Han Yan
Han Yan1, Alaric Sanders2, Claudio Castelnovo2, Andriy H. Nevidomskky3
1Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 2Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University
Quantum spin ice (QSI) is a lattice spin-model realization of full-fledged quantum electrodynamics, including photons, electric charges, and magnetic monopoles [1]. As one of the most interesting quantum spin liquids, a significant amount of experimental and theoretical investigation has been done in this field. I will present an overview of the quantum spin ice physics and also discuss our recent ongoing work [2] on how, in the so-called dipole-octupole QSI [3], one can experimentally have clean control of the dynamics of its emergent QED, including the transition between different symmetry-enriched phases, tuning the dispersion of photons and fine-structure constants, etc. One of the most straightforward experiments can achieve this: turning on the external magnetic field in the right direction.
[1] Experimental signatures of emergent quantum electrodynamics in Pr2Hf2O7, Romain Sibille, Nicolas Gauthier, HY et al., Nature Physics 14, 711–715 (2018)[2] Experimentally tunable QED in dipolar-octupolar quantum spin ice. HY, Alaric Sanders, Claudio Castelnovo, Andriy H Nevidomskyy, arXiv:2312.11641.
[3] Fractional matter coupled to the emergent gauge field in a quantum spin ice, V Porée, HY, F Desrochers et al., Nature Physics (2024).