Magnetic order in the double pyrochlore Tb₂Ru₂O₇

Polycrystalline Tb(2)Ru(2)O(7) has been studied using dc susceptibility, specific heat and neutron scattering techniques. The high temperature paramagnetic state is dominated by the single ion character of Tb(3 + ) and very similar to that of the well-studied spin liquid Tb(2)Ti(2)O(7). However, both the Ru(4 + ) and Tb(3 + ) sublattices order, at about 110 K and 3.5 K, respectively. Although the Tb sublattice does not fully order until 3.5 K, it is polarized in the presence of the internal field generated by the Ru(4 + ) sublattice and possesses a significant moment at 7 K. Magnetic entropy measurements suggest that four levels exist in the first 30 K and inelastic neutron scattering investigations revealed two more levels at 10 and 14 meV. As the magnetic sublattices order, the excitations are perturbed from that measured in the paramagnetic state. These data are compared to data for other terbium based and double pyrochlores.