Properties and Detection of Spin Nematic Order in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties and detection methods of spin nematic order in strongly correlated electron systems, proposing a theoretical framework and experimental signatures for identifying such states.

Contribution

It introduces a nematic wave function derived from a t-J model and discusses how neutron scattering and Knight shift experiments can detect spin nematic order.

Findings

Nematic order breaks spin SU(2) symmetry but preserves translational and time reversal symmetries.

Neutron scattering and Knight shift can detect spin anisotropy in nematic states.

Mean field phase diagram includes spin-orbit effects.

Abstract

A spin nematic is a state which breaks spin SU(2) symmetry while preserving translational and time reversal symmetries. Spin nematic order can arise naturally from charge fluctuations of a spin stripe state. Focusing on the possible existence of such a state in strongly correlated electron systems, we build a nematic wave function starting from a t-J type model. The nematic is a spin-two operator, and therefore does not couple directly to neutrons. However, we show that neutron scattering and Knight shift experiments can detect the spin anisotropy of electrons moving in a nematic background. We find the mean field phase diagram for the nematic taking into account spin-orbit effects.