1. Pulling order back from the brink of disorder: Observation of a nodal line spin liquid and fluctuation stabilized order in K$_2$IrCl$_6$
- Author
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Wang, Qiaochu, de la Torre, Alberto, Rodriguez-Rivera, Jose A., Podlesnyak, Andrey A., Tian, Wei, Aczel, Adam A., Matsuda, Masaaki, Ryan, Philip J., Kim, Jong-Woo, Rau, Jeffrey G., and Plumb, Kemp W.
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons - Abstract
Competing interactions in frustrated magnets can give rise to highly degenerate ground states from which correlated liquid-like states of matter often emerge. The scaling of this degeneracy influences the ultimate ground state, with extensive degeneracies potentially yielding quantum spin liquids, while sub-extensive or smaller degeneracies yield static orders. A longstanding problem is to understand how ordered states precipitate from this degenerate manifold and what echoes of the degeneracy survive ordering. Here, we use neutron scattering to experimentally demonstrate a new "nodal line" spin liquid, where spins collectively fluctuate within a sub-extensive manifold spanning one-dimensional lines in reciprocal space. Realized in the spin-orbit coupled, face-centered cubic iridate K$_2$IrCl$_6$, we show that the sub-extensive degeneracy is robust, but remains susceptible to fluctuations or longer range interactions which cooperate to select a magnetic order at low temperatures. Proximity to the nodal line spin liquid influences the ordered state, enhancing the effects of quantum fluctuations and stabilizing it through the opening of a large spin-wave gap. Our results demonstrate quantum fluctuations can act counter-intuitively in frustrated materials: instead of destabilizing ordering, at the brink of the nodal spin liquid they can act to stabilize it and dictate its low-energy physics., Comment: Main article: 9 pages, 3 figures. Supplemental material: 22 pages, 15 figures
- Published
- 2024