Neutron Spectroscopy: New Quantum State Observed

31 July 2017

In the quantum world, phenomena can emerge from the interactions of multiple particles, known as many-body systems. Certain quantum many-body states are of practical use, for example in superconductivity, superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates. Many others exist only theoretically, without experimental proof.

An international group of theoretical and experimental physicists have now for the first time succeeded in generating experimentally a quantum phase transition in strontium copper borate. This goal was achieved by using almost every large-scale facility that Europe has to offer in this area: the Swiss spallation source SINQ, the Paul Scherrer Insitute, the PANDA instrument operated by the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) and the ILL in Grenoble. The scientists were able to identify the new quantum state with the help of neutron spectroscopy at high pressure.

Original publication:

M. E. Zayed et al.;
4-spin plaquette singlet state in the Shastry–Sutherland compound SrCu2(BO3)2;
Nature Physics, published online 17 July 2017, DOI: doi:10.1038/nphys4190

Further information:

Press release “First observation: new type of entanglement in a 2D quantum material” from EPFL on 17.7.2017

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