Quantum-mechanical ground state of dysprosium trichloride hexahydrate.

Abstract

This paper deals with the quantum-mechanical ground state of dysprosium trichloride hexahydrate (${\mathrm{DyCl}}_{3}$\ensuremath{\cdot}6${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O). The method used is that presented in the preceding companion paper. A discussion of the assumptions of the method for the extreme case of an Ising-like dipolar Hamiltonian is made, and the case of slightly modified correlation assumptions is examined. The quantum-mechanical ground state of ${\mathrm{DyCl}}_{3}$\ensuremath{\cdot}6${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O is found to be ferromagnetic with a strong magnetization component along the magnetic z axis, and corresponding energy -0.340 K per gram ion of ${\mathrm{Dy}}^{3+}$. The results found agree well with the existing experimental information about ${\mathrm{DyCl}}_{3}$\ensuremath{\cdot}6${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O and with the results of the semiclassical Luttinger-Tisza treatment.