Spin Dynamics of the Spin-1/2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet ZnCu_3(OH)_6Cl_2
J.S. Helton, K. Matan, M.P. Shores, E.A. Nytko, B.M. Bartlett, Y., Yoshida, Y. Takano, A. Suslov, Y. Qiu, J.-H. Chung, D.G. Nocera, and Y.S. Lee
TL;DR
This study investigates the spin dynamics of the S=1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet ZnCu_3(OH)_6Cl_2, revealing evidence of a gapless quantum spin-liquid state through thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements.
Contribution
The paper provides experimental evidence for a gapless spin-liquid state in a kagome lattice antiferromagnet, highlighting the absence of magnetic order and the presence of low-energy excitations.
Findings
No magnetic order observed down to 50 mK
Gapless low-energy spin excitations detected
Power-law specific heat indicating spin-liquid behavior
Abstract
We have performed thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements on the S=1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet Zn Cu_3 (OH)_6 Cl_2. The susceptibility indicates a Curie-Weiss temperature of ~ -300 K; however, no magnetic order is observed down to 50 mK. Inelastic neutron scattering reveals a spectrum of low energy spin excitations with no observable gap down to 0.1 meV. The specific heat at low-T follows a power law with exponent less than or equal to 1. These results suggest that an unusual spin-liquid state with essentially gapless excitations is realized in this kagome lattice system.
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