Dynamical Reduction of the Dimensionality of Exchange Interactions and the "Spin-Liquid" Phase of κ-(BEDT-TTF)_{2}X

Phys Rev Lett. 2017 Aug 25;119(8):087204. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.087204. Epub 2017 Aug 25.

Abstract

We show that the anisotropy of the effective spin model for the dimer Mott insulator phase of κ-(BEDT-TTF)_{2}X salts is dramatically different from that of the underlying tight-binding model. Intradimer quantum interference results in a model of coupled spin chains, where frustrated interchain interactions suppress long-range magnetic order. Thus, we argue, the "spin liquid" phase observed in some of these materials is a remnant of the Tomonaga-Luttinger physics of a single chain. This is consistent with previous experiments and resolves some outstanding puzzles.