Realization of random-field Ising ferromagnetism in a molecular magnet

Bo Wen, P. Subedi, Lin Bo, Y. Yeshurun, M. P. Sarachik, A. D. Kent, A. J. Millis, C. Lampropoulos, G. Christou
2010 Physical Review B  
The longitudinal magnetic susceptibility of single crystals of the molecular magnet Mn_12-acetate obeys a Curie-Weiss law, indicating a transition to a ferromagnetic phase due to dipolar interactions. With increasing magnetic field applied transverse to the easy axis, the transition temperature decreases considerably more rapidly than predicted by mean field theory to a T=0 quantum critical point. Our results are consistent with an effective Hamiltonian for a random-field Ising ferromagnet in a
more » ... transverse field, where the randomness is induced by an external field applied to Mn_12-acetate crystals that are known to have an intrinsic distribution of locally tilted magnetic easy axes.
doi:10.1103/physrevb.82.014406 fatcat:ab35cimem5gwxmbdnfoedjmm7e