From Abundant Hydrocarbons to Rare Spin Liquids (IMAGE)

Tohoku University

From Abundant Hydrocarbons to Rare Spin Liquids

Caption

Fig. 1 Differences between ordinary magnets and spin liquids. At high temperatures, the spins -- the little compasses of each unpaired electron in the materials -- fluctuate randomly between arbitrary orientations in both cases. (Left) In conventional magnetic states, the spins order statically aligning relative to each other either in parallel or antiparallel fashion below some characteristic temperature. (Right) In a quantum spin liquid, the spins never order at any temperature, no matter how low it is - they continue to fluctuate rapidly without symmetry breaking even at absolute zero temperature (- 273 °C).

Credit

Kosmas Prassides

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Credit: Kosmas Prassides

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