Evidence for a Z2 topological ordered quantum spin liquid in a kagome-lattice antiferromagnet

ORAL

Abstract

A quantum spin liquid with a Z2 topological order has long been thought to be important for the application of quantum computing and may be related to high-temperature superconductivity. While a two-dimensional kagome antiferromagnet may host such a state, strong experimental evidence is still lacking. Here we show that Cu3Zn(OH)6FBr exhibits gapped spin continuum at low temperature and is not magnetically ordered down to 20 mili Kelvin. The spin triplet gap value is about twice of the spinon gap value reported previously. Our results provide firm ground for the existence of spin-1/2 spinon excitations in Cu3Zn(OH)6FBr, whose ground state is thus a gapped quantum spin liquid with Z2 topological order.

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Presenters

  • Yuan Wei

    Chinese Academy of Sciences

Authors

  • Yuan Wei

    Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Zili Feng

    Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS)

  • Clarina Dela Cruz

    Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Lab, Neutron scattering devision, Oak Ridge National Lab, Neutron Scattering Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Wiebke Lohstroh

    Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

  • Wei Yi

    Semiconductor Device Materials GroupNational Institute for Materials Science

  • Lei Shu

    State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Fudan University, Department of Physics, Fudan University, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Physics, Fudan University

  • Jianlin Luo

    Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Jia-Wei Mei

    Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Univ of Utah, Department of Physcis, South University of Science and Technology of China

  • ZiYang Meng

    T03, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Institution of physics, Chinese Academic of Sciences (CAS)

  • Youguo Shi

    Insititute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Institute of Physics,Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Shiliang Li

    Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Scienes (CAS), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)