Probing The Spin-Spin Correlator Of Kagome Lattice Heisenberg Antiferromagnets Through Non-linear Optical Harmonic Generation

ORAL

Abstract

Antiferromagnetically coupled quantum spins on the Kagome lattice are proposed to realize a spin-liquid ground state where short-range spin correlations exist but symmetry breaking is avoided through frustration and quantum fluctuations. The temperature dependence of the short-range spin-spin correlator is important for understanding the underlying spin Hamiltonian of candidate materials but is typically difficult to measure. Here we show that the non-linear optical response embeds the spin-spin correlator in spin-liquid candidates by performing high harmonic generation experiments on Herbertsmithite and Zn-Barlowite. We find the temperature evolution of the spin correlations of these materials to be in very good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the S = 1/2 Heisenberg Kagome antiferromagnet. These results provide a new route to probing the governing spin Hamiltonian of spin-liquid candidates.

–

Presenters

  • Nicholas Laurita

    • Johns Hopkins University
    • Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology
    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

Authors

  • Nicholas Laurita

    • Johns Hopkins University
    • Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology
    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Alon Ron

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Jeong Woo Han

    • Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    • Physics and photon science, GIST

  • Jongseok Lee

    • Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    • Department of Physcis and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea
    • Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, South Korea
    • Department of Physics and Photon science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    • Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    • Physics and photon science, GIST

  • John P Sheckelton

    • Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Rebecca W. Smaha

    • Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Wei He

    • Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Jiajia Wen

    • SLAC
    • Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Young Sang Lee

    • Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University
    • Stanford University

  • Michael Norman

    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • David Hsieh

    • California Institute of Technology
    • Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology
    • Caltech
    • Caltech, Physics, Math & Astronomy
    • Physics, California Institute of Technology
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology