A quantum liquid of magnetic octupoles on the pyrochlore lattice.

ABSTRACT: Spin liquids are highly correlated yet disordered states formed by the entanglement of magnetic dipoles¹. Theories define such states using gauge fields and deconfined quasiparticle excitations that emerge from a local constraint governing the ground state of a frustrated magnet. For example, the '2-in-2-out' ice rule for dipole moments on a tetrahedron can lead to a quantum spin ice^2-4 in rare-earth pyrochlores. However, f-electron ions often carry multipole degrees of freedom of higher rank than dipoles, leading to intriguing behaviours and 'hidden' orders^5-6. Here we show that the correlated ground state of a Ce³⁺-based pyrochlore, Ce₂Sn₂O₇, is a quantum liquid of magnetic octupoles. Our neutron scatteri

SUBMITTER: Sibille R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7115929 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature