Neutron Diffraction Study of the Pressure-Induced Magnetic Ordering in the Spin Gap System TlCuCl₃

Abstract

Neutron elastic scattering measurements have been performed under a hydrostatic pressure in order to investigate the spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordering in the spin gap system TlCuCl₃. Below the ordering temperature T_N=16.9 K for the hydrostatic pressure P=1.48 GPa, magnetic Bragg reflections were observed at reciprocal lattice points Q=(h,0,l) with integer h and odd l, which are equivalent to those points with the lowest magnetic excitation energy at ambient pressure. This indicates that the spin gap closes due to the applied pressure. The spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordered state for P=1.48 GPa was determined.