The Ising triangular-lattice antiferromagnet neodymium heptatantalate as a quantum spin liquid candidate

Disordered magnetic states known as spin liquids are of paramount importance in both fundamental and applied science. A classical state of this kind was predicted for the Ising antiferromagnetic triangular model, while additional non-commuting exchange terms were proposed to induce its quantum version-a quantum spin liquid. However, these predictions have not yet been confirmed experimentally. Here, we report evidence for such a state in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet NdTa7O19. We determine its magnetic ground state, which is characterized by effective spin-1/2 degrees of freedom with Ising-like nearest-neighbour correlations and gives rise to spin excitations persisting down to the lowest accessible temperature of 40 mK. Our study demonstrates the key role of strong spin-orbit coupling in stabilizing spin liquids that result from magnetic anisotropy and highlights the large family of rare-earth (RE) heptatantalates RETa7O19 as a framework for realization of these states, which represent a promising platform for quantum applications. Neutron scattering, electron spin resonance, muon spectroscopy and magnetization measurements are applied to evidence a quantum spin liquid phase in NdTa7O19.

Automated summary

Evidence for a quantum spin liquid phase in NdTa7O19 is reported, with effective spin-1/2 degrees of freedom and Ising-like nearest-neighbour correlations stabilized by strong spin-orbit coupling, allowing spin excitations to persist at low temperatures.