Abstract
The magnetic dynamics of the spin ice material Ho2Ti2O7 in its paramagnetic(‘hot’) phase have been investigated by a combination of neutron spin echoand ac-susceptibility techniques. Relaxation at high temperatures (T > 15 K)is proved to occur by a thermally activated single-ion process that is distinct fromthe process that dominates at lower temperatures (1 K < T < 15 K). Itis argued that the low-temperature process must involve quantum mechanical spintunnelling, as quasi-classical channels of relaxation are exhausted in thistemperature range. Our results resolve a mystery in the physics of spin ice: whyhas a 15 K ac-susceptibility peak been observed in Dy2Ti2O7 but not inHo2Ti2O7 or Ho2Sn2O7?
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