Possible quadrupolar nematic phase in the frustrated spin chain LiCuSbO4: An NMR investigation

M. Bosiočić, F. Bert, S. E. Dutton, R. J. Cava, P. J. Baker, M. PoŽek, P. Mendels

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Abstract

The frustrated one-dimensional quantum magnet LiCuSbO4 is a rare realization of the J1-J2 spin chain model with an easily accessible saturation field, formerly estimated at 12 T. Exotic multipolar nematic phases were theoretically predicted in such compounds just below the saturation field, but without unambiguous experimental observation so far. In this paper we present extensive experimental research on the compound in a wide temperature (30 mK to 300 K) and field (0-13.3 T) range by muon spin rotation (μSR), Li7 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and magnetic susceptibility (SQUID). μSR experiments in zero magnetic field demonstrate the absence of long-range 3D ordering down to 30 mK. Together with former heat capacity data [Dutton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 187206 (2012)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.108.187206], magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest a short-range-correlated vector chiral phase in the field range 0-4 T. At the intermediate-field values (5-12 T), the system enters a 3D-ordered spin density wave phase with 0.75μB per copper site at lowest temperatures (125 mK), estimated by NMR. At still higher field, the magnetization is found to be saturated above 13 T where the spin lattice T1-1 relaxation reveals a spin gap estimated at 3.2(2) K. We narrow down the possibility of observing a multipolar nematic phase to the range 12.5-13 T.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number224424
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume96
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 20 2017

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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