Gapped magnetic ground state in quantum spin liquid candidate κ-(BEDT-TTF) <sub>2</sub> Cu <sub>2</sub> (CN) <sub>3</sub>
Björn Miksch, Andrej Pustogow, Mojtaba Javaheri Rahim, Andrey A. Bardin, Kazushi Kanoda, John A. Schlueter, Ralph Hübner, Marc Scheffler, Martin Dressel
Abstract
is considered the prime candidate for this elusive quantum spin liquid state, but its ground-state properties remain puzzling. We present a multifrequency electron spin resonance (ESR) study down to millikelvin temperatures, revealing a rapid drop of the spin susceptibility at 6 kelvin. This opening of a spin gap, accompanied by structural modifications, is consistent with the formation of a valence bond solid ground state. We identify an impurity contribution to the ESR response that becomes dominant when the intrinsic spins form singlets. Probing the electrons directly manifests the pivotal role of defects for the low-energy properties of quantum spin systems without magnetic order.