Crystallization of spin superlattices with pressure and field in the layered magnet SrCu2(BO3)2
- Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States); Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
- Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States)
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
- McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada)
An exact mapping between quantum spins and boson gases provides fresh approaches to the creation of quantum condensates and crystals. Our magnetization measurements on the dimerised quantum magnet SrCu2(BO3)2 at cryogenic temperatures and through a quantum phase transition demonstrate the emergence of fractionally-filled bosonic crystals in mesoscopic patterns, specified by a sequence of magnetization plateaus. We apply tens of Teslas of magnetic field to tune the density of bosons and GigaPascals of hydrostatic pressure to regulate the underlying interactions. Simulations help parse the balance between energy and geometry in the emergent spin superlattices. The magnetic crystallites are the end result of a progression from a direct product of singlet states in each short dimer at zero field to preferred filling fractions of spin triplet bosons in each dimer at large magnetic field, enriching the known possibilities for collective states in both quantum spin and atomic systems.
- Research Organization:
- Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0001979; AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1307424
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1339557
- Journal Information:
- Nature Communications, Vol. 7; ISSN 2041-1723
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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