Field-Induced Selective Spin Gap Closure and Quantum Criticality in BaNd$_2$ZnS$_5$

TL;DR

This study provides thermodynamic evidence of mode-selective quantum criticality in BaNd2ZnS5, where a specific spin excitation gap collapses under a magnetic field, revealing a novel form of anisotropic, sector-specific quantum phase transition.

Contribution

It demonstrates a mode-selective quantum criticality driven by anisotropic interactions in a spin-orbit-entangled rare-earth magnet, distinct from conventional global softening mechanisms.

Findings

Lower-energy spin gap collapses at critical field ~2 T.

Universal scaling behavior observed in ac susceptibility.

Emergence of gapless excitations confined to a single symmetry sector.

Abstract

We report thermodynamic evidence for field-induced mode-selective quantum criticality in the layered rare-earth magnet BaNd2ZnS5 (BNZS). Below the Neel temperature TN = 2.9 K, spin-orbit-entangled Nd3+ moments form two symmetry-inequivalent low-energy spin-excitation modes arising from Kramers doublet physics under a magnetic field, with distinct gaps Delta_L and Delta_H. For magnetic fields applied along the [110] direction, the lower-energy gap Delta_L softens continuously and collapses at a critical field Hc ~ 2 T, while the higher-energy gap Delta_H remains gapped, leaving the system in an intermediate partially critical phase. Despite the partial nature of the criticality, thermodynamic measurements reveal a continuous quantum phase transition. The ac susceptibility shows universal scaling behavior, with chi_ac(T, H) collapsing onto a single scaling function and following chi_ac ~ T^-0.2 at criticality. A finite residual Sommerfeld coefficient gamma_0 further indicates the emergence of gapless excitations confined to a single symmetry sector near the quantum critical point. In contrast to conventional quantum criticality based on global softening of low-energy excitations, BNZS exhibits a selective breakdown of Kramers-doublet excitations due to its strong anisotropic interactions. Our results establish BNZS as a spin-orbit-coupled rare-earth magnet where quantum criticality is not global but mode-selective, with anisotropic interactions enabling independent criticality in distinct excitation sectors.