Disorder-Induced Quantum Spin Liquid in Spin Ice Pyrochlores

ORAL

Abstract

We discuss disorder in spin ice materials, and in particular in compounds with non-Kramers magnetic ions. We show that in the minimal relevant model, disorder succeeds in inducing a long-range entangled Coulombic quantum spin liquid phase. The phase diagram also contains an analog of the Mott glass state, envisioned in dirty boson systems with particle-hole symmetry. We discuss the relevance of our results to the material Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$, and how these ideas might be applied to convert a classical spin ice to a quantum one.

Authors

  • Lucile Savary

    • MIT
    • Massachusetts Institute of Techology
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Leon Balents

    • Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-4030, USA
    • Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UCSB, California
    • Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, UCSB
    • Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
    • KITP, UCSB