z=2 Quantum Critical Dynamics in a Spin Ladder

Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid and quantum criticality in spin- 1 2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain C 14 H 18 CuN 4 O 10 via Wilson ratio

The ground state of a one-dimensional spin-1 2 uniform antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain (AfHc) is a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid which is quantum-critical with respect to applied magnetic fields up to a saturation field μ 0 H s beyond which it transforms to a fully polarized state. Wilson ratio has been predicted to be a good indicator for demarcating these phases [Phys. Rev. B 96, 220401 (2017)]. From detailed temperature and magnetic field-dependent magnetization, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements in a metalorganic complex and comparisons with field theory and quantum transfer matrix method calculations, the complex was found to be a very good realization of a spin-1 2 AfHc. Wilson ratio obtained from experimentally obtained magnetic susceptibility and magnetic contribution of specific heat values was used to map the magnetic phase diagram of the uniform spin-1 2 AfHc over large regions of phase space demarcating Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid, saturation field quantum critical, and fully polarized states. Luttinger parameter and spinon velocity were found to match very well with the values predicted from conformal field theory.

LT Scaling in Depleted Quantum Spin Ladders

Using a combination of neutron scattering, calorimetry, quantum Monte Carlo simulations, and analytic results we uncover confinement effects in depleted, partially magnetized quantum spin ladders. We show that introducing nonmagnetic impurities into magnetized spin ladders leads to the emergence of a new characteristic length L in the otherwise scale-free Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (serving as the effective low-energy model). This results in universal LT scaling of staggered susceptibilities. Comparison of simulation results with experimental phase diagrams of prototypical spin ladder compounds bis(2,3-dimethylpyridinium)tetrabromocuprate(II) (DIMPY) and bis(piperidinium)tetrabromocuprate(II) (BPCB) yields excellent agreement.

Anisotropy-Induced Soliton Excitation in Magnetized Strong-Rung Spin Ladders

We report low temperature electron spin resonance experimental and theoretical studies of an archetype S=1/2 strong-rung spin ladder material (C_{5}H_{12}N)_{2}CuBr_{4}. Unexpected dynamics is detected deep in the Tomonaga-Luttinger spin liquid regime. Close to the point where the system is half-magnetized (and believed to be equivalent to a gapless easy plane chain in zero field) we observed orientation-dependent spin gap and anomalous g-factor values. Field theoretical analysis demonstrates that the observed low-energy excitation modes in magnetized (C_{5}H_{12}N)_{2}CuBr_{4} are solitonic excitations caused by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction presence.

Miniature capacitive Faraday force magnetometer for magnetization measurements at low temperatures and high magnetic fields

A Faraday force magnetometer is presented for measurements of magnetization at temperatures down to 100 mK and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. The specimen is mounted on a flexible cantilever forming a force-sensing capacitor in combination with a fixed back plate. Two different cantilever designs are presented. A torsion resistant cantilever allows us to measure the magnetization of highly anisotropic single crystal samples. Measurements of the metal organic quantum magnets (C₅H₁₂N)₂CuBr₄ (BPCB) and NiCl₂ · 4 SC(NH₂)₂ (DTN) demonstrate the device's capabilities. Routinely, a specimen's magnetic moment is measured with a resolution better than 10^-7 A m² (10^-4 emu). The device is miniaturized to fit in almost any cryostat.

Spectral Function of a Boson Ladder in an Artificial Gauge Field

We calculate the spectral function of a boson ladder in an artificial magnetic field by means of analytic approaches based on bosonization and Bogoliubov theory. We discuss the evolution of the spectral function at increasing effective magnetic flux, from the Meissner to the Vortex phase, focussing on the effects of incommensurations in momentum space. At low flux, in the Meissner phase, the spectral function displays both a gapless branch and a gapped one, while at higher flux, in the Vortex phase, the spectral function displays two gapless branches and the spectral weight is shifted at a wavevector associated to the underlying vortex spatial structure, which can indicate a supersolid-like behavior. While the Bogoliubov theory, valid at weak interactions, predicts sharp delta-like features in the spectral function, at stronger interactions we find power-law broadening of the spectral functions due to quantum fluctuations as well as additional spectral weight at higher momenta due to backscattering and incommensuration effects. These features could be accessed in ultracold atom experiments using radio-frequency spectroscopy techniques.

Magnetic-Field-Induced Bound States in Spin-1/2 Ladders

Motivated by the recently observed intriguing mode splittings in a magnetic field with inelastic neutron scattering in the spin ladder compound (C_{5}H_{12}N)_{2}CuBr_{4} (BPCB), we investigate the nature of the spin ladder excitations using a density matrix renormalization group and analytical arguments. Starting from the fully frustrated ladder, for which we derive the low-energy spectrum, we show that bound states are generically present close to k=0 in the dynamical structure factor of spin ladders above H_{c1}, and that they are characterized by a field-independent binding energy and an intensity that grows with H-H_{c1}. These predictions are shown to explain quantitatively the split modes observed in BPCB.

Spin-Lattice Coupling Across the Magnetic Quantum-Phase Transition in Copper-Containing Coordination Polymers

We measured the infrared vibrational properties of two copper-containing coordination polymers, [Cu(pyz)₂(2-HOpy)₂](PF₆)₂ and [Cu(pyz)_1.5(4-HOpy)₂](ClO₄)₂, under different external stimuli in order to explore the microscopic aspects of spin-lattice coupling. While the temperature and pressure control hydrogen bonding, an applied field drives these materials from the antiferromagnetic → fully saturated state. Analysis of the pyrazine (pyz)-related vibrational modes across the magnetic quantum-phase transition provides a superb local probe of magnetoelastic coupling because the pyz ligand functions as the primary exchange pathway and is present in both systems. Strikingly, the PF₆^- compound employs several pyz-related distortions in support of the magnetically driven transition, whereas the ClO₄^- system requires only a single out-of-plane pyz bending mode. Bringing these findings together with magnetoinfrared spectra from other copper complexes reveals spin-lattice coupling across the magnetic quantum-phase transition as a function of the structural and magnetic dimensionality. Coupling is maximized in [Cu(pyz)_1.5(4-HOpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ because of its ladderlike character. Although spin-lattice interactions can also be explored under compression, differences in the local structure and dimensionality drive these materials to unique high-pressure phases. Symmetry analysis suggests that the high-pressure phase of the ClO₄^- compound may be ferroelectric.

Tomonaga-Luttinger Liquid Spin Dynamics in the Quasi-One-Dimensional Ising-Like Antiferromagnet BaCo_{2}V_{2}O_{8}

Combining inelastic neutron scattering and numerical simulations, we study the quasi-one-dimensional Ising anisotropic quantum antiferromagnet BaCo_{2}V_{2}O_{8} in a longitudinal magnetic field. This material shows a quantum phase transition from a Néel ordered phase at zero field to a longitudinal incommensurate spin density wave at a critical magnetic field of 3.8 T. Concomitantly, the excitation gap almost closes and a fundamental reconfiguration of the spin dynamics occurs. These experimental results are well described by the universal Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid theory developed for interacting spinless fermions in one dimension. We especially observe the rise of mainly longitudinal excitations, a hallmark of the unconventional low-field regime in Ising-like quantum antiferromagnetic chains.