Unifying description of competing orders in two-dimensional quantum magnets.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31534130.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11727-3 and PMC identifier 6751208.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Quantum magnets provide the simplest example of strongly interacting quantum matter, yet they continue to resist a comprehensive understanding above one spatial dimension. We explore a promising framework in two dimensions, the Dirac spin liquid (DSL) - quantum electrodynamics (QED<sub>3</sub>) with 4 Dirac fermions coupled to photons. Importantly, its excitations include magnetic monopoles that drive confinement. We address previously open key questions - the symmetry actions on monopoles on square, honeycomb, triangular and kagome lattices. The stability of the DSL is enhanced on triangular and kagome lattices compared to bipartite (square and honeycomb) lattices. We obtain the universal signatures of the DSL on triangular and kagome lattices, including those of monopole excitations, as a guide to numerics and experiments on existing materials. Even when unstable, the DSL helps unify and organize the plethora of ordered phases in correlated two-dimensional materials.