Signatures of quantum spin liquid state and unconventional transport in thin film TbInO3
Quantum spin liquids, where the frustrated magnetic ground state hosts highly entangled spins resisting long-range order to 0 K, are exotic quantum magnets proximate to unconventional superconductivity and candidate platforms for topological quantum computing. Although several quantum spin liquid material candidates have been identified, thin films crucial for device fabrication and further tuning of properties remain elusive. Recently, hexagonal TbInO<sub>3</sub> has emerged as a quantum spin liquid candidate which also hosts improper ferroelectricity and exotic high-temperature carrier transport. Here, we synthesize thin films of TbInO<sub>3</sub> and characterize their magnetic and electronic properties. Our films present a highly frustrated magnetic ground state without long-range order to 0.4 K, consistent with bulk crystals. We further reveal a rich ferroelectric domain structure and unconventional non-local transport near room temperature, suggesting hexagonal TbInO<sub>3</sub> as a promising candidate for realizing exotic magnetic and transport phenomena in epitaxial heterostructures.
Authors
- Margaret A. Anderson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0355-0994)
- Katja C. Nowack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0517-9279)
- Nabaraj Pokhrel
- Spencer Doyle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6596-8683)
- Kuntal Talit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9497-2852)
- Austin Kaczmarek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0118-5599)
- Ji-Hui Son
- Julia A. Mundy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8454-0124)
- Hesham El‐Sherif (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6875-0762)
- Johanna Nordlander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9899-6795)
- John T. Heron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9632-9502)
- A. de la Torre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6751-8205)
- Christian Tzschaschel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3890-8121)
- Elizabeth Nowadnick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-2035)
- Tony Chiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9817-2526)
- Charles M. Brooks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9087-7321)
- Eun-Ah Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9554-4443)
- Ismail El Baggari
- Edward Mercer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9892-9288)
Institutions
- Northeastern University (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- University of California, Merced (US)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Cornell University (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Harvard University Press (US)
- Zurich University of Teacher Education (CH)
- Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-10-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64528-2
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.26
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Office of Science