Optical detection of bond-dependent and frustrated spin in the two-dimensional cobalt-based honeycomb antiferromagnet Cu3Co2SbO6
Two-dimensional honeycomb antiferromagnets are promising materials class for realizing Kitaev quantum spin liquids. The signature of these materials includes anisotropic bond-dependent magnetic responses and persistent fluctuations in paramagnetic regime. Here, we propose Cu<sub>3</sub>Co<sub>2</sub>SbO<sub>6</sub> heterostructures as an intriguing candidate, wherein bond-dependent and frustrated spins interact with optical excitons. First-principles spin Hamiltonian calculations and in-plane anisotropic critical fields suggest strong frustration and dominant Kitaev exchange interactions. Optical spectroscopy reveals exciton coupled to frustrated magnetism, enabling optical detection of spin states. Spin-exciton coupling displays anisotropic responses to light polarization along the bond-parallel and the bond-perpendicular directions, highlighting Kitaev interactions and persistent short-range spin correlations above twice the Néel temperatures. The robustness of short-range spin fluctuations under magnetic fields underscores the stability of the spin-fluctuation region. Our results establish Cu<sub>3</sub>Co<sub>2</sub>SbO<sub>6</sub> as an attractive candidate for exploring quantum spin liquid, where the spin Hamiltonian and quasiparticle excitations can be probed and potentially controlled by light.
Authors
- Heung‐Sik Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0691-7605)
- Jong Mok Ok (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5190-3117)
- Subhasis Samanta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9939-5468)
- Gye-Hyeon Kim
- Miju Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5387-4348)
- Hyesung Jo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0969-8962)
- Nguyen Xuan Duong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5334-737X)
- Jung‐Woo Yoo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7038-4001)
- Sehwan Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0398-6261)
- Yongsoo Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8654-302X)
- Tae Heon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4835-0707)
- Seokjo Hong
- Seunghyeon Noh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8456-8419)
- Taek Sun Jung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0847-6746)
- GwangCheol Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3363-434X)
- Sungkyun Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1816-310X)
- Changhee Sohn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5043-497X)
- Baekjune Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9967-5232)
- Uihyeon Seo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8567-1368)
- Jae Hoon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7840-3630)
- Min Jae Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2732-7292)
- Jin-Hyun Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1192-4626)
- Uksam Choi
Institutions
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- Kangwon National University (KR)
- Yonsei University (KR)
- University of Ulsan (KR)
- Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- Pusan National University (KR)
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56652-w
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.26
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Seoul National University
- Korea Institute of Science and Technology
- Korea Basic Science Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Iran Telecommunication Research Center
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
- Samsung Science and Technology Foundation
- Samsung
- Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion