Date/Time Date(s) - 24/05/20052:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Title: Frustrated Quantum Magnets: Surprises on the way to polarization
Speaker: Dr. Frederic Mila
Institute: Institute of Theoretical PhysicsFederale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Location: ABB 162
Description:
While the magnetization process of regular antiferromagnets is, up to spin flop transitions, a smooth process, the magnetization of frustrated quantum magnets can exhibit strong anomalies such as magnetization plateaux and jumps. In this talk, I will review our current understanding of this problem in the context of SrCu2(BO3)2, the first experimental realization of the 2D orthogonal dimer model also known as the Shastry-Sutherland model. In particular, I will discuss the origin of the magnetization plateaux observed at 1/8, 1/4 and 1/3 of the saturation value, and I will comment on the role of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions in explaining other anomalies such as the early raise of the magnetization and the persistence of a gap below the 1/8 plateau.