However, in triangular lattices three spins can not be simultaneously anti-parallel to each other and therefore cannot satisfy antiferromagnetic interactions. In 1973, Anderson proposed that such magnetic frustration associated with large quantum fluctuations for S = 1/2 spins could stabilize a ‘spin liquid’ ground state built on the resonance of singlets between neighbouring bonds. This concept has been seminal for many theoretical investigations, including high temperature superconductors, but has not yet been realized experimentally. A new synthetic material Cu₃Zn(OH)₆Cl₂, a close relative of a mineral compound discovered in a Chilean mine in 2004 and based on spin triangles forming a Kagomé net, could well be the very first realization of this novel state. Using the high sensitivity of muons, we demonstrated the absence of any magnetic ordering down to a 50 mK, well below the 200 K coupling energy of the spins. This makes Cu₃Zn(OH)₆Cl₂ a very promising candidate for spin liquid physics.

​P Mendels, F Bert (Universite Paris- Sud, France), MA de Vries (University of Edinburgh), A Olariu (Universite Paris-Sud, France), A Harrison (ILL, France), F Duc, JC Trombe (CNRS, France), JS Lord (ISIS), A Amato, C Baines (PSI, Switzerland)

Research date: December 2007

Further Information

P Mendels et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 (2007) 077204.​