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Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid
Urban F P Seifert1,2, Josef Willsher3,4, Markus Drescher5,6
1Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. urban.seifert@uni-koeln.de.
Nature Communications
|August 19, 2024
Summary
Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) can be destabilized by lattice distortions, leading to ordered states. This study reveals spin-lattice coupling as a key factor for discovering and characterizing QSLs.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Magnetism
Background:
- Quantum fluctuations can prevent magnetic ordering, potentially forming quantum spin liquid (QSL) phases.
- Gapless U(1) QSLs are described by 2+1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED3), but realizing them is hindered by other degrees of freedom like lattice distortions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of U(1) Dirac QSLs on triangular and kagome lattices against lattice distortions.
- To explore the implications of spin-lattice coupling for QSL properties and experimental detection.
Main Methods:
- Field-theoretic arguments
- Extensive numerical simulations
- Analysis of static distortions and quantum phonons
Main Results:
- The U(1) Dirac QSL on triangular and kagome lattices is unstable due to monopole coupling to lattice distortions, leading to valence-bond solid ordering.
- This generalizes the spin-Peierls instability to 2D algebraic QSLs.
- Singular spin-lattice coupling causes temperature-dependent phonon spectrum corrections, indicating spin fractionalization.
Conclusions:
- Lattice distortions can precipitate conventional order, limiting QSL realization.
- Spin-lattice coupling provides a general tool for discovering and characterizing QSLs, with observable signatures in phonon spectra.
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