Quantum magnetism in the paratacamite family: towards an ideal kagomé lattice.

ABSTRACT

We report muon spin rotation measurements on the S=1/2 (Cu2+) paratacamite ZnxCu4-x(OH)6Cl2 family. Despite a Weiss temperature of approximately -300 K, the x=1 compound is found to have no transition to a magnetic frozen state down to 50 mK as theoretically expected for the kagomé Heisenberg antiferromagnet. We find that the limit between a dynamical and a partly frozen ground state occurs around x=0.5. For x=1, we discuss the relevance to a singlet picture.