Exotic Magnetic Ground States and Ground State Selection in Quantum Materials

量子材料中的奇异磁基态和基态选择

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-07084
• 负责人: Gaulin, Bruce
• 金额: $ 6.92万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=739300
• 关键词: Exotic; Magnetic; Ground; States; State

The ground states of most magnetic materials, and all magnetic materials which are well understood, are characterized by long range order and conventional elementary excitations, such as spin waves. We are specifically interested in families of new magnetic materials, where this isn't the case; that is where a disordered low temperature phase can persist due to the presence of very strong spin fluctuations. This is a very topical area of contemporary condensed matter research as it is widely believed that if a conventional ordered state can be suppressed at low temperatures, it opens a window for an exotic ground state to be manifest.  Appropriate quantum disordered states are thought to possess qualitatively new and remarkable physical properties, such as delocalized quantum spin excitations, that may provide a platform for quantum computation. Strong spin fluctuations can be encouraged in three ways in magnetic materials: magnetic moments can decorate local geometries (typically based on triangles and tetrahedra) in solids which are incompatible with a simple ordered state - this is referred to as geometrical frustration; S=1/2 and effective S=1/2 magnetic moments, which support extreme quantum fluctuations, can be made to decorate the lattice; and finally the magnetic lattice can be effectively two or one dimensional due to a three dimensional crystal structure which is made of a stacking of magnetic planes, or a bunching together of magnetic chains.  This proposal seeks to explore new magnetic materials which do precisely this. By carrying out advanced characterization, primarily with new neutron and x-ray scattering techniques we aim to elucidate the nature of the exotic ground states which ensue in such materials, such that the principles that underlie the novel phenomena they display can be fully understood. This proposal seeks to carry out programs of neutron scattering measurements on several families of exotic magnetic materials that we will grow in single crystalline, polycrystalline and epitaxial thin film form. We are in the midst of a renaissance in the capabilities available to carry out forefront inelastic neutron scattering.  The net result is that new neutron scattering instrumentation provides qualitatively different, and much more comprehensive, information on materials than was possible six years ago. This proposal seeks to apply this new infrastructure to several topical problems related to exotic magnetic ground states in new materials. A crucial component and starting point for the themes of this proposal is a program of sophisticated materials preparation and crystal growth which will provide new magnetic materials in appropriate forms. We are exceptionally well positioned, both with respect to our capacity to produce materials of interest, and with respect to access and expertise associated with the new neutron scattering infrastructure, to make real progress in this very topical area of condensed matter physics.

大多数磁性材料的基态，以及所有被充分理解的磁性材料的基态，其特征在于长程有序和常规的元激发，例如自旋波。我们特别感兴趣的是新的磁性材料的家庭，在这种情况下，这是一个无序的低温相可以持续由于存在非常强的自旋波动。这是当代凝聚态研究的一个非常热门的领域，因为人们普遍认为，如果一个传统的有序状态可以在低温下被抑制，它就为一个奇异的基态打开了一扇窗。 适当的量子无序态被认为具有质的新的和显着的物理性质，如离域量子自旋激发，这可能为量子计算提供平台。在磁性材料中，强自旋涨落可以通过三种方式得到鼓励：磁矩可以装饰局部几何形状（通常基于三角形和四面体）在与简单有序状态不相容的固体中-这被称为几何挫折; S=1/2和有效S=1/2磁矩，其支持极端的量子涨落，可以用来装饰晶格;最后，由于由磁平面的堆叠或磁链的聚束构成的三维晶体结构，磁晶格可以有效地是二维或一维的。 这项提议旨在探索新的磁性材料，正是这样做。通过进行先进的表征，主要是新的中子和X射线散射技术，我们的目标是阐明在这种材料中随之而来的异国情调的基态的性质，这样的原则，他们显示的新现象可以完全理解。该提案旨在对我们将以单晶、多晶和外延薄膜形式生长的几种奇异磁性材料进行中子散射测量。我们正处于一个复兴的能力，可进行前沿非弹性中子散射。 最终的结果是，新的中子散射仪器提供了与六年前不同的、更全面的材料信息。该建议旨在将这种新的基础设施应用于与新材料中的奇异磁基态相关的几个热点问题。该提案主题的一个关键组成部分和出发点是一个复杂的材料制备和晶体生长计划，该计划将提供适当形式的新磁性材料。无论是在我们生产感兴趣材料的能力方面，还是在与新的中子散射基础设施相关的访问和专业知识方面，我们都处于非常有利的地位，可以在凝聚态物理学的这一非常热门的领域取得真实的进展。