Dynamic Scaling in the Susceptibility of the Spin-1/2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite

• Main Authors: Helton, Joel S. (Contributor), Matan, Kittiwit (Contributor), Shores, M. P. (Contributor), Nytko, Emily A. (Contributor), Bartlett, Bart M. (Contributor), Nocera, Daniel G. (Contributor), Lee, Young S. (Contributor), Qiu, Y. (Author)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemistry (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society, 2010-09-21T18:58:33Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

The spin-1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet herbertsmithite, ZnCu[subscript 3](OH)[subscript 6]Cl[subscript 2], is a candidate material for a quantum spin liquid ground state. We show that the magnetic response of this material displays an unusual scaling relation in both the bulk ac susceptibility and the low energy dynamic susceptibility as measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The quantity χT[superscript α] with α≃0.66 can be expressed as a universal function of H/T or ω/T. This scaling is discussed in relation to similar behavior seen in systems influenced by disorder or by the proximity to a quantum critical point.
National Research Council (U.S.)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.)
Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER46134)