Spin-Orbital Glass Transition in a Model of a Frustrated Pyrochlore Magnet without Quenched Disorder.

Abstract

We show theoretically that spin and orbital degrees of freedom in the pyrochlore oxide Y_{2}Mo_{2}O_{7}, which is free of quenched disorder, can exhibit a simultaneous glass transition, working as dynamical disorder for each other. The interplay of spins and orbitals is mediated by the Jahn-Teller lattice distortion that selects the choice of orbitals, which then generates variant spin exchange interactions ranging from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic ones. Our MonteCarlo simulations detect the power-law divergence of the relaxation times and the negative divergence of both the magnetic and dielectric nonlinear susceptibilities, resolving the long-standing puzzle on the origin of the disorder-free spin glass.