Lithium osmium oxide is the compound, where the osmium atoms form a honeycomb-like lattice, enforcing a phenomenon called ‘magnetic frustration’ that could lead to a quantum spin liquid predicted by condensed matter physicists, said Oregon.
“In a frustrated magnet, the atomic arrangement is such that electron spins cannot achieve an ordered alignment [as they would in a permanent magnet], and instead are in a constantly fluctuating state, analogous to how ions would appear in a liquid,” said Profesor Mas Subramanian.
Lithium osmium oxide shows no evidence for magnetic order, even when frozen close to absolute zero, which suggests an underlying quantum spin liquid state is possible for the compound, he said.
“The quantum spin liquid phenomenon has so far been detected in very few inorganic materials, some containing iridium. This development widens the search area for quantum spin liquid materials,” said Subramanian. “ Osmium is right next to iridium in the periodic table and has all the right characteristics to form compounds that can sustain the quantum spin liquid state.”
According to physicist Arthur Ramirez of the University of California, Santa Cruz, which shared the research, this is the first honeycomb-structured material to contain osmium, not more are expected.