RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Highly Mobile Gapless Excitations in a Two-Dimensional Candidate Quantum Spin Liquid
JF Science
JO Science
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP 1246
OP 1248
DO 10.1126/science.1188200
VO 328
IS 5983
A1 Yamashita, Minoru
A1 Nakata, Norihito
A1 Senshu, Yoshinori
A1 Nagata, Masaki
A1 Yamamoto, Hiroshi M.
A1 Kato, Reizo
A1 Shibauchi, Takasada
A1 Matsuda, Yuji
YR 2010
UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5983/1246.abstract
AB The nature of quantum spin liquids, a novel state of matter where strong quantum fluctuations destroy the long-range magnetic order even at zero temperature, is a long-standing issue in physics. We measured the low-temperature thermal conductivity of the recently discovered quantum spin liquid candidate, the organic insulator EtMe3Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2. A sizable linear temperature dependence term is clearly resolved in the zero-temperature limit, indicating the presence of gapless excitations with an extremely long mean free path, analogous to excitations near the Fermi surface in pure metals. Its magnetic field dependence suggests a concomitant appearance of spin-gap–like excitations at low temperatures. These findings expose a highly unusual dichotomy that characterizes the low-energy physics of this quantum system.