

Collaborators // Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Paul Scherrer Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Physicists have uncovered spectral evidence of a mysterious particle-like entity known as the Dirac spinon. Observed in a material with an exotic kagome lattice structure, these spinons exhibit unique characteristics akin to Dirac fermions in high-energy physics, including a linear energy-momentum dispersion relation.
This discovery provides important evidence for the existence of a Dirac quantum spin liquid state, a phase of matter characterised by fractional spinon excitations. Such a state holds potential relevance for high-temperature superconductivity and quantum information technology, as it involves a system where spins remain highly entangled and disordered even at low temperatures. This entanglement underscores a profound connection to the fundamental principles of quantum material.
The breakthrough represents a significant leap not only in unravelling the quantum realm but also in advancing transformative technologies. Even at the smallest scales, the universe continues to reveal profound and tantalising possibilities.
科學家首次發現了一種名為「狄拉克自旋子」(Dirac spinon)的神秘粒子存在的證據。這些粒子出現在一種特殊的材料中,其結構是由三角形組成的網格,稱為籠目晶格。值得注意的是,這些粒子的行為與高能物理中著名的「狄拉克費米子」相似,例如它們的能量和動量之間呈現出線性關係。
這項發現證明了一種稱為「狄拉克量子自旋液態」的特殊物質狀態可能真實存在。這種狀態非常特別,因為即使在極低的溫度下,物質內的自旋(簡單來說就是粒子的內部性質之一)依然保持着高度的混亂和糾纏,而不是排列整齊。這樣的特性與量子材料的基本特徵有着緊密的聯繫,並可能應用於未來的高溫超導技術和量子計算領域。
這一發現不僅幫助我們更深入地了解量子世界的奧秘,也為科技創新帶來了全新的可能性。即使在肉眼看不見的微觀世界中,宇宙仍然不斷展現出令人驚嘆的潛力。
Journal paper: Spectral Evidence for Dirac Spinons in a Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet (published in Nature Physics, 2024)
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