Probing The Spin-Spin Correlator Of Kagome Lattice Heisenberg Antiferromagnets Through Non-linear Optical Harmonic Generation

ORAL

Abstract

Antiferromagnetically coupled quantum spins on the Kagome lattice are proposed to realize a spin-liquid ground state where short-range spin correlations exist but symmetry breaking is avoided through frustration and quantum fluctuations. The temperature dependence of the short-range spin-spin correlator is important for understanding the underlying spin Hamiltonian of candidate materials but is typically difficult to measure. Here we show that the non-linear optical response embeds the spin-spin correlator in spin-liquid candidates by performing high harmonic generation experiments on Herbertsmithite and Zn-Barlowite. We find the temperature evolution of the spin correlations of these materials to be in very good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the S = 1/2 Heisenberg Kagome antiferromagnet. These results provide a new route to probing the governing spin Hamiltonian of spin-liquid candidates.

–

Presenters

  • Nicholas Laurita

    Johns Hopkins University, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

Authors

  • Nicholas Laurita

    Johns Hopkins University, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Alon Ron

    Caltech, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Jeong Woo Han

    Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Physics and photon science, GIST

  • Jongseok Lee

    Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Physcis and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, South Korea, Department of Physics and Photon science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Physics and photon science, GIST

  • John P Sheckelton

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Rebecca W. Smaha

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Wei He

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Jiajia Wen

    SLAC, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Young Sang Lee

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford University

  • Michael Norman

    Argonne National Laboratory

  • David Hsieh

    California Institute of Technology, Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, Caltech, Physics, Math & Astronomy, Physics, California Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology