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Continuous excitations of the triangular-lattice quantum spin liquid YbMgGaO4

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 نشر من قبل Martin Mourigal
 تاريخ النشر 2016
  مجال البحث فيزياء
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A quantum spin liquid (QSL) is an exotic state of matter in which electrons spins are quantum entangled over long distances, but do not show symmetry-breaking magnetic order in the zero-temperature limit. The observation of QSL states is a central aim of experimental physics, because they host collective excitations that transcend our knowledge of quantum matter; however, examples in real materials are scarce. Here, we report neutron-scattering measurements on YbMgGaO4, a QSL candidate in which Yb3+ ions with effective spin-1/2 occupy a triangular lattice. Our measurements reveal a continuum of magnetic excitations - the essential experimental hallmark of a QSL - at very low temperature (0.06 K). The origin of this peculiar excitation spectrum is a crucial question, because isotropic nearest-neighbor interactions do not yield a QSL ground state on the triangular lattice. Using measurements of the magnetic excitations close to the field-polarized state, we identify antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor interactions in the presence of planar anisotropy as key ingredients for QSL formation in YbMgGaO4.



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Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are exotic states of matter characterized by emergent gauge structures and fractionalized elementary excitations. The recently discovered triangular lattice antiferromagnet YbMgGaO$_4$ is a promising QSL candidate, and the nature of its ground state is still under debate. Here, we use neutron scattering to study the spin excitations in YbMgGaO$_4$ under various magnetic fields. Our data reveal a dispersive spin excitation continuum with clear upper and lower excitation edges under a weak magnetic field ($H=2.5$ T). Moreover, a spectral crossing emerges at the $Gamma$ point at the Zeeman-split energy. The corresponding redistribution of the spectral weight and its field-dependent evolution are consistent with the theoretical prediction based on the inter-band and intra-band spinon particle-hole excitations associated with the Zeeman-split spinon bands, implying the presence of fractionalized excitations and spinon Fermi surfaces in the partially magnetized YbMgGaO$_4$.
The spin-1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnet YbMgGaO$_{4}$ has attracted recent attention as a quantum spin-liquid candidate with the possible presence of off-diagonal anisotropic exchange interactions induced by spin-orbit coupling. Whether a qua ntum spin-liquid is stabilized or not depends on the interplay of various exchange interactions with chemical disorder that is inherent to the layered structure of the compound. We combine time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering measurements in the field polarized state of YbMgGaO$_{4}$ to obtain better microscopic insights on its exchange interactions. Terahertz spectroscopy in this fashion functions as high-field electron spin resonance and probes the spin-wave excitations at the Brillouin zone center, ideally complementing neutron scattering. A global spin-wave fit to all our spectroscopic data at fields over 4T, informed by the analysis of the terahertz spectroscopy linewidths, yields stringent constraints on $g$-factors and exchange interactions. Our results paint YbMgGaO$_{4}$ as an easy-plane XXZ antiferromagnet with the combined and necessary presence of sub-leading next-nearest neighbor and weak anisotropic off-diagonal nearest-neighbor interactions. Moreover, the obtained $g$-factors are substantially different from previous reports. This works establishes the hierarchy of exchange interactions in YbMgGaO$_{4}$ from high-field data alone and thus strongly constrains possible mechanisms responsible for the observed spin-liquid phenomenology.
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A layered triangular lattice with spin-1/2 ions is an ideal platform to explore highly entangled exotic states like quantum spin liquid (QSL). Here, we report a systematic in-field neutron scattering study on a perfect two-dimensional triangular-latt ice antiferromagnet, CsYbSe$_2$, a member of the large QSL candidate family rare-earth chalcogenides. The elastic neutron scattering measured down to 70 mK shows that there is a short-range 120$^{circ}$ magnetic order at zero field. In the field-induced ordered states, the spin-spin correlation lengths along the $c$ axis are relatively short, although the heat capacity results indicate long-range magnetic orders at 3 T $-$ 5 T. The inelastic neutron scattering spectra evolve from highly damped continuum-like excitations at zero field to relatively sharp spin wave modes at the plateau phase. Our extensive large-cluster density-matrix renormalization group calculations with a Heisenberg triangular-lattice nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic model reproduce the essential features of the experimental spectra, including continuum-like excitations at zero field, series of sharp magnons at the plateau phase as well as two-magnon excitations at high energy. This work presents comprehensive experimental and theoretical overview of the unconventional field-induced spin dynamics in triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet and thus provides valuable insight into quantum many-body phenomena.
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