Asymmetric quintuplet condensation in the frustrated S=1 spin dimer compound Ba3Mn2O8

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetic phase diagram of Ba3Mn2O8, revealing an asymmetric quintuplet condensate caused by fundamental quantum fluctuation asymmetries near critical fields.

Contribution

It uncovers a novel asymmetry in the quintuplet condensate in a frustrated S=1 spin dimer compound, linked to quantum fluctuation asymmetries.

Findings

Asymmetric quintuplet condensate observed in high-field measurements

Fundamental asymmetry in quantum fluctuations near critical fields

Distinct behavior between triplet and quintuplet condensates

Abstract

Ba3Mn2O8 is a spin-dimer compound based on pairs of S = 1, 3d2, Mn5+ ions arranged on a triangular lattice. Antiferromagnetic intradimer exchange leads to a singlet ground state in zero-field, with excited triplet and quintuplet states at higher energy. High field thermodynamic measurements are used to establish the phase diagram, revealing a substantial asymmetry of the quintuplet condensate. This striking effect, all but absent for the triplet condensate, is due to a fundamental asymmetry in quantum fluctuations of the paramagnetic phases near the various critical fields.