Title: Survival of itinerant excitations and quantum spin state transitions in YbMgGaO4 with chemical disorder

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6];  [7]; ORCiD logo [7];  [8];  [8]; ORCiD logo [8]; ORCiD logo [9]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [10]
  1. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  4. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
  5. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
  6. Anhui Univ., Hefei (China)
  7. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
  8. Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China)
  9. Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China); City Univ. of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong)
  10. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Anhui Univ., Hefei (China)
+ Show Author Affiliations

A recent focus of quantum spin liquid (QSL) studies is how disorder/randomness in a QSL candidate affects its true magnetic ground state. The ultimate question is whether the QSL survives disorder or the disorder leads to a “spin-liquid-like” state, such as the proposed random-singlet (RS) state. Since disorder is a standard feature of most QSL candidates, this question represents a major challenge for QSL candidates. YbMgGaO4, a triangular lattice antiferromagnet with effective spin-1/2 Yb3+ions, is an ideal system to address this question, since it shows no long-range magnetic ordering with Mg/Ga site disorder. Despite the intensive study, it remains unresolved as to whether YbMgGaO4 is a QSL or in the RS state. Here, through ultralow-temperature thermal conductivity and magnetic torque measurements, plus specific heat and DC magnetization data, we observed a residual κ0/T term and series of quantum spin state transitions in the zero temperature limit for YbMgGaO4. These observations strongly suggest that a QSL state with itinerant excitations and quantum spin fluctuations survives disorder in YbMgGaO4.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Hefei Science Center CAS; MOST of China; National Basic Research Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China; National Science Foundation (NSF); Research Grants Council of Hong Kong; Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0020184
OSTI ID:
1853498
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 12; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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