2026/02/25 by Junyu Tang, Hong-Hao Song, Hong-hao Song +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Magnetic properties of thin films #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Topological Materials and Phenomena #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/k46x-yqqn
published as Phys. Rev. B 114, 014407 (2026)
arxiv created 2026/02/25 · openalex publication_date 2026/06/08 · openalex created_date 2026/06/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28 · arxiv updated 2026/07/31
The spin nematic phase, characterized by long-range order of spin quadrupole moments in the absence of dipolar magnetism, presents a significant challenge for conventional experimental detection. We propose a novel method to detect this elusive order in quantum magnets with an illustration in the spin-1 triangular lattice Mott insulator. By integrating out the phonon degrees of freedom, we obtain a phase diagram with substantially enlarged regions for the spin-nematic and spin-nematic-supersolid phases. We then demonstrate that through the spin-lattice coupling, the emergence of spin nematic order imprints a distinctive signature onto the phonon spectra, providing a clear spectroscopic signature for the quadrupolar order accessible via Raman or inelastic X-ray scattering. Our formalism offers a direct and powerful method to uncover the hidden spin nematicity, opening a new pathway for diagnosing multipolar orders in quantum magnets.