Quantum Versus Classical Spin Fragmentation in Dipolar Kagome Ice Ho3Mg2Sb3O14

Published

September 29, 2020

Author(s)

Zhiling Dun, Xiaojian Bai, Jospeh A. Paddison, Emily Hollingworth, Nicholas Butch, Clarina D. Cruz, Matthew Stone, Tao Hong, Franz Demmel, Martin Mourigal, Haidong Zhou

Abstract

A promising route to realize entangled magnetic states combines geometrical frustration with quantum-tunneling effects. Spin-ice materials are canonical examples of frustration, and Ising spins in a transverse magnetic field are the simplest many-body model of quantum tunneling. Here, we show that the tripod kagome lattice material Ho₃Mg₂Sb₂O₁₄ unites an ice-like magnetic degeneracy with quantum-tunneling terms generated by an intrinsic splitting of the Ho³⁺ ground-state doublet. Using neutron scattering and thermodynamic experiments, we observe a symmetry-breaking transition at Τ approximately equal} 0.32 K to a remarkable quantum state with three peculiarities: a macroscopic degeneracy of ice-like microstates; a fragmentation of the spin into periodic and aperiodic components; and persistent spin fluctuations down to Τ approximately equal} 0.12K. A model incorporating the interplay of frustration and quantum dynamics is necessary to explain our scattering data. Our results establish Ho₃Mg₂Sb₃O₁₄ realizes quantum kagome ice, a frustrated Ising model with intrinsic homogeneous transverse field.

Citation

Physical Review X

Volume

10

Issue

3

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

quantum kagome ice

Citation

Dun, Z. , Bai, X. , Paddison, J. , Hollingworth, E. , Butch, N. , Cruz, C. , Stone, M. , Hong, T. , Demmel, F. , Mourigal, M. and Zhou, H. (2020), Quantum Versus Classical Spin Fragmentation in Dipolar Kagome Ice Ho₃Mg₂Sb₃O₁₄, Physical Review X (Accessed October 14, 2025)