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Register a new userPresence and absence of itinerant gapless excitations in the quantum spin liquid candidate EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$
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Minoru Yamashita Dr.
Publication date
2020
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$, an organic Mott insulator with nearly isotropic triangular lattice, is a candidate material for a quantum spin liquid, in which the zero-point fluctuations do not allow the spins to order. The itinerant gapless excitations inferred from the thermal transport measurements in this system have been a hotly debated issue recently. While the presence of a finite linear residual thermal conductivity, $kappa_0/T equiv kappa/T (T rightarrow 0)$, has been shown [M. Yamashita {it et al.} Science {bf 328}, 1246 (2010)], recent experiments [P. Bourgeois-Hope {it et al.}, Phys. Rev. X {bf 9}, 041051 (2019); J. M. Ni {it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {bf 123}, 247204 (2019)] have reported the absence of $kappa_0/T$. Here we show that the low-temperature thermal conductivity strongly depends on the cooling process of the sample. When cooling down very slowly, a sizable $kappa_0/T$ is observed. In contrast, when cooling down rapidly, $kappa_0/T$ vanishes and, in addition, the phonon thermal conductivity is strongly suppressed. These results suggest that possible random scatterers introduced during the cooling process are responsible for the apparent discrepancy of the thermal conductivity data in this organic system. The present results provide evidence that the true ground state of EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$ is likely to be a quantum spin liquid with itinerant gapless excitations.
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In molecular-based quantum-spin-liquid candidate EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$ with two-dimensional $S$=1/2 triangular lattice, a finite residual linear term in the thermal conductivity, $kappa_0/Tequivkappa/T (T rightarrow 0)$, has been observed and attributed to the presence of itinerant gapless excitations. Here we show that the data of $kappa$ measured in several single crystals are divided into two groups with and without the residual linear term. In the first group with finite $kappa_0/T$, the phonon thermal conductivity $kappa_{ph}$ is comparable to that of other organic compounds. In these crystals, the phonon mean free path $ell_{ph}$ saturates at low temperatures, being limited by sample size. On the other hand, in the second group with zero $kappa_0/T$, $kappa_{ph}$ is one order of magnitude smaller than that in the first group, comparable to that of amorphous solids. In contrast to the first group, $ell_{ph}$ shows a glassy-like non-saturating behavior at low temperatures. These results suggest that the crystals with long $ell_{ph}$ are required to discuss the magnetic excitations by thermal conductivity measurements.
To reveal the nature of elementary excitations in a quantum spin liquid (QSL), we measured low temperature thermal conductivity and specific heat of 1T-TaS$_2$, a QSL candidate material with frustrated triangular lattice of spin-1/2. The nonzero temperature linear specific heat coefficient $gamma$ and the finite residual linear term of the thermal conductivity in the zero temperature limit $kappa_0/T=kappa/T(Trightarrow 0)$ are clearly resolved. This demonstrates the presence of highly mobile gapless excitations, which is consistent with fractionalized spinon excitations that form a Fermi surface. Remarkably, an external magnetic field strongly suppresses $gamma$, whereas it enhances $kappa_0/T$. This unusual contrasting behavior in the field dependence of specific heat and thermal conductivity can be accounted for by the presence of two types of gapless excitations with itinerant and localized characters, as recently predicted theoretically (I. Kimchi et al., arXiv:1803.00013 (2018)). This unique feature of 1T-TaS$_2$ provides new insights into the influence of quenched disorder on the QSL.
We present the ultralow-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements on single crystals of triangular-lattice organic compound EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$, which has long been considered as a gapless quantum spin liquid candidate. In specific heat measurements, a finite linear term is observed, consistent with the previous work [S. Yamashita $et$ $al.$, Nat. Commun. {bf 2}, 275 (2011)]. However, we do not observe a finite residual linear term in the thermal conductivity measurements, and the thermal conductivity does not change in a magnetic field of 6 Tesla. These results are in sharp contrast to previous thermal conductivity measurements on EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$ [M. Yamashita $et$ $al.$ Science {bf 328}, 1246 (2010)], in which a huge residual linear term was observed and attributed to highly mobile gapless excitations, likely the spinons of a quantum spin liquid. In this context, the true ground state of EtMe$_3$Sb[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$ has to be reconsidered.
The absence of both spin freezing and of a static Jahn-Teller effect have lead to the proposition that Ba$_3$CuSb$_2$O$_9$ is a quantum spin-orbital liquid. However, theoretical understanding of the microscopic origin of this behavior has been hampered by a lack of consensus on the lattice structure. Cu ions have been proposed to realize either a triangular lattice, a short-range ordered honeycomb lattice or a disordered lattice with stripelike correlations. Here we analyze the stability of idealiz
We have in detail characterized the anisotropic charge response of the dimer Mott insulator $kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$-Cu$_2$(CN)$_3$ by dc conductivity, Hall effect and dielectric spectroscopy. At room temperature the Hall coefficient is positive and close to the value expected from stoichiometry; the temperature behavior follows the dc resistivity $rho(T)$. Within the planes the dc conductivity is well described by variable-range hopping in two dimensions; this model, however, fails for the out-of-plane direction. An unusually broad in-plane dielectric relaxation is detected below about 60 K; it slows down much faster than the dc conductivity following an Arrhenius law. At around 17 K we can identify a pronounced dielectric anomaly concomitantly with anomalous features in the mean relaxation time and spectral broadening. The out-of-plane relaxation, on the other hand, shows a much weaker dielectric anomaly; it closely follows the temperature behavior of the respective dc resistivity. At lower temperatures, the dielectric constant becomes smaller both within and perpendicular to the planes; also the relaxation levels off. The observed behavior bears features of relaxor-like ferroelectricity. Because heterogeneities impede its long-range development, only a weak tunneling-like dynamics persists at low temperatures. We suggest that the random potential and domain structure gradually emerge due to the coupling to the anion network.
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