NMR Evidence of Low-energy Spin Excitations in the Field-induced Quanum Spin Liquid Phase of α-RuCl3

ORAL

Abstract

α-RuCl3 is a leading candidate material for the observation of physics related to the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL). By combined susceptibility, specific-heat, and 35Cl nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) measurements, we demonstrate that α-RuCl3 undergoes a quantum phase transition to a QSL in a magnetic field of 7.5 T applied in the ab plane. We show further by the spin-lattice relaxation rates that this high-field QSL phase has gapless spin excitations over a field range up to 16 T. This highly unconventional result, unknown in either Heisenberg or Kitaev magnets, offers insight essential to establish the physics of α-RuCl3.

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Presenters

  • Weiqiang Yu

    Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Functional Materials & Micro-nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Department of Physics, Renmin Univ of China

Authors

  • Weiqiang Yu

    Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Functional Materials & Micro-nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Department of Physics, Renmin Univ of China

  • Jiacheng Zheng

    Department of Physics, Renmin Univ of China

  • Kejing Ran

    Nanjing Univ, Department of Physics, Nanjing University

  • Jinsheng Wen

    National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing Univ, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing University

  • Bruce Normand

    Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute

  • Zheng-Xin Liu

    Department of Physics, Renmin University of China, Department of Physics, Renmin Univ of China