arXiv:2006.12956 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Experimental observation of quantum many-body excitations of E8 symmetry in the Ising chain ferromagnet CoNb2O6
Kirill Amelin, Johannes Engelmayer, J. Viirok, U. Nagel, T. Rõõm, T. Lorenz, Zhe Wang
Abstract
Close to the quantum critical point of the transverse-field Ising spin-chain model, an exotic dynamic spectrum was predicted to emerge upon a perturbative longitudinal field. The dynamic spectrum consists of eight particles and is governed by the symmetry of the ${E}_{8}$ Lie algebra. Here we report on high-resolution terahertz spectroscopy of quantum spin dynamics in the ferromagnetic Ising-chain material ${\mathrm{CoNb}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{6}$. At 0.25 K in the magnetically ordered phase we identify characteristics of the first six ${E}_{8}$ particles, ${\mathrm{m}}_{1}$ to ${\mathrm{m}}_{6}$, and the two-particle $({\mathrm{m}}_{1}+{\mathrm{m}}_{2})$ continuum in an applied transverse magnetic field of ${B}_{c}^{\text{1D}}=4.75 \mathrm{T}$, before the three-dimensional magnetic order is suppressed above ${B}_{c}^{\text{3D}}\ensuremath{\approx}5.3 \mathrm{T}$. The observation of the higher-energy particles $({\mathrm{m}}_{3} \mathrm{to} {\mathrm{m}}_{6})$ above the low-energy two-particle continua features quantum many-body effects in the exotic dynamic spectrum.