Universal behavior of quantum spin liquid and optical conductivity in the insulator herbertsmithite

Abstract

We analyze optical conductivity with the goal to demonstrate experimental manifestation of a new state of matter, the so-called fermion condensate. Fermion condensates are realized in quantum spin liquids, exhibiting typical behavior of heavy fermion metals. Measurements of the low-frequency optical conductivity collected on the geometrically frustrated insulator herbertsmithite provide important experimental evidence of the nature of its quantum spin liquid composed of spinons. To analyze recent measurements of the herbertsmithite optical conductivity at different temperatures, we employ a model of strongly correlated quantum spin liquid located near the fermion condensation phase transition. Our theoretical analysis of the optical conductivity allows us to expose the physical mechanism of its temperature dependence. We also predict a dependence of the optical conductivity on a magnetic field. We consider an experimental manifestation (optical conductivity) of a new state of matter (so-called fermion condensate) realized in quantum spin liquids, for, in many ways, they exhibit typical behavior of heavy-fermion metals. Measurements of the low-frequency optical conductivity collected on the geometrically frustrated insulator herbertsmithite produce important experimental evidence of the nature of its quantum spin liquid composed of spinons. To analyze recent measurements of the herbertsmithite optical conductivity at different temperatures, we employ a model of strongly correlated quantum spin liquid located near the fermion condensation phase transition. Our theoretical analysis of the optical conductivity allows us to reveal the physical mechanism of its temperature dependence. We also predict a dependence of the optical conductivity on a magnetic field.

11 pages, 3 figures. Reported at the conference "Topological matter and flat bands" in Leipzig, 2017

References in corpus (9)

• Fractionalized excitations in the spin liquid state of a kagomé lattice antiferromagnet
• Spin Dynamics of the Spin-1/2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet ZnCu_3(OH)_6Cl_2
• Gapless spin-liquid ground state in the $S=1/2$ kagome antiferromagnet
• The magnetic groundstate of an experimental $S=1/2$ kagomé antiferromagnet
• Dynamic Scaling in the Susceptibility of the Spin-1\2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite
• Scaling Behavior of Heavy Fermion Metals
• Anomalous scaling behavior of the dynamical spin susceptibility of Ce${}_{0.925}$La${}_{0.075}$Ru${}_2$Si${}_2$
• Scaling in Dynamic Susceptibility of Herbertsmithite and Heavy-Fermion Metals
• New state of matter: heavy-fermion systems, quantum spin liquids, quasicrystals, cold gases, and high temperature superconductors

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Thermodynamic, dynamic and transport properties of quantum spin liquid in herbertsmithite from experimental and theoretical point of view