Glide symmetry breaking and Ising criticality in the quasi-1D magnet CoNb₂O₆.

ABSTRACT: We construct a microscopic spin-exchange Hamiltonian for the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Ising magnet [Formula: see text] that captures detailed and hitherto-unexplained aspects of its dynamic spin structure factor. We perform a symmetry analysis that recalls that an individual Ising chain in this material is buckled, with two sites in each unit cell related by a glide symmetry. Combining this with numerical simulations benchmarked against neutron scattering experiments, we argue that the single-chain Hamiltonian contains a staggered spin-exchange term. We further argue that the transverse-field-tuned quantum critical point in [Formula: see text] corresponds to breaking this glide symmetry, rather than an on-site Ising symmetry as previously believed. This gives a unified microscopic explan

SUBMITTER: Fava M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7568302 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature