Abstract
Quantum spin liquids provide paradigmatic examples of highly entangled quantum states of matter. Frustration is the key mechanism to favor spin liquids over more conventional magnetically ordered states. Here we propose to engineer frustration by exploiting the coupling of quantum magnets to the quantized light of an optical cavity. The interplay between the quantum fluctuations of the electro-magnetic field and the strongly correlated electrons results in a tunable long-range interaction between localized spins. This cavity-induced frustration robustly stabilizes spin liquid states, which occupy an extensive region in the phase diagram spanned by the range and strength of the tailored interaction. This occurs even in originally unfrustrated systems, as we showcase for the Heisenberg model on the square lattice.
Highlights
Quantum spin liquids provide paradigmatic examples of highly entangled quantum states of matter
Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) represent strongly correlated phases of matter, which are characterized by quantum fluctuations so dominant as to suppress magnetic ordering down to the lowest temperatures
We demonstrate that the coupling to a cavity can even induce phases that are not present in its absence: an unfrustrated AFM system is turned into a quantum spin liquid, provided the AFM interaction mediated by the cavity is sufficiently long-ranged and strong
Summary
Quantum spin liquids provide paradigmatic examples of highly entangled quantum states of matter. We demonstrate that the coupling to a cavity can even induce phases that are not present in its absence: an unfrustrated AFM system is turned into a quantum spin liquid, provided the AFM interaction mediated by the cavity is sufficiently long-ranged and strong To achieve these requirements, we develop a solid-state implementation harnessing localized electronic orbitals as effective spin degrees of freedom, coupled to the cavity modes via additional coherent laser drive, cf Fig. 1a. We develop a solid-state implementation harnessing localized electronic orbitals as effective spin degrees of freedom, coupled to the cavity modes via additional coherent laser drive, cf Fig. 1a This gives rise to quantum mechanically fluctuating, effective magnetic fields in all linearly independent spatial directions, which vanish on average. They counteract dynamically magnetization in any direction, but do not suppress the spinsinglet ordering, crucial for QSL states
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