First-Principles Design of the Spinel Iridate Ir2O4 for High-Temperature Quantum Spin Ice

Shigeki Onoda and Fumiyuki Ishii
Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 067201 – Published 12 February 2019
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Abstract

Insulating magnetic rare-earth pyrochlores related to spin ice host emergent bosonic monopolar spinons, which obey a magnetic analogue of quantum electrodynamics and may open a route to spinonics. However, the energy scales of the interactions among rare-earth moments are so low ( 1 K) that the possible quantum coherence can be achieved at a sub-Kelvin scale. Here, we design high-temperature quantum spin ice materials from first principles. It is shown that the A-site deintercalated spinel iridate Ir2O4, which has been experimentally grown as epitaxial thin films, is a promising candidate for quantum spin ice with a spin-ice-rule interaction of a few tens of meV. Controlling electronic structures of Ir2O4 through substrates, it is possible to tune magnetic interactions so that a magnetic Coulomb liquid persists at high temperatures.

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  • Received 1 December 2016
  • Revised 11 April 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.067201

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Shigeki Onoda1,2 and Fumiyuki Ishii3

  • 1Condensed Matter Theory Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako 351-0198, Japan
  • 2Quantum Matter Theory Research Team, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198, Japan
  • 3Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

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Issue

Vol. 122, Iss. 6 — 15 February 2019

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