Proposal to detect emergent gauge field and its Meissner effect in spin liquids using NV centers
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-05-02 |
| Journal | Physical review. B./Physical review. B |
| Authors | Patrick A. Lee, Sid Morampudi |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Citations | 10 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāHere, we show that nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers could provide distinct signatures of emergent gauge fields in certain phase transitions in spin liquids. We consider the relaxation rate 1/<em>T</em><sub>1</sub> of a diamond NV center placed a distance <em>z</em><sub>0</sub> above a crystal consisting of two-dimensional layers which hosts a U(1) quantum spin liquid with spinon Fermi surface. We show that, during a spinon pairing transition from a U(1) to a Z2 spin liquid, the relaxation rate exhibits a rapid fall just below the pairing transition. The drop is much faster than what can be accounted for by the opening of the energy gap. Instead, the rapid fall with a unique <em>z</em><sub>0</sub> dependence of its height and width is the signature of the Meissner effect of the gauge field. We identify the organic ET compound which has a phase transition at 6 K as a candidate for the experimental observation of this phenomenon.