Magnetic ground state and persistent spin fluctuations in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet
Phys. Rev. B 112, 144409 – Published 3 October, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tnwb-9hv8
Abstract
Rare-earth triangular-lattice magnets serve as an excellent platform for investigating exotic quantum magnetic phenomena. Recently, the hexaaluminate has been proposed to host a Dirac quantum spin liquid state with dominant Ising anisotropy. Here, we report a systematic study of its analog, , employing ac susceptibility, inelastic neutron scattering, and muon spin relaxation measurements. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements establish a well-defined ground state with moderate Ising anisotropy (). Muon spin relaxation measurements reveal persistent fluctuations emerging below K, and extending down to at least 0.28 K. The ac susceptibility data further indicate an absence of magnetic ordering or spin freezing down to 50 mK, despite an overall antiferromagnetic interaction with a Curie-Weiss temperature of K. These results suggest that is a good candidate material for realizing a quantum spin liquid state.