Quantum-critical spin dynamics in a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid studied with muon-spin relaxation

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Quantum-critical spin dynamics in a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid studied with muon-spin relaxation

J. S. Möller, T. Lancaster, S. J. Blundell, F. L. Pratt, P. J. Baker, F. Xiao, R. C. Williams, W. Hayes, M. M. Turnbull, and C. P. Landee

Phys. Rev. B 95, 020402(R) – Published 3 January 2017

Abstract

We demonstrate that quantum-critical spin dynamics can be probed in high magnetic fields using muon-spin relaxation ( $μ^{+} SR$ ). Our model system is the strong-leg spin ladder bis(2,3-dimethylpyridinium) tetrabromocuprate (DIMPY). In the gapless Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid phase we observe finite-temperature scaling of the $μ^{+} SR$ $1 / T_{1}$ relaxation rate which allows us to determine the Luttinger parameter $K$ . We discuss the benefits and limitations of local probes compared with inelastic neutron scattering.

Received 9 August 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.020402

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Molecular magnetism Quantum criticality Quantum phase transitions

1-dimensional systems

Luttinger liquid model Muon spin relaxation & rotation

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

J. S. Möller^1,*, T. Lancaster², S. J. Blundell¹, F. L. Pratt³, P. J. Baker³, F. Xiao², R. C. Williams², W. Hayes¹, M. M. Turnbull⁴, and C. P. Landee⁴

¹Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
²Centre for Materials Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
³ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
⁴Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Department of Physics, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, USA

^*Present address: Neutron Scattering and Magnetism, Laboratory for Solid State Physics, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland; jmoeller@phys.ethz.ch

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 2 — 1 January 2017

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