μSR investigation of Yb2Te5O13: A possible quantum spin-liquid

Rare-earth-based systems have recently been widely considered among the leading candidates for realizing novel quantum states such as quantum spin-ice, quantum spin-liquid (QSL), quantum dimer, etc. In rare earths, strong relativistic spin-orbit coupling ties the spin and the orbital angular momentum together, so they form a multiplet of total angular momentum, J, often with large J. In the presence of a crystal electric field (CEF), the (2J + 1)-fold degeneracy of the orbital multiplet is lifted, and the states of the rare-earth ion are split in energy. Among Kramers ions, Yb3+ has been of particular interest as it can generically host interactions leading to quantum fluctuations irrespective of the crystal electric field (CEF) ground state doublet composition. Here, we propose a new QSL candidate, Yb2Te5O13, where Yb3+ ions form dimers in the bc-plane and stack along the a-axis.