Physical Realization of a Quantum Spin Liquid Based on a Complex Frustration Mechanism

Published

July 25, 2016

Author(s)

Christian Balz, Bella Lake, Johannes Reuther, Hubertus Luetkens, Rico Schonemann, Thomas Herrmannsdorfer, Yogesh Singh, A.T.M. Nazmul Islam, Elisa M. Wheeler, Jose Rodriguez Rivera, Tatiana Guidi, G. Giovanna Simeoni, Chris Baines, Hanjo Ryll

Abstract

Unlike conventional magnets where the magnetic moments are partially or completely static in the ground state, in a quantum spin liquid they remain in collective motion down to the lowest temperatures. The importance of this stat is that it is coherent and highly entangled without breaking local symmetries. Such phenomena is usually sought in simple lattices where antiferromagnetic interactions and/or anisotropies that favor specific alignments of the magnetic moments are frustrated by lattice geometries incompatible with such order e.g. triangular structures. Despite an extensive search among such compounds, experimental realizations remain very few. Here we describe the investigation of a new magnet with a novel, unexplored lattice that has several isotropic interactions consisting of strong ferromagnetic and weaker antiferromagnetic couplings. Despite its unfamiliar structure we show both experimentally and theoretically that it displays all the features expected of a quantum spin liquid including coherent spin dynamics in the ground state and the complete absence of static magnetism.

Citation

Nature Physics

Volume

12

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

Magnetic materials, Neutron scattering, superconductivity

Citation

Balz, C. , Lake, B. , Reuther, J. , Luetkens, H. , Schonemann, R. , Herrmannsdorfer, T. , Singh, Y. , Nazmul Islam, A. , Wheeler, E. , Rodriguez Rivera, J. , Guidi, T. , Simeoni, G. , Baines, C. and Ryll, H. (2016), Physical Realization of a Quantum Spin Liquid Based on a Complex Frustration Mechanism, Nature Physics, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=919845 (Accessed July 17, 2024)