Field-induced bound-state condensation and spin-nematic phase in SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> revealed by neutron scattering up to 25.9 T

Field-induced bound-state condensation and spin-nematic phase in SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> revealed by neutron scattering up to 25.9 T

<p dir="ltr">In quantum magnetic materials, ordered phases induced by an applied magnetic field can be described as the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of magnon excitations. In the strongly frustrated system SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Ellen Fogh (17701086) (author)
Other Authors:	Mithilesh Nayak (23275426) (author), Oleksandr Prokhnenko (23275429) (author), Maciej Bartkowiak (15354491) (author), Koji Munakata (14995467) (author), Jian-Rui Soh (19143074) (author), Alexandra A. Turrini (23275432) (author), Mohamed E. Zayed (5532455) (author), Ekaterina Pomjakushina (6174881) (author), Hiroshi Kageyama (1466059) (author), Hiroyuki Nojiri (1265775) (author), Kazuhisa Kakurai (23275435) (author), Bruce Normand (7171784) (author), Frédéric Mila (22905865) (author), Henrik M. Rønnow (1607323) (author)
Published:	2024
Subjects:	Physical sciences Condensed matter physics Quantum physics Bose–Einstein condensates Electronic properties and materials Magnetic properties and materials
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Summary:	<p dir="ltr">In quantum magnetic materials, ordered phases induced by an applied magnetic field can be described as the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of magnon excitations. In the strongly frustrated system SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>, no clear magnon BEC could be observed, pointing to an alternative mechanism, but the high fields required to probe this physics have remained a barrier to detailed investigation. Here we exploit the first purpose-built high-field neutron scattering facility to measure the spin excitations of SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> up to 25.9 T and use cylinder matrix-product-states (MPS) calculations to reproduce the experimental spectra with high accuracy. Multiple unconventional features point to a condensation of <i>S</i> = 2 bound states into a spin-nematic phase, including the gradients of the one-magnon branches and the persistence of a one-magnon spin gap. This gap reflects a direct analogy with superconductivity, suggesting that the spin-nematic phase in SrCu<sub>2</sub>(BO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> is best understood as a condensate of bosonic Cooper pairs.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Nature Communications<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44115-z" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44115-z</a></p>