title: Candidate Quantum Spin Liquid in the Ce3+ Pyrochlore Stannate Ce2Sn2O7.
abstract: We report the low-temperature magnetic properties of Ce2Sn2O7, a rare-earth pyrochlore. Our susceptibility and magnetization measurements show that due to the thermal isolation of a Kramers doublet ground state, Ce2Sn2O7 has Ising-like magnetic moments of ∼1.18  μ_{B}. The magnetic moments are confined to the local trigonal axes, as in a spin ice, but the exchange interactions are antiferromagnetic. Below 1 K, the system enters a regime with antiferromagnetic correlations. In contrast to predictions for classical ⟨111⟩-Ising spins on the pyrochlore lattice, there is no sign of long-range ordering down to 0.02 K. Our results suggest that Ce2Sn2O7 features an antiferromagnetic liquid ground state with strong quantum fluctuations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Scientific Developments and Novel Materials, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sibille
authors.affiliation: Institut Néel, CNRS, and Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lhotel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pomjakushin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baines
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fennell
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Scientific Developments and Novel Materials, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kenzelmann