Abstract
We present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the kagome ice Coulomb phase that explores the fine-tuning of critical correlations by applied field, temperature, and crystal orientation. The continuous modification of algebraic correlations is observed by polarized neutron scattering experiments and is found to be well described by numerical simulations of an idealized model. We further clarify the thermodynamics of field-tuned Kasteleyn transitions and demonstrate some dramatic finite-size-scaling properties that depend on how topological string defects wind around the system boundaries. We conclude that kagome ice is a remarkable example of a critical and topological state in a real system that may be subject to fine experimental control.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 094403 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2022 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
We thank Ch. Ruëgg for comments on this work and Ref. and L. Jaubert and T. Roscilde for useful discussions. Neutron scattering experiments were carried out on D7 at the ILL, Grenoble, France. Work at PSI was partly funded by the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung Grants No. 200021_140862 and No. 200020_162626). P.C.W.H. acknowledges financial support from ANR, France, Grant No. ANR-19-CE30-0040. I.G.W. acknowledges financial support from NERC Grant No. GR3/7497.