Random singlet state in the spin liquid candidate Ba<sub>5</sub>CuIr<sub>3</sub>O<sub>12</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Understanding the role of disorder is crucial for the realization of quantum spin liquid (QSL) states in frustrated magnets, as it can lead to states mimicking QSL, but devoid of long-range entanglement. We study the thermodynamic and high magnetic field properties of the magnetic insulator Ba5CuIr3O12, a QSL candidate showing no magnetic order down to 2 K. The temperature dependencies of the magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat suggest weak antiferromagnetic correlations, in stark contrast to the magnetization that does not saturate up to a field of 59 Tesla. We show that these results can be reconciled only within the framework of a disorder-dominated random singlet state. The obtained exchange coupling distribution P(J) is found to be consistent with the power-law form P(J)∼J-α with α≈0.6. Our work highlights the use of high magnetic field measurements for distinguishing QSL candidates from disorder-dominated states and characterizing the latter.

*The work was supported by the NSF Grant No. DMR-1629059; HLD at HZDR, member of the European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL); National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT (No. 2016K1A4A4A01922028); NSF Grant No. DMR-1709161 (M.Y. and G.B); P. V. is supported by the Rutgers CMT Postdoc fellowship.

–

Presenters

  • Denis Gorbunov

    • Hochfeld-Magnetlabor Dresden (HLD-EMFL), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany

Authors

  • Denis Gorbunov

    • Hochfeld-Magnetlabor Dresden (HLD-EMFL), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany

  • Pavel Volkov

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University

  • Choong-Jae Won

    • Max Planck POSTECH/Korea Research Initiative, Pohang University of Science and Technology and Laboratory of Pohang Emergent Materials, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Korea
    • Laboratory for Pohang Emergent Materials, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory and Max Planck POSTECH Center for Complex Phase Materials, Pohang University of Science and Technology

  • Jaewook Kim

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
    • Rutgers University
    • Physics, Rutgers University

  • Mai Ye

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick

  • Heung-Sik Kim

    • Department of Physics, Kangwon National University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University; Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea
    • Physics, Kangwon National University

  • Jed Pixley

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    • Physics, Rutgers

  • Sang-Wook Cheong

    • Rutgers University
    • R-CEM & Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Emergent Materials, Rutgers University; Max Planck POSTECH/Korea Research Initiative, Pohang University of Science and Technol
    • Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers University, Physics and Astronomy, and Laboratory for Pohang Emergent Materials and Max Plank POSTECH Center for Complex Phase Materials, Pohang University of Science
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
    • Rutgers University, Piscataway
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics, Rutgers University
    • Physics & Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers University, New Brunswick
    • Physics, Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA

  • Girsh Blumberg

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University-New Brunswick