TY  - JOUR
A1  - Riedl, Kira Marina
A1  - Valentí, Roser
A1  - Winter, Stephen M.
T1  - Critical spin liquid versus valence-bond glass in a triangular-lattice organic antiferromagnet
T2  - Nature Communications
N2  - In the quest for materials with unconventional quantum phases, the organic triangular-lattice antiferromagnet κ-(ET)2Cu2(CN)3 has been extensively discussed as a quantum spin liquid (QSL) candidate. The description of its low temperature properties has become, however, a particularly challenging task. Recently, an intriguing quantum critical behaviour was suggested from low-temperature magnetic torque experiments. Here we highlight significant deviations of the experimental observations from a quantum critical scenario by performing a microscopic analysis of all anisotropic contributions, including Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya and multi-spin scalar chiral interactions. Instead, we show that disorder-induced spin defects provide a comprehensive explanation of the low-temperature properties. These spins are attributed to valence bond defects that emerge spontaneously as the QSL enters a valence-bond glass phase at low temperature. This theoretical treatment is applicable to a general class of frustrated magnetic systems and has important implications for the interpretation of magnetic torque, nuclear magnetic resonance, thermal transport and thermodynamic experiments.
Y1  - 2019
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/82477
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-824773
SN  - 2041-1723
VL  - 10
IS  - Article number: 2561
PB  - Nature Publishing Group UK
CY  - [London]
ER  -