$\mathrm{SU}(4)$-Symmetric Quantum Spin-Orbital Liquids on Various Lattices

Abstract

An emergent $\mathrm{SU}(4)$ symmetry discovered in the microscopic model for $d^1$ honeycomb materials [M.~G.~Yamada, M.~Oshikawa, and G.~Jackeli, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{121}, 097201 (2018).] has enabled us to tailor exotic $\mathrm{SU}(4)$ models in real materials. In the honeycomb structure, the emergent $\mathrm{SU}(4)$ Heisenberg model would potentially have a quantum spin-orbital liquid ground state due to the \textit{multicomponent frustration}, and we can expect similar spin-orbital liquids also in three-dimensinal versions of the honeycomb lattice. In such quantum spin-orbital liquids, both the spin and orbital degrees of freedom become fractionalized and entangled together due to the strong frustrated interactions between them. Similarly to spinons in pure quantum spin liquids, quantum spin-orbital liquids can host not only spinon excitations, but also fermionic \textit{orbitalon} excitations at low temperature.

Comments: 17 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables. Full paper of Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 097201 (arXiv:1709.05252) and a PhD thesis (arXiv:2004.01716) with substantially more details and extensions