Ultra Low Temperature Susceptometer and Magnetometer : Study of the Spin Glass Series LiHox Er1-x F4

Abstract

The first part of this thesis discusses technical details relating to measurements of magnetic properties at ultra low temperatures. The implementation of AC susceptibility at temperatures down to 30 mK is introduced and used as a platform to showcase selected quantum magnets measured during the thesis. Each presented system illustrates a particular strength of AC susceptibility. This is followed by in-depth analysis of the design and implementation of a new solution for a SQUID magnetometer capable of running below 100 mK. The system employs a piezomotor to move the sample inside a dilution fridge, rather than the existing designs, which involve moving the entire dilution fridge. Furthermore, the system is completely modular, allowing for rapid removal from the fridge, and opening the possibility to use it on virtually any commercial dilution refrigerator. The latter part of the thesis presents a comprehensive study of a new family of model magnets, LiHox Er1−x F4, which combines the Ising spins of ferromagnetic LiHoF4 with the XY ones of antiferromagnetic LiErF4. The temperature-doping (T − x) phase diagram has been studied using AC susceptibility, and three key regions investigated in detail using additional neutron scattering experiments and mean-field calculations. The first region, x ≳ 0.6, corresponds to an Ising ferromagnet, where Tc (x) decreases linearly and faster than what mean-field predicts. At T < TC a so-called embedded spin-glass state is observed. The second region, 0.6 ≳ x ≳ 0.3, undergoes a spin-glass transition, where needle-like spin clusters form along the Ising axis below Tg (x) ∼ 0.4 − 0.5 K. Applying a field along the Ising axis at T < 200 mK produces a thermal runaway in the x = 0.50 sample, when the field reaches a value of H = 0.029 ± 0.002 T. The final region, x ≲ 0.3, corresponds to an antiferromagnetically coupled spin-glass, which shows archetypal spin-glass behaviour.