Abstract
BaCo2(AsO4)2 (BCAO), a honeycomb cobaltate, is considered a promising candidate for materials displaying the Kitaev quantum spin liquid state. This assumption is based on the distinctive characteristics of Co2+ ions (3d7) within an octahedral crystal environment, resulting in spin-orbit-coupled Jeff = 1/2 doublet states. However, recent experimental observations and theoretical analyses have raised questions regarding this hypothesis. Despite these uncertainties, reports of continuum excitations reminiscent of spinon excitations have prompted further investigations. In this study, we explore the magnetic phases of BCAO under both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields, employing dc and ac magnetic susceptibilities, capacitance, and torque magnetometry measurement. Our results affirm the existence of multiple field-induced magnetic phases, with strong anisotropy of the phase boundaries between in-plane and out-of-plane fields. To elucidate the nature of these phases, we develop a minimal anisotropic exchange model. This model, supported by combined first principles calculations and theoretical modeling, quantitatively reproduces our experimental data. In BCAO, the combination of strong bond-independent XXZ anisotropy and geometric frustration leads to significant quantum order by disorder effects that stabilize colinear phases under both zero and finite magnetic fields.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 11 |
| Journal | npj Quantum Materials |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2025 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank A. L. Chernyshev, P. A. Maksimov, Y. B. Kim, F. Desrochers, E. Z. Zhang, K. A. Modic, and S. A. Crooker for insightful discussions. The experimental work, analysis and manuscript writing (S.L., S.Z., S.M.T., L.P., C.A.B., V.S.Z., and M.L.) was funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, Quantum Science Center. The theoretical work, analysis and manuscript writing of S. M. W. was funded by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Computations were performed using the Wake Forest University (WFU) High-Performance Computing Facility53, a centrally managed computational resource available to WFU researchers including faculty, staff, students, and collaborators. A portion of this work was performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is supported by National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-2128556, the State of Florida, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The authors would like to thank A. L. Chernyshev, P. A. Maksimov, Y. B. Kim, F. Desrochers, E. Z. Zhang, K. A. Modic, and S. A. Crooker for insightful discussions. The experimental work, analysis and manuscript writing (S.L., S.Z., S.M.T., L.P., C.A.B., V.S.Z., and M.L.) was funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, Quantum Science Center. The theoretical work, analysis and manuscript writing of S. M. W. was funded by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Computations were performed using the Wake Forest University (WFU) High-Performance Computing Facility, a centrally managed computational resource available to WFU researchers including faculty, staff, students, and collaborators. A portion of this work was performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is supported by National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-2128556, the State of Florida, and the U.S. Department of Energy.