Neutron scattering and thermodynamics studies of Tb-based Shastry-Sutherland Lattice compound

The Shastry-Sutherland lattice (SSL) is a fascinating two-dimensional magnetic system, consisting of orthogonal dimers with competing antiferromagnetic intra- and interdimer couplings, J and J', respectively. SSL systems have attracted considerable attention due to their complex phase diagrams, which display a wide range of magnetic phases, including dimerized states, plaquette phases, and fractional magnetization plateaus. In this study, we explore the insulating rare-earth SSL compound Tb₂Be₂GeO₇ using thermodynamic, magnetization, and neutron scattering techniques. Our results uncover a novel magnetization plateau at M/Msaturation = 1/2, along with the unexpected observation of 'extra' entropy release.