Quantum spin liquid from electron-phonon coupling

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cai, Xun; Han, Zhaoyu; Li, Zi-Xiang; Kivelson, Steven A.; Yao, Hong
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Physics, CAS; Stanford University; Tsinghua University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-15230
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2426111122
• 发表日期: 2025-08-19
• 关键词: resonating-valence-bond; ground-state; fermi-surface; monte-carlo; physics; superconductivity; excitations; statistics; anyons

摘要

A quantum spin liquid (QSL) is an exotic insulating phase with emergent gauge fields and fractionalized excitations. However, the unambiguous demonstration of the existence of a QSL in a nonengineered microscopic model (or in any material) remains challenging. Here, using numerically exact sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we show that a QSL arises in a nonengineered electron-phonon model. Specifically, we investigate the ground-state phase diagram of the bond Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model on a 2D triangular lattice at (one electron per site), which we show includes a QSL phase which is fully gapped, exhibits no symmetry-breaking order, and supports deconfined fractionalized holon excitations. This suggests promising routes for finding QSLs in realistic materials and high-Tc superconductivity by lightly doping them.