Thermal Transport Study of the Dimerized Quantum Magnet Strontium Copper Borate

ORAL

Abstract

Strontium Copper Borate (SrCu2(BO3)2, or SCBO) has a unique crystal structure in which pairs of copper atoms with spin-1/2 states hybridize to form spin-1 dimers, making it a realization of the Shastry Sutherland model. This compound has a singlet ground state at each dimer seperated by an energy gap from a triplet excitated state. It is predicted that this system should contain topologically-protected edge states consisting of itinerant triplets known as triplons, making SCBO a bosonic topological insulator. Since these triplons do not carry charge, thermal measurements are required to observe them. We report on the field-dependent thermal conductivity of this material as well as our progress in observing triplon states using the thermal Hall effect.

*This work was mainly supported by the Office of Naval Research through the Young Investigator Prize under Award No. N00014-15-1-2382.

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Presenters

  • Colin Tinsman

    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan

Authors

  • Colin Tinsman

    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan

  • Ziji Xiang

    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan

  • Lu Chen

    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan

  • Dmitri Mihaliov

    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan

  • Sara Haravifard

    • Physics, Duke University
    • Department of Physics, Duke University
    • Duke University
    • Duke Univ

  • Lu Li

    • University of Michigan
    • Physics, University of Michigan
    • Department of Physics, University of Michigan