Abstract
An exact mapping between quantum spins and boson gases provides fresh approaches to the creation of quantum condensates and crystals. Here we report on magnetization measurements on the dimerized quantum magnet SrCu2(BO3)2 at cryogenic temperatures and through a quantum-phase transition that demonstrate the emergence of fractionally filled bosonic crystals in mesoscopic patterns, specified by a sequence of magnetization plateaus. We apply tens of Teslas of magnetic field to tune the density of bosons and gigapascals of hydrostatic pressure to regulate the underlying interactions. Simulations help parse the balance between energy and geometry in the emergent spin superlattices. The magnetic crystallites are the end result of a progression from a direct product of singlet states in each short dimer at zero field to preferred filling fractions of spin-triplet bosons in each dimer at large magnetic field, enriching the known possibilities for collective states in both quantum spin and atomic systems.
Highlights
An exact mapping between quantum spins and boson gases provides fresh approaches to the creation of quantum condensates and crystals
An anomaly is clearly visible at Hc1B27 T that corresponds to the m 1⁄4 1/8 plateau observed in previous experiments[16,17,18] and in our own P 1⁄4 0 torque magnetometry measurements (Supplementary Fig. 3), with no hysteresis detected between field up and down trajectories
By pressure tuning the H 1⁄4 0 spin configuration into a different ground state, we enable a different set of high-field magnetic superlattice states to emerge
Summary
An exact mapping between quantum spins and boson gases provides fresh approaches to the creation of quantum condensates and crystals. The magnetic crystallites are the end result of a progression from a direct product of singlet states in each short dimer at zero field to preferred filling fractions of spin-triplet bosons in each dimer at large magnetic field, enriching the known possibilities for collective states in both quantum spin and atomic systems. The condensation of a gas of identical, non-interacting bosons—fundamental particles with integer spin—into the lowest energy level represents a canonical demonstration of emergent quantum behaviour. This phenomenon has been observed in a wide range of physical systems, ranging from superfluidity in helium-41 to dilute gases of cold atoms[2], and is known as Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) after the pioneering quantum statistical predictions of 1924. Hc, the gap is closed and a finite density of bosons can be sustained even at zero temperature, enabling the possibility of a BEC
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