Muon Spin Relaxation Evidence for the U(1) Quantum Spin-Liquid Ground State in the Triangular Antiferromagnet YbMgGaO_{4}.

ABSTRACT

Muon spin relaxation (µSR) experiments on single crystals of the structurally perfect triangular antiferromagnet YbMgGaO_{4} indicate the absence of both static long-range magnetic order and spin freezing down to 0.048 K in a zero field. Below 0.4 K, the µ^{+} spin relaxation rates, which are proportional to the dynamic correlation function of the Yb^{3+} spins, exhibit temperature-independent plateaus. All these µSR results unequivocally support the formation of a gapless U(1) quantum spin liquid ground state in the triangular antiferromagnet YbMgGaO_{4}.