Description:

Title: Correlated Defects in the Kagome Spin Liquid Herbertsmithite

Speaker: Dr. Mike Norman, ANL

Abstract: Unpublished inelastic neutron scattering (INS) data on the 2D Kagome spin liquid ZnCu3(OD)6Cl2 (Herbertsmithit e) surprisingly indicates the presence of anti-ferromagne tic correlations along the c axis. The observed momentum dependence of the INS data can be explained if we assume that copper defects on the zinc planes locally distort the lattice as in the pure copper analogue, Clinoatacamite. This argues in favor of a random bond Heisenberg model for the observed quantum critical behavior of the INS data, as earlier suggested for heavy fermion metals. I end by speculating on whether superconductivi ty might be observed in a doped version of this material.

Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, CMP