A Three Dimensional Kasteleyn Transition: Spin Ice in a [100] Field

Jaubert, Ludovic D. C.; Chalker, J. T.; Holdsworth, Peter C. W.; Moessner, R.

A Three Dimensional Kasteleyn Transition: Spin Ice in a [100] Field

Authors

Jaubert, Ludovic D. C.

Chalker, J. T.

Holdsworth, Peter C. W.

Moessner, R.

Description

We examine the statistical mechanics of spin-ice materials with a [100] magnetic field. We show that the approach to saturated magnetisation is, in the low-temperature limit, an example of a 3D Kasteleyn transition, which is topological in the sense that magnetisation is changed only by excitations that span the entire system. We study the transition analytically and using a Monte Carlo cluster algorithm, and compare our results with recent data from experiments on Dy2Ti2O7.
4 pages, 5 figures