Quantum tetrahedral mean-field theory of the pyrochlore lattice

A quantum mean-field theory of the pyrochlore lattice is presented. The starting point is not the individual magnetic ions, as in the usual Curie-Weiss mean-field theory, but a set of interacting corner-sharing tetrahedra. We check the consistency of the model against magnetic susceptibility data and find a good agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data. Implications of the model and future extensions are also discussed.