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Title: Fractional excitations in the square-lattice quantum antiferromagnet

Abstract

Quantum magnets have occupied the fertile ground between many-body theory and low-temperature experiments on real materials since the early days of quantum mechanics. However, our understanding of even deceptively simple systems of interacting spins-1/2 is far from complete. The quantum square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (QSLHAF), for example, exhibits a striking anomaly of hitherto unknown origin in its magnetic excitation spectrum. This quantum effect manifests itself for excitations propagating with the specific wave vector (π, 0). Here, we use polarized neutron spectroscopy to fully characterize the magnetic fluctuations in the metal-organic compound CFTD, a known realization of the QSLHAF model. Our experiments reveal an isotropic excitation continuum at the anomaly, which we analyse theoretically using Gutzwiller-projected trial wavefunctions. The excitation continuum is accounted for by the existence of spatially-extended pairs of fractional S=1/2 quasiparticles, 2D analogues of 1D spinons. Away from the anomalous wave vector, these fractional excitations are bound and form conventional magnons. Lastly, our results establish the existence of fractional quasiparticles in the high-energy spectrum of a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet, even in the absence of frustration.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10]
  1. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland)
  2. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland); Institut Laue-Langevin (France); Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
  3. Technical Univ. of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby (Denmark); Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
  4. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland); Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
  5. Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
  6. Rutherford Appleton Lab., Didcot (United Kingdom)
  7. Institut Laue-Langevin (France)
  8. Univ. College London, London (United Kingdom)
  9. ETH Zurich (Switzerland); Univ. of Zurich (Switzerland)
  10. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland); RIKEN Centre for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) (Japan)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1347120
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-08ER46544
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 11; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1745-2473
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group (NPG)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS

Citation Formats

Dalla Piazza, Bastien, Mourigal, M., Christensen, N. B., Nilsen, G. J., Tregenna-Piggott, P., Perring, T. G., Enderle, M., McMorrow, D. F., Ivanov, D. A., and Ronnow, H. M. Fractional excitations in the square-lattice quantum antiferromagnet. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1038/nphys3172.
Dalla Piazza, Bastien, Mourigal, M., Christensen, N. B., Nilsen, G. J., Tregenna-Piggott, P., Perring, T. G., Enderle, M., McMorrow, D. F., Ivanov, D. A., & Ronnow, H. M. Fractional excitations in the square-lattice quantum antiferromagnet. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3172
Dalla Piazza, Bastien, Mourigal, M., Christensen, N. B., Nilsen, G. J., Tregenna-Piggott, P., Perring, T. G., Enderle, M., McMorrow, D. F., Ivanov, D. A., and Ronnow, H. M. Mon . "Fractional excitations in the square-lattice quantum antiferromagnet". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3172. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1347120.
@article{osti_1347120,
title = {Fractional excitations in the square-lattice quantum antiferromagnet},
author = {Dalla Piazza, Bastien and Mourigal, M. and Christensen, N. B. and Nilsen, G. J. and Tregenna-Piggott, P. and Perring, T. G. and Enderle, M. and McMorrow, D. F. and Ivanov, D. A. and Ronnow, H. M.},
abstractNote = {Quantum magnets have occupied the fertile ground between many-body theory and low-temperature experiments on real materials since the early days of quantum mechanics. However, our understanding of even deceptively simple systems of interacting spins-1/2 is far from complete. The quantum square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (QSLHAF), for example, exhibits a striking anomaly of hitherto unknown origin in its magnetic excitation spectrum. This quantum effect manifests itself for excitations propagating with the specific wave vector (π, 0). Here, we use polarized neutron spectroscopy to fully characterize the magnetic fluctuations in the metal-organic compound CFTD, a known realization of the QSLHAF model. Our experiments reveal an isotropic excitation continuum at the anomaly, which we analyse theoretically using Gutzwiller-projected trial wavefunctions. The excitation continuum is accounted for by the existence of spatially-extended pairs of fractional S=1/2 quasiparticles, 2D analogues of 1D spinons. Away from the anomalous wave vector, these fractional excitations are bound and form conventional magnons. Lastly, our results establish the existence of fractional quasiparticles in the high-energy spectrum of a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet, even in the absence of frustration.},
doi = {10.1038/nphys3172},
journal = {Nature Physics},
number = 1,
volume = 11,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}

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