Letter abstract
Nature Physics 4, 459 - 462 (2008)
Published online: 27 April 2008 | doi:10.1038/nphys942
Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics | Materials physics
Thermodynamic properties of a spin-1/2 spin-liquid state in a 
-type organic salt
Satoshi Yamashita1, Yasuhiro Nakazawa1,2, Masaharu Oguni3, Yugo Oshima2,4, Hiroyuki Nojiri2,4, Yasuhiro Shimizu5, Kazuya Miyagawa2,6 & Kazushi Kanoda2,6
In two-dimensional triangular lattices, geometric frustration prohibits the formation of ordering even at the lowest temperatures, and therefore a liquid-like ground state is expected. The spin-liquid problem has been one of the central topics of condensed-matter science for more than 30 yr in relation to the resonating-valence-bond model1. One of the characteristic features proposed is the existence of a linear temperature-dependent contribution to the heat capacity, as the degeneracy of the energy states should give rise to gapless excitations. Here, we show thermodynamic evidence for the realization of a spin-liquid ground state through a single-crystal calorimetric study of the dimer-based organic charge-transfer salt 
-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu2(CN)3, with a triangular lattice structure down to 75 mK. In addition, we report an unexpected hump structure in the heat capacity around 6 K, which may indicate a crossover into the quantum spin liquid.
- Department of Chemistry, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
- CREST-JST, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Institute for Material Research, Tohoku University, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
- RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- Department of Appl. Physics, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Correspondence to: Yasuhiro Nakazawa1,2 e-mail: nakazawa@chem.sci.osaka-u.ac.jp
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