Anomalously field-susceptible spin clusters emerging in the electric-dipole liquid candidate κ-(ET)2Hg(SCN)2Br

Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 21;8(51):eabn1680. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1680. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Abstract

Mutual interactions in many-body systems bring about various exotic phases, among which liquid-like states failing to order due to frustration are of keen interest. The organic system with an anisotropic triangular lattice of molecular dimers, κ-(ET)2Hg(SCN)2Br, has been suggested to host a dipole liquid arising from intradimer charge-imbalance instability, possibly offering an unprecedented stage for the spin degrees of freedom. Here, we show that an extraordinary unordered/unfrozen spin state having soft matter-like spatiotemporal characteristics emerges in this system. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and magnetization measurements indicate that gigantic, staggered moments are nonlinearly and inhomogeneously induced by a magnetic field, whereas the moments vanish in the zero-field limit. The analysis of the NMR relaxation rate signifies that the moments fluctuate at a characteristic frequency slowing down to below megahertz at low temperatures. The inhomogeneity, local correlation, and slow dynamics indicative of middle-scale dynamical correlation length of several nanometers suggest novel frustration-driven spin clusterization.