Magnetic order in Tm2Si2O7

We propose to probe the magnetic ground state of Tm2Si2O7 with neutron diffraction. The compound belongs to a family of rare-earth disilicates, whose magnetic properties remain largely unknown. Tm2Si2O7 has a monoclinic structure (C type), identical to the one found in Yb2Si2O7, where highly unusual low-T magnetic phase diagram has recently been reported. Our heat capacity measurements suggest that Tm2Si2O7 remains magnetically disordered down to at least 0.4 K, we therefore need a dilution refrigerator to reach sub 1 K temperatures.

我们提出利用中子衍射（neutron diffraction）探究Tm₂Si₂O₇的磁基态。该化合物属于稀土二硅酸盐家族，其磁学性质迄今仍未得到充分探明。Tm₂Si₂O₇具有单斜晶结构（C型），与Yb₂Si₂O₇的结构一致；近期已有研究报道Yb₂Si₂O₇存在极不寻常的低温磁相图。我们的热容测量结果表明，Tm₂Si₂O₇至少在0.4 K时仍处于磁无序状态，因此需要使用稀释制冷机（dilution refrigerator）以获得亚1开尔文的实验温度。