Our recent work shows that BaCdVO(PO4)2 is close to a spin-nematic instability but that this phase is not stabilized.
Narrowly avoided spin-nematic phase in BaCdVO(PO4)2: NMR evidence K. M. Ranjith, K. Yu. Povarov, Z. Yan, A. Zheludev, and M. Horvatić Phys. Rev. Research 6, 023043 (2024)
We present a 31P NMR investigation of BaCdVO(PO4)2 focusing on the nearly saturated regime between 𝜇0𝐻𝑐1=4.05T and 𝜇0𝐻𝑐2=6.5T, which used to be considered a promising candidate for a spin-nematic phase. NMR spectra establish the absence of any dipolar order there, whereas the weak field dependence of the magnetization above 𝐻𝑐1 is accounted for by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction terms. The low-energy spin dynamics (fluctuations), measured by the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 𝑇−11, confirms the continuity of this phase and the absence of any low-temperature phase transition. Unexpectedly, the spin dynamics above 𝐻𝑐1 is largely dominated by two-magnon processes, which is expected above the saturation field of a spin-nematic phase, but not inside. This shows that BaCdVO(PO4)2 is indeed close to a spin-nematic instability; however, this phase is not stabilized. We thus confirm recent theoretical predictions that the spin-nematic phase can be stabilized, at most, in an extremely narrow field range close to saturation or is rather narrowly avoided [Jiang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 116701 (2023)].
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