Can experimentally-accessible measures of entanglement distinguish quantum spin liquids from disorder-driven "random singlet" phases ?

TL;DR

This paper proposes experimentally accessible entanglement measures to differentiate quantum spin liquids from disorder-driven phases in disordered antiferromagnets, aiding identification in candidate materials.

Contribution

It introduces new measurable entanglement indicators capable of distinguishing quantum spin liquids from random singlet phases in experimental settings.

Findings

Proposes entanglement measures accessible in experiments.

Distinguishes quantum spin liquids from random singlet phases.

Discusses applications to specific triangular-lattice materials.

Abstract

At the theoretical level, quantum spin liquids are distinguished from other phases of matter by their entanglement properties. However, since the usual measure of entanglement, entanglement entropy, cannot accessed in experiment, indentifying quantum spin liquids in candidate materials remains an acute problem. Here we show other, experimentally-accessible, measures of entanglement can be used to distinguish a quantum spin liquid from a competing disorder-driven "random singlet" phase, in a model of a disordered antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice. The application of these results to the triangular-lattice systems YbZnGaO$_4$, YbZn$_2$GaO$_5$ and KYbSe$_2$ is discussed.