phase transition. In small magnetic fields, the low-temperature behavior of the ions is Ising-like, involving the nearly degenerate low-lying Jz = ± 8 doublet. However, as the transverse field increases, there is a substantial admixture of states having | Jz | < 8. Near the quantum-phase-transition field, the system is distinctively non-Ising like, and all Jz eigenstates yield ground-state contributions of comparable magnitude. A classical analog to this mechanism is the micromagnetic single point in magnets with uniaxial anisotropy. Since Ho3+ has J = 8, the ion’s behavior is reminiscent of the classical limit (J = ∞), but quantum corrections remain clearly visible.
Included in
Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Commons, Other Physics Commons, Quantum Physics Commons
Comments
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.