Exotic magnetism and persistent spin dynamics in a frustrated Jeff = 1/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnet

Summary

arXiv:2606.17166v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: The delicate interplay between competing degrees of freedom, anisotropy, and frustration-induced strong quantum fluctuations in pseudospin-$J_{\rm eff}=1/2$ rare-earth triangular-lattice antiferromagnets offers a promising platform for the experimental realization of exotic states with nontrivial low-energy excitations. Here, we present thermodynamic, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and muon spin relaxation ($\mu$SR) investigations of the frustrated magnet K$_3$NdTe$_2$O$9$, in which Nd$^{3+}$ ions constitute a structurally perfect triangular lattice with no detectable site disorder. The experiments reveal the realization of a Kramers doublet ground state with $J{\rm eff}=1/2$ moments, well separated from the first excited state, which interact antiferromagnetically with an exchange interaction of $\sim$0.6 K between the Nd$^{3+}$ moments in the triangular plane.