English

Multistage spin correlations in the $s$ = 1/2 stuffed hyper-star lattice Li$_{2}$Cu$_{2}$(MoO$_{4}$)$_{3}$

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2026-03-25 v1

Abstract

Star lattice, which can be visualized as a honeycomb network with each vertex replaced by a triangle, provides a rare platform for realizing exotic quantum states such as quantum spin liquids and disorder-driven random-singlet (RS) states. Herein, we investigate the ground-state properties of the three-dimensional (3D) stuffed hyper-star lattice Li2_2Cu2_2(MoO4_4)3_3, which exhibits a crossover from short-range spin correlations to a disorder-driven RS-like state below TT^{*}\sim15.8 K. Thermodynamic and microscopic measurements capture this crossover through a change in the power-law behavior of various observables, from T0.25\sim T^{0.25} for T>TT > T^{*} to T0.50\sim T^{-0.50} for T<TT < T^{*}. Upon further cooling, a quasi-frozen state emerges near Tf=0.32T_{\rm f} = 0.32 K, likely associated with weakly coupled spin chains within the hyper-star spin network. Our results underscore the crucial role of orphan spins and weak residual interactions in stabilizing a disorder-driven quantum-disordered state in 3D.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.23350,
  title  = {Multistage spin correlations in the $s$ = 1/2 stuffed hyper-star lattice Li$_{2}$Cu$_{2}$(MoO$_{4}$)$_{3}$},
  author = {J. Khatua and Taeyun Kim and G. Senthil Murugan and S. M. Kumawat and C. -L. Huang and Yugo Oshima and Hiroyuki Nojiri and Gerald Morris and Sarah R. Dunsiger and Heung-Sik Kim and K. Sritharan and Shankar Mani and R. Sankar and Kwang-Yong Choi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.23350},
  year   = {2026}
}