Universal dynamic magnetism in Yb pyrochlores with disparate ground states

The ytterbium pyrochlore magnets, Yb2B2O7 (B=Sn,Ti,Ge) are well described by Seff=1/2 quantum spins decorating a network of corner-sharing tetrahedra and interacting via anisotropic exchange. Structurally, only the nonmagnetic B-site cation, and hence primarily the lattice parameter, changes across the series. Nonetheless, a range of magnetic behaviors is observed: the low-temperature magnetism in Yb2Ti2O7 and Yb2Sn2O7 has a ferromagnetic character, while Yb2Ge2O7 displays an antiferromagnetically ordered Néel state at low temperatures. While the static properties of the ytterbium pyrochlores are distinct, inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal a common character to their exotic spin dynamics. All three ytterbium pyrochlores show a gapless continuum of spin excitations, resembling overdamped ferromagnetic spin waves at low Q. Furthermore, the specific heat of the series also follows a common form, with a broad, high-temperature anomaly followed by a sharp low-temperature anomaly at TC or TN. The novel spin dynamics we report correlate strongly with the broad specific heat anomaly only, remaining unchanged across the sharp anomaly. This result suggests that the primary order parameter in the ytterbium pyrochlores associated with the sharp anomaly is “hidden” and not simple magnetic dipole order.