Phys.org May 10, 2022 Finding convincing evidence that quantum spin liquids exist in actual physical materials has been a decades-long challenge. In a 2019 study led by Rice university found the first evidence that cerium zirconium pyrochlore was a quantum spin liquid. To build a convincing case, an international team of researchers (USA – Florida State University, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, UCLA, Rice University, Germany) developed a model and tested it against thermodynamic, neutron-scattering and magnetization results from previously published experimental studies of cerium zirconium pyrochlore. They matched three different pieces of evidence: that a version of monopoles does […]
Category Archives: Quantum spin liquid
Scientists document the presence of quantum spin liquids, a never-before-seen state of matter
Phys.org December 2, 2021 To reproduce the microscopic physics found in condensed matter systems an international team of researchers (USA – Harvard University, MIT, Austria) used a simulator that allows the researchers to create programmable shapes like squares, honeycombs, or triangular lattices to engineer different interactions and entanglements between ultracold atoms. Quantum spin liquids display none of that magnetic order because, essentially, there is a third spin added, turning the checker box pattern to a triangular pattern making it a “frustrated” magnet where the electron spins can’t stabilize in a single direction. The researchers used the simulator to create their […]
New evidence for electron’s dual nature found in a quantum spin liquid
EurekAlert May 13, 2021 In spin liquid materials, the spins are constantly changing in a tightly coordinated, entangled choreography resulting in one of the most entangled quantum states. A team of researchers in the US (Princeton University, University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Purdue University) proposed that in the quantum regime an electron may be regarded as composed of two particles, one bearing the electron’s negative charge and the other containing its spin they called it spinon. They searched for signs of the spinon in a spin liquid composed of ruthenium and chlorine atoms. The measurements demanded an extraordinarily […]
Large family of quantum spin liquids revealed
Physics World October 18, 2018 Researchers in China synthesized and characterized a large family of rare-earth chalcogenides AReCh 2 (A = alkali or monovalent ions, Re = rare earth, Ch = O, S, Se) which share the same structure (Rbar 3m) as YbMgGaO 4 , and antiferromagnetically coupled rare-earth ions form perfect triangular layers that are well separated along the c-axis. The family, having the simplest structure and chemical formula among the known QSL candidates, removes the issue on possible exchange disorders in YbMgGaO 4 . The rich diversity of the family members allows tunable charge gaps, variable exchange coupling, […]