Field-tunable quantum disordered ground state in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet NaYbO 2
Antiferromagnetically coupled S=1/2 spins on an isotropic triangular lattice is the paradigm of frustrated quantum magnetism, but structurally ideal realizations are rare. In this work, we investigate NaYbO 2 , which hosts an ideal triangular lattice of J eff =1/2 moments with no inherent site disorder. No signatures of conventional magnetic order appear down to 50 mK, strongly suggesting a quantum spin liquid ground state. We observe a two-peak specific heat and a nearly quadratic temperature dependence in accord with expectations for a two-dimensional Dirac spin liquid. Application of a magnetic field strongly perturbs the quantum disordered ground state and induces a clear transition into a collinear ordered state consistent with a long-predicted “up-up-down” structure for a triangular lattice XXZ Hamiltonian driven by quantum fluctuations. Moreover, the observation of spin liquid signatures in zero field and quantum-induced ordering in intermediate fields in the same compound demonstrate an intrinsically quantum disordered ground state. We conclude that NaYbO 2 is a model, versatile platform for exploring spin liquid physics with full tunability of field and temperature.