ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Structural Disorder in the Quantum Spin Liquid Candidate YbMgGaO4

Abstract: Quantum spin liquids are novel magnetic states in which quantum entanglement suppresses conventional magnetic order. Understanding the effects that stabilise such states is an important aim in condensed-matter physics. We propose to investigate structural disorder in the recently-synthesised quantum spin-liquid candidate YbMgGaO4, in which magnetic Yb(III) layers are separated by disordered Mg(II)/Ga(III) layers. We propose to use neutron pair-distribution function measurements to determine how Mg(II) and Ga(III) occupancies are correlated over short distances, and to reveal possible local distortions of the Yb(III) magnetic layers. These results will help to interpret our low-temperature inelastic neutron-scattering measurements, and to understand how structural disorder affects the quantum spin-liquid state in YbMgGaO4.

Principal Investigator: Dr Joe Paddison
Experimenter: Professor Martin Mourigal
Experimenter: Mr Marcus Daum
Local Contact: Dr Helen Playford
Experimenter: Mr Zhiling Dun

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1710407

ISIS Experiment Number: RB1710407

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Joe Paddison et al; (2017): Structural Disorder in the Quantum Spin Liquid Candidate YbMgGaO4, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB1710407

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.