Designing a Quantum Spin Liquid on the Pyrochlore Lattice

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Synopsis

Remarkable emergent states of matter can be found in materials that are dominated by strong quantum effects. These quantum materials have repeatedly shifted the paradigm in condensed matter physics, proving their fundamental importance; however, these materials also hold tremendous promise for real-world applications. One particularly intriguing state is the quantum spin liquid: a strongly entangled magnetic fluid that represents the greatest departure from classical physics. While theorists have made tremendous strides in the discovery of quantum spin liquid models, experimental progress has lagged behind. A significant limitation has been the lack of real materials  that can host quantum spin liquid states. The pyrochlore family of materials is particularly promising in this realm, due to their special lattice architecture, their chemical versatility, and their propensity for exotic states. In this talk, I will describe my chemical design intuition for creating a quantum spin liquid on the pyrochlore lattice. I will then present the result of this design process, Er2Pt2O7, a material with the experimental hallmarks of proximity to a quantum spin liquid state.