paper

Two Plaquette-Singlet Phases and Emergent SO(5) Deconfined Quantum Criticality in SrCu2(BO3)2

arXiv:2411.00302

Abstract

The deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP) has become a central open concept in the physics of quantum matter, and its proposed presence in the Shastry-Sutherland model was followed by the experimental observation of at least a minimal DQC scenario induced by an applied magnetic field in SrCu $_{2}$ (BO $_{3}$ ) $_{2}$ . However, the nature of the plaquette-singlet phase in SrCu $_{2}$ (BO $_{3}$ ) $_{2}$ remains unresolved, and with it the identification of the DQCP symmetry from among several theoretical scenarios. Here we perform detailed high-pressure $^{11}$ B NMR studies to reveal the presence of both the full-plaquette (FP) and empty-plaquette (EP) phases in SrCu $_{2}$ (BO $_{3}$ ) $_{2}$ , phase-separated at a first-order, pressure-driven transition with a volume-fraction effect. The field-driven transition from the EP to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase complements our previous observations of the FP--AFM transition, with both showing deconfined quantum criticality, while the scaling of the spin-lattice relaxation rate near the EP--AFM transition, $1/ T_{1} \propto T^{0.6}$ , suggests a DQCP governed by a different universality class. We discuss possible extensions to the Shastry-Sutherland model that account for these pressure and field effects. The expanded phase space we discover mandates an SO(5) DQCP symmetry, and hence our results take an important step towards a complete understanding of deconfined quantum criticality in SrCu $_{2}$ (BO $_{3}$ ) $_{2}$ .

7 pages, 5 figures