Mimicry of spin-liquid-by-disorder

The general term mimicry of spin-liquid-by-disorder or appearance of spin-liquid-by-disorder in solid state physics describes the observation of a quantum spin liquid-like (local) state induced by disorder. Laboratory slang calls it just spin-liquid-by-disorder, however, the prefix mimicry or appearance is necessary. The general description is introduced and discussed in the PhD thesis Low-Energy Spin Dynamics in geometrically frustrated 3d-Magnets and Single-Ion Spin Systems by S. A. Bräuninger founded by the SFB 1143. Here, the nature of this observation may have the properity of a local effect and reflects not necessarily the global magnetic ground state. Therefore, the effect is discussed to be a spin-liquid-like state emphasizing a possible local nature. In contrast, order-by-disorder describes a long-range magnetic ordered state which is selected by disorder and associated with a global magnetic ground state of the crystal, e.g. Er₂Ti₂O₇. Therefore, the prefix mimicry or appearance should be used for clarity from a theoretical point of view. Experimentally, the introduction of this term and description is reasonable because of the intensive observations in treatments by selected techniques of local probes like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and muon spin spectroscopy (µSR). However, theoretically, the amount of studies increases, see jammed spin liquid. Such a mimicry is observed and discussed in various works such as disorder-induced spin-liquid-like behavior in kagome-lattice compounds, e.g., Tm₃Sb₃Zn₂O₁₄ and Tm₃Sb₃Mg₂O₁₄, Pr₂Zr₂O₇, Tb₂Hf₂O₇, BaTi_0.5Mn_0.5O₃.