- Letter
Gapless quantum spin liquid in the honeycomb material
Phys. Rev. B 111, L100403 – Published 12 March, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.111.L100403
Abstract
We report on a novel gapless quantum spin liquid in the honeycomb system with () where moments remain dynamic down to 50 mK. Heat capacity measurements show no sign of magnetic ordering down to 60 mK inspite of a Curie-Weiss temperature, K, indicating a strong antiferromagnetic interaction. In zero field, the magnetic heat capacity shows a linear dependence with the Sommerfeld coefficient mJ/mol , which is much larger than that found in typical Fermi liquids. Our local probe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements find a significant temperature-independent NMR shift (and hence a nonzero spin susceptibility) at low temperature () and a linear variation of the NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/ at low reminiscent of fermionic excitations. Muon spin relaxation () measurements detect neither long-range ordering nor spin freezing down to 50 mK, and the temperature variation of the muon depolarization rate shows a gradual increase with decreasing temperature and a leveling off below about 1 K, evincing a persistent spin dynamics common to several spin liquid candidates. Our results provide strong signatures of a quantum spin liquid in the titled honeycomb material.