Dynamical crossover in 'hot' spin ice

The magnetic dynamics of the spin ice material Ho₂Ti₂O₇ in its paramagnetic ('hot') phase have been investigated by a combination of neutron spin echo and ac-susceptibility techniques. Relaxation at high temperatures (T > 15 K) is proved to occur by a thermally activated single-ion process that is distinct from the process that dominates at lower temperatures (1 K < T < 15 K). It is argued that the low-temperature process must involve quantum mechanical spin tunnelling, as quasi-classical channels of relaxation are exhausted in this temperature range. Our results resolve a mystery in the physics of spin ice: why has a 15 K ac-susceptibility peak been observed in Dy₂Ti₂O₇ but not in Ho₂Ti₂O₇ or Ho₂Sn₂O₇?.