Theory of Bloch delocalization and quantum diffusion of heavy particles in insulators

Possible quantum diffusion of polaronic muons in Dy(2)Ti(2)O(7) spin ice

We interpret recent measurements of the zero field muon relaxation rate in the magnetic pyrochlore Dy(2)Ti(2)O(7) as resulting from the quantum diffusion of muons in the material. In this scenario, the plateau observed at low temperature (< 7 K) in the relaxation rate is due to coherent tunneling of muons through a spatially disordered spin state and not to any magnetic fluctuations persisting at low temperature. Two further regimes either side of a maximum relaxation rate at T* = 50 K correspond to a crossover between tunneling and incoherent activated hopping motion of the muon. Our fit of the experimental data is compared with the case of muonium diffusion in KCl.