Critical spin liquid versus valence-bond glass in a triangular-lattice organic antiferromagnet
- 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.
Author: | Kira Marina RiedlORCiDGND, Roser ValentíORCiDGND, Stephen M. WinterORCiD |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-824773 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10604-3 |
ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
ArXiv Id: | http://arxiv.org/abs/1808.03868 |
Parent Title (English): | Nature Communications |
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group UK |
Place of publication: | [London] |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of Publication (online): | 2019/06/12 |
Date of first Publication: | 2019/06/12 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Release Date: | 2024/02/19 |
Volume: | 10 |
Issue: | Article number: 2561 |
Article Number: | 2561 |
Page Number: | 9 |
Institutes: | Physik / Physik |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 54 Chemie / 540 Chemie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften | |
Sammlungen: | Universitätspublikationen |
Licence (German): | Creative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0 |