Dynamics of K2Ni2(SO4)3 governed by proximity to a 3D spin liquid model
Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) have become a key area of research in magnetism due to their remarkable properties, such as long-range entanglement, fractional excitations, and topologically protected phenomena. Recently, the search for QSLs has expanded into the three-dimensional world, despite the suppression of quantum fluctuations due to high dimensionality. A new candidate material, K<sub>2</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>, belongs to the langbeinite family and consists of two interconnected trillium lattices. Although magnetically ordered, it exhibits a highly dynamical and correlated state. In this work, we combine inelastic neutron scattering measurements with density functional theory (DFT), pseudo-fermion functional renormalization group (PFFRG), and classical Monte Carlo (cMC) calculations to study the magnetic properties of K<sub>2</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>, revealing a high level of agreement between experiment and theory. We further reveal the origin of the dynamical state in K<sub>2</sub>Ni<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> to be centred around a magnetic network composed of tetrahedra on a trillium lattice.
Authors
- Ivica Živković (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0366-8199)
- Aman Sharma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5010-2641)
- Jian-Rui Soh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0842-6984)
- Vincent Noculak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3930-4880)
- Johannes Reuther (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3919-7720)
- Arnaud Magrez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5933-7036)
- M. G. Gonzalez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-6206)
- Virgile Favre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3889-7787)
- Harald O. Jeschke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8091-7024)
- Yasir Iqbal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3387-0120)
- H. M. Rønnow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8832-8865)
- Robert Bewley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5491-6688)
Institutions
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- Okayama University of Science (JP)
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IN)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51362-1
- Citations
- 21
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.53
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Aspen Center for Physics
- European Commission
- Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- Freie Universität Berlin