From quantum disorder to magnetic order in an s=1/2 kagome lattice: a structural and magnetic study of herbertsmithite at high pressure

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 May 4;108(18):187207. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.187207. Epub 2012 May 3.

Abstract

The structural and magnetic properties of deuterated herbertsmithite have been studied by means of neutron powder diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements in a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The experimental data demonstrate that a phase transition from the quantum-disordered spin-liquid phase to the long-range ordered antiferromagnetic phase with the Néel temperature T(N)=6 K is induced at P=2.5 GPa. The observed decrease of T(N) upon compression correlates with the anomalies in pressure behavior of Cu-O bond length and Cu-O-Cu bond angles. The reasons for the observed spin-freezing transition are discussed within the framework of the available theoretical models and the recent observation of the field-induced spin freezing.