Start of funding 01.01.2025

Magnetic and Bond Order Frustration Driving Novel Quantum States in LnCd3P3 Compounds

Prof. Dr. Christian Pfleiderer
Technische Universität München
Physik-Department E21 - Experimental physics

Prof. Dr. Stephen Wilson
University of California, Santa Barbara
Materials Department



The exploration of quantum materials exhibiting exotic many-particle electronic states is a rapidly advancing field with significant implications for quantum technologies and magnetic cooling applications. Among these states, quantum spin liquids emerge from magnetic frustration, where competing spin interactions prevent conventional magnetic ordering. Recently, materials with triangular lattice networks hosting such frustration have gained prominence, particularly for their large responses to external perturbations. In this context, the LnCd3P3 (Ln = lanthanide) family of compounds presents a unique opportunity to combine magnetic frustration in the lanthanide sublattice with a theorized bond order frustration in the CdP sublattice. This dual frustration is hypothesized to enhance entropic responses, potentially stabilizing intertwined spin-orbital quantum states and enabling an ultralow temperature giant magnetocaloric response. Synthesis and chemical tuning of LnCd3P3 crystals, coupled with structural, magnetic, and thermodynamic characterizations, aim to uncover the mechanisms driving these phenomena. The study is expected to yield new materials with enhanced quantum properties, advancing the understanding of coupled frustration effects and facilitating progress in quantum materials research.