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arXiv · 2210.11781

Line-Graph Approach to Spiral Spin Liquids

Abstract

Competition among exchange interactions is able to induce novel spin correlations on a bipartite lattice without geometrical frustration. A prototype example is the spiral spin liquid, which is a correlated paramagnetic state characterized by sub-dimensional degenerate propagation vectors. Here, using spectral graph theory, we show that spiral spin liquids on a bipartite lattice can be approximated by a further-neighbor model on the corresponding line-graph lattice that is non-bipartite, thus broadening the space of candidate materials that may support the spiral spin liquid phases. As illustrations, we examine neutron scattering experiments performed on two spinel compounds, ZnCr$_2$Se$_4$ and CuInCr$_4$Se$_8$, to demonstrate the feasibility of this new approach and expose its possible limitations in experimental realizations.

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Shang Gao, Ganesh Pokharel, Andrew F. May, Joseph A. M. Paddison, Chris Pasco, Yaohua Liu, Keith M. Taddei, Stuart Calder, David G. Mandrus, Matthew B. Stone, Andrew D. Christianson. 2022-10-21. Line-Graph Approach to Spiral Spin Liquids. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.129.237202

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