- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review B

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Letter

High-energy spin excitations in the quantum spin liquid candidate Zn-substituted barlowite probed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

Rebecca W. Smaha1,2,*, Jonathan Pelliciari3, Ignace Jarrige3, Valentina Bisogni3, Aaron T. Breidenbach1,4, Jack Mingde Jiang1,5, Jiajia Wen1, Hong-Chen Jiang1, and Young S. Lee1,5,†

  • 1Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
  • 2Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 3National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
  • 4Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 5Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

  • *Present address: Materials Science Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA; rsmaha@alumni.stanford.edu
  • †youngsl@stanford.edu
PDF

Phys. Rev. B 107, L060402 – Published 3 February, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.L060402

Abstract

A quantum spin liquid is a novel ground state that can support long-range entanglement between magnetic moments, resulting in exotic spin excitations involving fractionalized S=12 spinons. Here, we measure the excitations in single crystals of the spin liquid candidate Zn-barlowite using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. By analyzing the incident polarization and temperature dependences, we deduce a clear magnetic scattering contribution forming a broad continuum that surprisingly extends up to ∼200 meV (∼14J, where J is the magnetic exchange). The excitation spectrum indicates that significant contributions may arise from multiple pairs of spinons and/or antispinons at high energies. Furthermore, the observation of similar scattering in the hexagonal barlowite parent material above its ordering temperature suggests the presence of similar high-energy excitations, irrespective of the low-energy physics.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.
Article Available via CHORUS
Download Accepted Manuscript

Other Options

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. B 107, L060402– Published 3 February, 2023
  • Received 25 August 2021
  • Revised 1 December 2022
  • Accepted 4 January 2023
Crossmark - Check for updates button

©2023 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation