Disordered Route to the Coulomb Quantum Spin Liquid: Random Transverse Fields on Spin Ice in Pr2Zr2O7

Published

March 8, 2017

Author(s)

J.-J. Wen, S.M. Koohpayeh, K. A. Ross, B. A. Trump, T. M. McQueen, K. Kimura, S. Nakatsuji, Yiming Qiu, D. M. Pajerowski, John R. Copley, Collin L. Broholm

Abstract

Inelastic neutron scattering reveals a broad continuum of excitations in Pr₂Zr₂O₇, the temperature and magnetic field dependence of which indicate a continuous distribution of quenched transverse fields (Δ}) acting on the non-Kramers Pr³⁺ crystal fields ground state doublets. Spin-ice correlations are apparent within 0.2 meV of the Zeeman energy. A random phase approximation provides an excellent account of the data with a transverse field distribution ρ(Δ}) ∝ (Δ}² + Γ²)U-1^ where Δ} = 0.28(1) meV. Established during high temperature synthesis due to an underlying structural instability, it appears disorder in Pr₂Zr₂O₇ actually induces a quantum spin liquid.

Citation

Physical Review Letters

Volume

118

Issue

5

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

quantum spin liquid, spin ice, inelastic neutron scattering

Citation

Wen, J. , Koohpayeh, S. , Ross, K. , Trump, B. , McQueen, T. , Kimura, K. , Nakatsuji, S. , Qiu, Y. , Pajerowski, D. , Copley, J. and Broholm, C. (2017), Disordered Route to the Coulomb Quantum Spin Liquid: Random Transverse Fields on Spin Ice in Pr₂Zr₂O₇, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=922085 (Accessed May 2, 2024)