Abstract
The emergent behavior of spin liquids that are born out of geometrical frustration makes them an intriguing state of matter. We show that in the quantum kagome antiferromagnet several different correlated yet fluctuating states exist. By combining complementary local-probe techniques with neutron scattering, we discover a crossover from a critical regime into a gapless spin-liquid phase with decreasing temperature. An additional unconventional instability of the latter phase leads to a second, distinct spin-liquid state that is stabilized at the lowest temperatures. We advance such complex behavior as a feature common to different frustrated quantum magnets.
- Received 22 October 2015
- Revised 15 January 2016
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.060405
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