arXiv subjects

Daniel Lozano-Gómez

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Lozano-Gómez.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Exact nematic and mixed magnetic phases driven by competing orders on the pyrochlore lattice

Pyrochlore magnets are a paradigmatic example of three-dimensional frustrated systems and provide an excellent platform for studying a variety of exotic many-body phenomena, including spin liquids, nematic phases, fragmentation, and order by disorder. In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to bilinear spin models on this lattice, where multiple magnetic phases can be degenerate in energy, often stabilizing unconventional magnetic states. In this work, we focus on one such model, parametrized by the interaction coupling $J_{z\pm}$, which defines a line in parameter space corresponding to the phase boundary between three distinct magnetic phases. Using a combination of analytical and numerical methods, we show that this model exhibits an order-by-disorder mechanism at low temperatures, giving rise to a \emph{mixed} magnetic phase. This realizes a $\mathbf q=0$ long-range-ordered phase in a pyrochlore magnet characterized by two distinct order parameters, which we denote as the $A_2 \oplus ψ_2$ phase. Furthermore, at $J_{z\pm} = 1/\sqrt{2}$, the model acquires a subextensive number of discrete symmetries, which preclude the stabilization of conventional long-range order and instead lead to the emergence of a novel nematic phase. We characterize this nematic phase, describe how its ground-state configurations are constructed, and analyze its stability at higher temperatures and under small deviations from $J_{z\pm} = 1/\sqrt{2}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Signatures of field-induced multi-color kagome spin liquids in the dipole-octupole pyrochlore $\mathrm{Ce_2Hf_2O_7}$

We report low-temperature magnetization and magnetostriction measurements on the dipole-octupole pyrochlore $\mathrm{Ce_2Hf_2O_7}$, revealing an unconventional field response for $\mathbf B\parallel[111]$. The magnetization shows no kagome-ice plateau; instead it evolves continuously and exhibits two rapid changes in slope near 0.35~T and 1.2~T, accompanied by magnetostriction features at the same field scales. Classical Monte Carlo simulations, exact diagonalization, and ground-state analysis of the Hamiltonian show that a representative QSI-compatible parameter set captures the data. For this parameter set, the lower-field anomaly marks a closely spaced transition sequence from a two-color kagome spin liquid (KSL) through a narrow three-color KSL into a mixed two-/three-color KSL, while the upper-field anomaly marks the transition from the mixed KSL into a nearly polarized state. These results identify $\mathrm{Ce_2Hf_2O_7}$, and dipole-octupole pyrochlore magnets more broadly, as promising platforms for exotic KSLs beyond conventional spin ice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Coulomb Liquids of Different Rank in the Breathing Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet

Emergent gauge fields and Coulomb liquids have long been central to the physics of frustrated pyrochlore magnets, yet their realization beyond conventional, i.e. rank-1 $U(1)$, spin ice and into fully quantum higher-rank regimes has remained elusive. Here we provide a controlled demonstration of this physics in the spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the breathing pyrochlore lattice with symmetry-allowed Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interactions, using the pseudofermion functional renormalization group. We show that tuning the breathing asymmetry stabilizes extended quantum analogues of both rank-1 and rank-2 $U(1)$ Coulomb liquids within a single microscopic model, directly distinguished by their characteristic pinch-point morphologies in momentum space. This provides the first controlled quantum realization in three dimensions where gauge theories of different rank emerge within a single microscopic spin Hamiltonian. In addition, quantum fluctuations qualitatively reshape the classical nearest-neighbor atlas of phases, causing an incommensurate spiral instability and an extended quantum-disordered regime without dipolar order, both absent from the classical model. Our results establish the breathing pyrochlore as a timely and experimentally relevant platform where higher-rank gauge constraints, conventional magnetic order, and fluctuation-driven quantum phases compete on equal footing, opening a direct route to diagnosing emergent gauge structure in three-dimensional quantum magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Fragmented Spin Liquid and Shadow Pinch Points in Dipole-Octupole Pyrochlore Spin Systems

We study the classical dipole-octupole pyrochlore spin systems in an external magnetic field along the $[111]$ direction. We identify an intermediate fragmented spin liquid phase that precedes full spin saturation, characterized by the coexistence of three phenomena: U(1) spin liquid on the Kagome planes, spontaneous $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry breaking, and partial spin polarization from explicit symmetry breaking. We show that even without dipolar interactions, the dipolar components can form a spin liquid driven by the octupolar spin liquid. The physics manifests itself experimentally as shadow pinch points: low-intensity pinch points underlying the strong Bragg peaks. We discuss how these discoveries are directly relevant to various experiments on dipole-octupole pyrochlore materials, including neutron scattering, magnetization, and magnetostriction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Quantum effects on pyrochlore higher-rank U(1) spin liquids: Pinch-line singularities, spin nematics, and connections to oxide materials

Motivated by the magnetism of pyrochlore oxides, we consider the effect of quantum fluctuations in the most general symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor Kramers exchange Hamiltonian on the pyrochlore lattice. At the classical level, this Hamiltonian exhibits a rich landscape of classical spin liquids and a variety of nonconventional magnetic phases. In contrast, much remains unclear for the quantum model, where quantum fluctuations have the potential to alter the classical landscape and stabilize novel magnetic phases. Employing state-of-the-art pseudo-fermion functional renormalization group calculations for the spin-$1/2$ model, we determine the quantum phase diagram at relevant cross-sections, where the classical model hosts an algebraic nodal rank-2 spin liquid and a spin nematic order. We find large regions in parameter space on which dipolar magnetic order is absent and, based on known fingerprints in the correlation functions, we suggest that this nonconventional region is composed of an ensemble of distinct phases stabilized by quantum fluctuations. Our results hint at the existence of a spin nematic phase, and we identify the quantum analog of the classical rank-2 spin liquid. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of assessing the subtle interplay of quantum and thermal fluctuations in reconciling the experimental findings on the nature of magnetic order in Yb$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

An Atlas of Classical Pyrochlore Spin Liquids

Frustrated magnetism in the pyrochlore lattice magnet has proven to be a most fruitful setting for the experimental and theoretical search for spin liquids. Besides the canonical case of spin ice, recent works have identified a variety of new classical and quantum spin liquids engendered by the generic nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin Hamiltonian for that lattice. However, a general framework for the thorough and systematic classification and characterization of these exotic states of matter has been lacking, as has an exhaustive list of all possible spin liquids that this model can support and, perhaps most interesting, what is the corresponding structure of their emergent field theory description. In this work, we develop such a theoretical framework to identify the interaction parameters stabilizing different classical spin liquids and derive their corresponding effective generalized Gauss's laws at low temperatures. Combining this with Monte Carlo simulations, we systematically identify all classical spin liquids for the general nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin Hamiltonian on the pyrochlore lattice. In doing so, we uncover new spin liquid models with exotic forms of generalized Gauss's law and multipole conservation laws. Our approach allows us to compile an atlas of all spin liquids realized in the phase diagram, providing a global picture of their mutual connections in parameter space and transitions between them. Our work will inform future theoretical and experimental studies of classical and quantum spin liquids on the pyrochlore lattice and help rationalize the exotic properties of pyrochlore magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Higher-Rank Spin Liquids and Spin Nematics from Competing Orders in Pyrochlore Magnets

Pyrochlore magnets have proven to provide an excellent arena for the realization of a variety of many-body phenomena such as classical and quantum order-by-disorder, as well as spin liquid phases described by emergent gauge field theories. These phenomena arise from the competition between different symmetry-breaking magnetic orders. In this work, we consider a subspace of the most general bilinear nearest-neighbor Hamiltonian on the pyrochlore lattice, parameterized by the local interaction parameter $J_{z\pm}$, where three symmetry-breaking phases converge. We demonstrate that for small values of $|J_{z\pm}|$, a conventional $\mathbf q=0$ ordered phase is selected by a thermal order-by-disorder mechanism. For $|J_{z\pm}|$ above a certain finite threshold, a novel spin-nematic phase is stabilized at low temperatures. Instead of the usual Bragg peaks, the spin-nematic phase features lines of high intensity in the spin structure factor. At intermediate temperatures above the low-temperature orders, a rank-2 U(1) classical spin liquid is realized for all $J_{z\pm} \neq 0$. We fully characterize all phases using classical Monte-Carlo simulations and a self-consistent Gaussian approximation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Order-by-disorder without quantum zero-point fluctuations in the pyrochlore Heisenberg ferromagnet with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

Order-by-disorder, whereby fluctuations lift an accidental classical ground state degeneracy to stabilize a subset of ordered states, is a recurrent and prominent theme in the field of frustrated magnetism where magnetic moments are subject to competing interactions. Thus far, such a phenomenon has been discussed in systems where the quantum ground state is not a classical product state. In such a case, both thermal and quantum fluctuations act to lift the accidental classical degeneracy, begging the question of whether one mechanism of order-by-disorder is possible without the other. In this paper, we present results exposing an uncharted route to order-by-disorder, one without quantum zero-point fluctuations, in the ferromagnetic pyrochlore Heisenberg system with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction as the leading perturbation. We prove that any colinear ferromagnetic state is an exact eigenstate while thermal fluctuations give rise to a preference in the magnetization direction. Using linear spin wave theory, we find that the anisotropy appears at lowest order as a sub-leading term in the low-temperature expansion of the free energy, proportional to $T^{7/2}$. Our results thus show that the phenomenon of thermal order-by-disorder can occur even in the absence of quantum zero-point fluctuations driving quantum order-by-disorder, this being so in particular when the accidentally degenerate ground state of the classical model turns out to be an exact eigenstate of the quantum version of the model. In addition, we find that when the DM interaction is large, the fully polarized ferromagnetic ground state becomes unstable for a spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ system within the framework of non-linear spin wave theory, a result that is presumably closely related to the recent report of a quantum spin liquid in this spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ model reported in [https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2403487121].

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Competing Gauge Fields and Entropically-Driven Spin Liquid to Spin Liquid Transition in non-Kramers Pyrochlores

Gauge theories are powerful tools in theoretical physics, allowing complex phenomena to be reduced to simple principles, and are used in both high-energy and condensed matter physics. In the latter context, gauge theories are becoming increasingly popular for capturing the intricate spin correlations in spin liquids, exotic states of matter in which the dynamics of quantum spins never ceases, even at absolute zero temperature. We consider a spin system on a three-dimensional pyrochlore lattice where emergent gauge fields not only describe the spin liquid behaviour at zero temperature but crucially determine the system's temperature evolution, with distinct gauge fields giving rise to different spin liquid phases in separate temperature regimes. Focusing first on classical spins, in an intermediate temperature regime, the system shows an unusual coexistence of emergent vector and matrix gauge fields where the former is known from classical spin ice systems while the latter has been associated with fractonic quasiparticles, a peculiar type of excitation with restricted mobility. Upon cooling, the system transitions into a low-temperature phase where an entropic selection mechanism depopulates the degrees of freedom associated with the matrix gauge field, rendering the system spin ice like. We further provide numerical evidence that in the corresponding quantum model, a spin liquid with coexisting vector and matrix gauge fields has a finite window of stability in the parameter space of spin interactions down to zero temperature. Finally, we discuss the relevance of our findings for non-Kramers pyrochlore materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

A Classical Chiral Spin-Liquid from Chiral Interactions on the Pyrochlore Lattice

Classical spin-liquids are paramagnetic phases which feature nontrivial patterns of spin correlations within their ground-state manifold whose degeneracy scales with system size. Often they harbor fractionalized excitations, and their low-energy fluctuations are described by emergent gauge theories. In this work, we discuss a model composed of chiral three-body spin interactions on the pyrochlore lattice that realizes a novel classical chiral spin-liquid. Employing both analytical and numerical techniques, we show that the ground-state manifold of this spin-liquid is given by a subset of the so-called color-ice states. We demonstrate that the ground states are captured by an effective gauge theory which possesses a divergence-free condition and an additional chiral term that constrains the total flux of the fields through a single tetrahedron. The divergence-free condition results in two-fold pinch points in the spin structure factor and the identification of bionic charges as the elementary excitations of the system. We discuss how the mobility of these elementary charges is restricted by the additional chiral term, which in turn suggests that these charges are fractons.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Classical and quantum phases of the pyrochlore $S=1/2$ magnet with Heisenberg and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

We investigate the ground state and critical temperature phase diagrams of the classical and quantum $S=1/2$ pyrochlore lattice with nearest-neighbor Heisenberg and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI). We consider ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange as well as direct and indirect DMI. Classically, three ground states are found: all-in/all-out, ferromagnetic and a locally ordered $XY$ phase, known as $Γ_5$, which displays an accidental classical U(1) degeneracy. Quantum zero-point energy fluctuations are found to lift the classical ground state degeneracy and select the $ψ_3$ state in most parts of the $Γ_5$ regime. Likewise, thermal fluctuations treated classically, select the $ψ_3$ state at $T=0^+$. In contrast, classical Monte Carlo finds that the system orders at $T_c$ in the $ψ_2$ state of $Γ_5$ for antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange and indirect DMI with a transition from $ψ_2$ to $ψ_3$ at a temperature $T_{Γ_5} <T_c$. The same method finds that the system orders via a single transition at $T_c$ directly into the $ψ_3$ state for most of the region with ferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange and indirect DMI. Such ordering behavior at $T_c$ for the $S=1/2$ quantum model is corroborated by high-temperature series expansion. To investigate the $T=0$ quantum ground states, we apply the pseudo-fermion functional renormalization group (PFFRG). The quantum paramagnetic phase of the pure antiferromagnetic $S=1/2$ Heisenberg model is found to persist over a finite region in the phase diagram for both direct or indirect DMI. We find that near the boundary of ferromagnetism and $Γ_5$ antiferromagnetism the system may potentially realize a quantum ground state lacking conventional magnetic order. Otherwise, for the largest portion of the phase diagram, PFFRG finds the same ordered phases as in the classical model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Probing Flat Band Physics in Spin Ice Systems via Polarized Neutron Scattering

In this paper, we illustrate how polarized neutron scattering can be used to isolate the spin-spin correlations of modes forming flat bands in a frustrated magnetic system hosting a classical spin liquid phase. In particular, we explain why the nearest-neighbor spin ice model, whose interaction matrix has two flat bands, produces a dispersionless (i.e. "flat") response in the non-spin-flip (NSF) polarized neutron scattering channel, and demonstrate that NSF scattering is a highly sensitive probe of correlations induced by weak perturbations which lift the flat band degeneracy. We use this to explain the experimentally measured dispersive (i.e. non-flat) NSF channel of the dipolar spin ice compound $\mathrm{Ho}_2 \mathrm{Ti}_2 \mathrm{O}_7$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Quantum Tunneling Theory of Cooper Pairs as Bosonic Particles

We propose a simple phenomenological theory for quantum tunneling of Cooper pairs based on their boson like nature. Thus it applies in the absence of quasiparticle excitations (fermions), and should be suitable for boson like particles at the low energy regime. Around zero bias voltage our model reveals a rapid increase in tunneling current which rapidly saturates. This manifests as a zero bias conductance peak that strongly depends on the superconductors transition temperature. This low energy tunneling of Cooper pairs could serve as an alternative explanation for a number of tunneling experiments where zero bias conductance peak has been observed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Unsupervised Machine Learning of Quenched Gauge Symmetries: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration

In condensed matter physics, one of the goals of machine learning is the classification of phases of matter. The consideration of a system's symmetries can significantly assist the machine in this goal. We demonstrate the ability of an unsupervised machine learning protocol, the Principal Component Analysis method, to detect hidden quenched gauge symmetries introduced via the so-called Mattis gauge transformation. Our work reveals that unsupervised machine learning can identify hidden properties of a model and may therefore provide new insights into the models themselves.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗