Direct experimental observation of the molecular Jeff=3/2 ground state in the lacunar spinel GaTa4Se8

Abstract

Strong spin-orbit coupling lifts the degeneracy of t2g orbitals in 5d transition-metal systems, leaving a Kramers doublet and quartet with effective angular momentum of Jeff = 1/2 and 3/2, respectively. These spin-orbit entangled states can host exotic quantum phases such as topological Mott state, unconventional superconductivity, and quantum spin liquid. The lacunar spinel GaTa4Se8 was theoretically predicted to form the molecular Jeff = 3/2 ground state. Experimental verification of its existence is an important first step to exploring the consequences of the Jeff = 3/2 state. Here, we report direct experimental evidence of the Jeff = 3/2 state in GaTa4Se8 by means of excitation spectra of resonant inelastic x-rays scattering at the Ta L3 and L2 edges. We found that the excitations involving the Jeff = 1/2 molecular orbital were suppressed only at the Ta L2 edge, manifesting the realization of the molecular Jeff = 3/2 ground state in GaTa4Se8.

25 pages, 5 figures + Supplementary Materials [10 pages, 5 figures]

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Structural evolution and skyrmionic phase diagram of the lacunar spinel GaMo${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Possible quadrupole order in tetragonal Ba2CdReO6 and chemical trend in the ground states of 5d1 double perovskites
• Quasimolecular $J_{\mathrm{tet}}$=3/2 moments in the cluster Mott insulator GaTa${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Charge density functional plus $U$ calculation of lacunar spinel GaM${}_4$Se${}_8$ (M = Nb, Mo, Ta, and W)
• Antipolar transitions in GaNb${}_4$Se${}_8$ and GaTa${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Cluster rearrangement by chiral charge order in lacunar spinel GaNb${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Bond Ordering and Molecular Spin-Orbital Fluctuations in the Cluster Mott Insulator GaTa${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Interplay of broken symmetry and delocalized excitations in the insulating state of 1$T$-TaS${}_2$
• Jahn-Teller driven quadrupolar ordering and spin-orbital dimer formation in GaNb${}_4$Se${}_8$
• Quasimolecular electronic structure of the trimer iridate Ba${}_4$NbIr${}_3$O${}_{12}$