Spin liquid state in a rare-earth hyperkagome lattice

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of a three-dimensional quantum spin liquid state in a rare-earth hyperkagome lattice compound, demonstrating no magnetic order or spin freezing down to very low temperatures, and highlighting a new platform for exploring exotic quantum states.

Contribution

The paper presents experimental evidence for a quantum spin liquid in a rare-earth hyperkagome lattice, a rare realization in higher spin dimensionality materials, expanding the understanding of frustrated quantum magnets.

Findings

No magnetic ordering or spin freezing observed down to 38 mK.

Evidence of a dynamic liquid-like ground state with short-range correlations.

Identification of Jeff=1/2 degrees of freedom as the low-energy state.

Abstract

Quantum fluctuations enhanced by frustration and subtle interplay between competing degrees of freedom offer an ideal ground to realize novel states with fractional quantum numbers in quantum materials that defy standard theoretical paradigms. Quantum spin liquid (QSL) is a highly entangled state wherein frustration induced strong quantum fluctuations preclude symmetry breaking phase transitions down to zero temperature without any order parameter. Experimental realizations of QSL in quantum materials with spin dimensionality greater than one is very rare. Here, we present our thermodynamic, nuclear magnetic resonance, muon spin relaxation and inelastic neutron scattering studies of a new rare-earth hyperkagome compound Li3Yb3Te2O12 in which Yb3+ ions constitute a three dimensional spin-lattice without any detectable disorder. Our comprehensive experiments evince neither signature of magnetic ordering nor spin freezing down to 38 mK that suggest the realization of dynamic liquid-like ground state in this antiferromagnet. The ground state of this material is interpreted by a low energy Jeff = 1/2 degrees of freedom with short range spin correlations. The present results demonstrate a viable basis to explore spin-orbit driven enigmatic correlated quantum states in a new class of rare-earth based three dimensional frustrated magnets that may open new avenues in theoretical and experimental search for spin liquids.