Abstract

Low dimensional quantum magnets are interesting because of the emerging collective behavior arising from strong quantum fluctuations. The one-dimensional (1D) S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet is a paradigmatic example, whose low-energy excitations, known as spinons, carry fractional spin S = 1/2. These fractional modes can be reconfined by the application of a staggered magnetic field. Even though considerable progress has been made in the theoretical understanding of such magnets, experimental realizations of this low-dimensional physics are relatively rare. This is particularly true for rare-earth-based magnets because of the large effective spin anisotropy induced by the combination of strong spin–orbit coupling and crystal field splitting. Here, we demonstrate that the rare-earth perovskite YbAlO3 provides a realization of a quantum spin S = 1/2 chain material exhibiting both quantum critical Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid behavior and spinon confinement–deconfinement transitions in different regions of magnetic field–temperature phase diagram.

Low dimensional quantum magnetic excitations are intriguing but the experimental realizations are challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate Tomonaga–Luttinger behavior and spinon confinement in rare-earth perovskite YbAlO3 by inelastic neutron scattering measurements.

Details

Title
Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid behavior and spinon confinement in YbAlO3
Author
Wu, L S 1 ; Nikitin, S E 2 ; Wang, Z 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zhu, W 4 ; Batista, C D 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tsvelik, A M 6 ; Samarakoon, A M 7 ; Tennant, D A 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Brando, M 9 ; Vasylechko, L 10 ; Frontzek, M 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Savici, A T 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sala, G 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ehlers, G 11   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Christianson, A D 12   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lumsden, M D 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Podlesnyak, A 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659); Southern University of Science and Technology, Department of Physics, Shenzhen, China (GRID:grid.135519.a) 
 Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany (GRID:grid.419507.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 0491 351X); Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Festkörper- und Materialphysik, Dresden, Germany (GRID:grid.4488.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2111 7257) 
 The University of Tennessee, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Knoxville, USA (GRID:grid.411461.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2315 1184) 
 Westlake Institute of Advanced Study, Hangzhou, P. R. China (GRID:grid.494629.4); Los Alamos National Laboratory, Theoretical Division, T-4 and CNLS, Los Alamos, USA (GRID:grid.148313.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 0428 3079) 
 The University of Tennessee, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Knoxville, USA (GRID:grid.411461.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 2315 1184); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Shull-Wollan Center, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659) 
 Brookhaven National Laboratory, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Upton, USA (GRID:grid.202665.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2188 4229) 
 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659) 
 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Shull-Wollan Center, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659) 
 Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany (GRID:grid.419507.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 0491 351X) 
10  Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine (GRID:grid.10067.30) (ISNI:0000 0001 1280 1647) 
11  Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659) 
12  Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, USA (GRID:grid.135519.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0446 2659) 
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Dec 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2178603008
Copyright
This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.