A novel Gapless Quantum Spin Liquid in the S = 1 4d4-honeycomb material Cu$_3$LiRu$_2$O$_6$

Sanjay Bachhar; Nashra Pistawala; S. Kundu; Maneesha Barik; M. Baenitz; Jorg Sichelschmidt; Koji Yokoyama; P. Khuntia; Surjeet Singh; A. V. Mahajan

arXiv · 2501.17248

A novel Gapless Quantum Spin Liquid in the S = 1 4d4-honeycomb material Cu$_3$LiRu$_2$O$_6$

Sanjay Bachhar·Nashra Pistawala·S. Kundu·Maneesha Barik·M. Baenitz·Jorg Sichelschmidt·Koji Yokoyama·P. Khuntia·Surjeet Singh·A. V. Mahajan

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Abstract

We report the discovery of a novel gapless quantum spin liquid in the S=1 honeycomb system Cu$_3$LiRu$_2$O$_6$ with Ru$^{4+}$ ($4d^4$) where moments remain dynamic down to 50 mK. Heat capacity measurements show no sign of magnetic ordering down to 60 mK in spite of a Curie-Weiss temperature = -222 K indicating a strong antiferromagnetic interaction. In zero field, magnetic heat capacity shows a linear T-dependence with Sommerfeld coefficient = 107 mJ/mol K$^2$ is much larger than that found in typical Fermi liquids. Our local probe $^7$Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements find a significant temperature-independent $^7$Li NMR shift (and hence a non-zero spin susceptibility) at low-T and a linear T-variation of the $^7$Li NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T$_1$ at low-T reminiscent of fermionic excitations. Muon spin relaxation measurements detect neither long-range ordering nor spin freezing down to 50 mK and the temperature variation of the muon depolarization rate shows a gradual increase with decreasing temperature and a leveling off below about 1 K evincing a persistent spin dynamics common to several spin liquid candidates. Our results provide strong signatures of a quantum spin liquid in the titled honeycomb material.

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Sanjay Bachhar, Nashra Pistawala, S. Kundu, Maneesha Barik, M. Baenitz, Jorg Sichelschmidt, Koji Yokoyama, P. Khuntia, Surjeet Singh, A. V. Mahajan. 2025-01-28. A novel Gapless Quantum Spin Liquid in the S = 1 4d4-honeycomb material Cu$_3$LiRu$_2$O$_6$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17248

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