Scientists at NIST have confirmed the existence of a “quantum spin liquid” state in a mineral called Herbertsmithite, which has a kagome lattice structure. This state occurs when electrons’ magnetic orientations remain constantly changing rather than aligning in a stable pattern. The discovery was made using neutron scattering techniques on specially grown crystals of Herbertsmithite, which is one of the simplest structures believed to support a spin liquid state. The findings could potentially lead to new applications in quantum information processing due to the material’s relative simplicity and high fidelity in realizing the quantum spin liquid state.
Keywords: Spin Liquid, Quantum State of Matter, Magnetic Orientation, Neutron Scattering
