Quantum Spin Liquids

Design of Spin Frustrated Lattices

Spin liquids are quantum phases of matter with a variety of unusual properties arising from their topological character. Of these properties, spin frustration has been theoretically suggested to be at the heart of high temperature superconductivity. A “holy grail” of condensed matter physics is the experimental realization of a S = ½ spin frustrated lattice and the establishment of a quantum spin liquid ground state. Our group is creating two-dimensional spin lattices that are highly frustrated, opening the way for new discoveries of highly correlated spin systems that exhibit the exotic physical properties of a quantum spin liquid. We synthesized the first pure quantum spin liquid from S = ½ spins on a kagomé lattice. Work continues on this lattice, as well as on related structural congeners, with the goal of elucidating the connection between spin frustration and high temperature superconductivity.