arXiv subjects

Lankun Han

Publications and source records attributed to Lankun Han.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Unraveling the Kagome Antiferromagnetic $3J$ Model and Its Materials: An Integrated Approach

We investigate the ground-state and finite-temperature properties of the kagome antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model with three inequivalent couplings, dubbed the 3J model, which is designed for the candidate Dirac quantum spin liquid (QSL) material YCu$_3$(OH)$_6$Br$_2$[Br$_{1-x}$(OH)$_x$] (see, e.g., Zeng et al., 2024). Employing large-scale density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) supplemented by neural quantum states (NQS) simulations, we identify an intermediate QSL phase between two magnetically ordered phases. We also find that this QSL is separated from the kagome spin liquid ground state at the isotropic limit. To establish a direct comparison with experiments, we compute the specific heat of the model by means of advanced exponential (XTRG) and tangent-space (tanTRG) thermal tensor-network methods. In the magnetically ordered phase, the specific heat over temperature exhibits a shoulder at a temperature that is a fraction of the coupling strength $J_{hex}$, which disappears in the QSL phase. These universal behaviors are consistent with the experimentally observed specific heat in 3J materials for both ordered and QSL candidate samples. Our work thus connects microscopic models with experimentally measurable signatures, exemplifying an integrated approach (see Meng et al., 2026) to understanding QSL phenomena in frustrated quantum magnets, with 3J materials serving as a representative case and providing a foundation for future studies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Spin excitations arising from anisotropic Dirac spinons in YCu$_3$(OD)$_6$Br$_2$[Br$_{0.33}$(OD)$_{0.67}$]

A Dirac quantum spin liquid hosts Dirac spinons, which are low-energy fractionalized neutral quasiparticles with spin 1/2 that obey the Dirac equation. Recent inelastic neutron scattering studies have revealed a cone spin continuum in YCu$_3$(OD)$_6$Br$_2$[Br$_{x}$(OD)$_{1-x}$], consistent with the convolution of two Dirac spinons. In this work, we further studied spin excitations using the inelastic neutron scattering technique. The width of low-energy spin excitations shows a linear temperature dependence, which can be explained by spinon-spinon interactions with a Dirac dispersion. Polarized neutron scattering measurements reveal that in-plane magnetic fluctuations are about 1.5 times stronger than the out-of-plane ones, suggesting the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and consistent with our theoretical modeling and simulations. Moreover, the high-energy spin excitations around 14 meV agree with the one-pair spinon-antispinon excitations in Raman studies. The real part of the dynamical susceptibility derived from the Kramers-Kronig relationship also agrees with the Knight shift measured by nuclear magnetic resonance, clearly demonstrating the negligible effects of magnetic impurities on static susceptibility. These results provide a rare example in studying quantum-spin-liquid materials where different experimental techniques can be directly compared, and they give further insights for the possible Dirac quantum spin liquid in this system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Magnetic ground states in kagome YCu$_3$(OH)$_6$[(Cl$_x$Br$_{1-x}$)$_{3-y}$(OH)$_{y}$]

Quantum spin liquids represent exotic states of spin systems characterized by long-range entanglement and emergent fractionalized quasiparticles. It is generally believed that disorder is hostile to quantum spin liquids. In our study, we investigated the magnetic properties of a kagome system, YCu$_3$(OH)$_6$[(Cl$_x$Br$_{1-x}$)$_{3-y}$(OH)$_{y}$]. Within this system, some of the hexagons exhibit alternate bonds along the Cu-O-Cu exchange paths, while others remain uniform. We found that a long-range antiferromagnetic order emerges when uniform hexagons dominate. Conversely, a possible quantum-spin-liquid state arises when the number of alternate-bond hexagons exceeds about 2/3. Therefore, the alternate-bond hexagons, typically considered as disorders, actually serve as the building blocks of the quantum spin liquid in this system. Notably, the low-temperature properties of the quantum spin liquid are directly associated with the height of the out-of-plane yttrium ions, which may be linked to changes in superexchange energies. Our results suggest that understanding the magnetic ground states in this system lies beyond the theoretical framework of the Heisenberg model constructed on the kagome lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Spectral evidence for Dirac spinons in a kagome lattice antiferromagnet

Emergent quasiparticles with a Dirac dispersion in condensed matter systems can be described by the Dirac equation for relativistic electrons, in analogy with Dirac particles in high-energy physics. For example, electrons with a Dirac dispersion have been intensively studied in electronic systems such as graphene and topological insulators. However, charge is not a prerequisite for Dirac fermions, and the emergence of Dirac fermions without charge degree of freedom has been theoretically predicted to be realized in Dirac quantum spin liquids. These quasiparticles carry a spin of 1/2 but are charge-neutral, and so are called spinons. Here we show that the spin excitations of a kagome antiferromagnet, YCu$_3$(OD)$_6$Br$_2$[Br$_{0.33}$(OD)$_{0.67}$], are conical with a spin continuum inside, which is consistent with the convolution of two Dirac spinons. The predictions of a Dirac spin liquid model with a spinon velocity obtained from the spectral measurements are in agreement with the low-temperature specific heat of the sample. Our results thus provide spectral evidence for the Dirac quantum spin liquid state emerging in this kagome lattice antiferromagnet. However, the locations of the conical spin excitations differ from those calculated by the nearest neighbor Heisenberg model, suggesting the Dirac spinons have an unexpected origin.

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