Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Discovery of new states of matter is a key objective in modern condensed matter physics, which often leads to revolutionary technological advancements such as superconductivity. Quantum spin nematic, a "hidden order" that evades conventional magnetic probes, is one such state. Na_{2}BaNi(PO_{4})_{2} is a potential spin nematic material, suggested by the observation of a two-magnon Bose-Einstein condensation from above the saturation field. However, direct confirmation of the spin nematicity remains elusive. This Letter presents inelastic neutron scattering spectra from the putative spin nematic phases of Na_{2}BaNi(PO_{4})_{2}, revealing low-energy quadrupole waves that are absent in the neighboring conventional magnetic phases. A spin-one model quantitatively captures the full details of the spin excitation spectra across all low-temperature phases, providing direct evidence of the spin nematic orders. Additionally, we show evidence of the three-magnon continuum and two-magnon bound states in the 1/3-magnetization plateau, revealing condensation of the two-magnon bound state as the origin of the low-field spin nematic supersolid phase.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/pywx-vxfh
Authors: Jieming Sheng, Jiahang Hu, Lei Xu, Le Wang, Xiaojian Shi, Runze Chi, Dehong Yu, Andrey Podlesnyak, Pharit Piyawongwatthana, Naoki Murai, Seiko Ohira-Kawamura, Huiqiu Yuan, Ling Wang, Jia-Wei Mei, Hai-Jun Liao, Tao Xiang, Liusuo Wu, Zhentao Wang
Institutions: Southern University of Science and Technology, Great Bay University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang University, California Institute of Technology, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Office of Science, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province
OpenAlex ID: W4414993412