Evidence for ferromagnetic ordering of 3He films on graphite

• Published in: Physica. B, Condensed matter Vol. 329-333; pp. 129 - 130
• Main Authors: Bozler, H M, Zhang, J, Gould, C M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2003
• ISSN: 0921-4526

Recent experiments at USC have shown that two-dimensional films of 3He on graphite order ferromagnetically at finite temperatures (T > 0) for densities above 20 atoms/nm2. These results, obtained by measuring NMR on these films in the zero field limit, appear to contradict several studies which concluded that there is no spontaneous order by measuring magnetic susceptibility through conventional NMR in finite magnetic fields, and heat capacity in zero field. The low field limit is important in understanding these two-dimensional magnetic systems. At higher temperatures and/ or fields, these films have been described in terms of the multiple spin exchange model. However, two-dimensional systems are extremely sensitive to anisotropies such as nuclear dipole interactions, even when they are several orders of magnitude less than the dominant exchange mechanism.