Determining the magnetic structure of the rare-earth delafossite compound CuNdO2

We propose to use neutron diffraction to study the magnetic structure of the compound CuNdO2. Our calculation has shown Nd(3+) in the compound is expected to induce strong quantum fluctuation, which makes the system a candidate of physical realization of quantum spin liquid. However, unlike some other members in the rare-earth delaffosite family, where long range ordering is absent down to the instrument limit, NdCuO2 shows an anomaly at 0.79 K in bulk measurement and the reason behind this is still not clear. Therefore, it is crucial to study the magnetic ordered state of CuNdO2 in details so that the driving mechanism, key factor(s) impacting the correlation can be elucidated. Such knowledge will further our understanding of the discrepancy between theoretical model and physical realization and help to guide the community through the search/creation of quantum spin liquid system.