Unravelling the magnetic ground state of Dy2Zr2O7 pyrochlore: A candidate for spin ice state

We propose the study of magnetic ground state using muon spin resonance in pyrochlore oxide Dy2Zr2O7. We have performed the magnetic and heat capacity measurements. Our studies shows negative θ_cw ∼ -0.5 K and dominance of AFM interactions (Jnn) over the dipole-dipole FM interaction (Dnn). The ratio Jnn/Dnn∼-0.86 favors spin ice behavior. The ac susceptibility in dc applied field shows the emergence of magnetic correlation/freezing near T ∼12 K which is akin to that observed for Dy2Ti2O7. Heat capacity results show a residual entropy of R/2ln(3/2) favouring the spin ice state. . Recent neutron study has shown some conflict results and raises doubt on the low temperature spin ice state therefore the proposed Muon experiment will help in determining the true ground state of the Dy2Zr2O7.