Evidence for a gapped spin-liquid ground state in a kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet

Peeking into an exotic magnetic structure Cooling materials that contain magnetic interactions generally leads to an ordered magnetic state. In materials known as quantum spin liquids (QSLs), the geometry of the crystal lattice may prevent this ordered state from forming, even at absolute zero. The material herbertsmithite is thought to be a strong candidate for a QSL, but the nature of its ground state is still a mystery. Fu et al. measured shifts in the nuclear magnetic resonance signals of herbertsmithite to conclude that its ground state has a zero spin and is separated from the first excited state by an energy gap (see the Perspective by Furukawa). The results suggest that herbertsmithite is indeed a QSL. Science , this issue p. 655 ; see also p. 631

Evidence for a gapped spin-liquid ground state in a kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet Journal Articles