Probing low energy spin excitations in rhombus lattice-based system: LiYbSiO4

In modern condensed matter physics, competing or frustrated interactions are the foundation of many unusual phenomena, such as quantum spin ice and quantum spin liquids (QSL). Recently, there has been an inclination of interest toward magnetic frustration caused by competing interactions rather than geometry. A QSL phase can be characterized by quantum fluctuations, and one can use inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to probe the same. Notably, in the case of Yb-based QSL systems, the presence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and crystal electric field (CEF) can split the eight degenerate states into four Kramers doublets. Further, anisotropic exchange interactions can split the ground Kramers doublet, and the energy difference between these levels is shallow compared to CEF levels. Here, we propose to study the various anomalies observed in the heat capacity data of LiYbSiO4 by using INS.