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arXiv:2609.07140 · Nature Communications

Probing magnetic correlations in space and time within predefined topological sectors of a macroscopic spin liquid

Rémy Dangoisse, Jeanne Colbois, Laurent Del-Rey, Nicolas Rougemaille, Johann Coraux

Published Aug 27, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

The triangular Ising antiferromagnet, with its residual entropy density and critical correlations at absolute zero, is the archetype of a two-dimensional spin liquid. Its ground state is partitioned into topological sectors connected by global spin flip events that wrap the lattice boundaries, and become statistically irrelevant in the thermodynamic limit where magnetic fluctuations are restricted to the dominant sector. Thus far, these properties have been mainly investigated from a theoretical perspective, and one might wonder to what extent they can be transposed to real materials. Here, we present experimental observations obtained in an artificial, macroscopic realisation of the seminal triangular Ising antiferromagnet that consists of a lattice of millimeter-sized NdFeB cylinders put into motion by a mechanical shaker. Specifically, we demonstrate that the very-low-energy physics and the true ground state of this model can be reached experimentally. Besides, we are able to probe, in space and time, the magnetic properties within manually preselected pockets of the ground-state manifold that emulate, to a good approximation, the behaviour in distinct topological sectors. Our approach opens new avenues for naked-eye visualisation and hand manipulation of many-body phenomena associated to frustrated magnetism and models of statistical physics. Certain on-lattice frustrated spin models are expected to develop a spin liquid ground state partitioned into topological sectors, whose exploration is so far inaccessible to experimentalists. Here, using millimeter sized magnets, Dangoisse et al. present an artificial, macroscopic realisation of such a model, the seminal triangular Ising antiferromagnet.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76906-5

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The triangular Ising antiferromagnet, with its residual entropy density and critical correlations at absolute zero, is the archetype of a two-dimensional spin liquid. Its ground state is partitioned into topological sectors connected by global spin flip events that wrap the lattice boundaries, and become statistically irrelevant in the thermodynamic limit where magnetic fluctuations are restricted to the dominant sector. Thus far, these properties have been mainly investigated from a theoretical perspective, and one might wonder to what extent they can be transposed to real materials. Here, we present experimental observations obtained in an artificial, macroscopic realisation of the seminal triangular Ising antiferromagnet that consists of a lattice of millimeter-sized NdFeB cylinders put into motion by a mechanical shaker. Specifically, we demonstrate that the very-low-energy physics and the true ground state of this model can be reached experimentally. Besides, we are able to probe, in space and time, the magnetic properties within manually preselected pockets of the ground-state manifold that emulate, to a good approximation, the behaviour in distinct topological sectors. Our approach opens new avenues for naked-eye visualisation and hand manipulation of many-body phenomena associated to frustrated magnetism and models of statistical physics. Certain on-lattice frustrated spin models are expected to develop a spin liquid ground state partitioned into topological sectors, whose exploration is so far inaccessible to experimentalists. Here, using millimeter sized magnets, Dangoisse et al. present an artificial, macroscopic realisation of such a model, the seminal triangular Ising antiferromagnet.

Topological Spin Liquid Phase in the Spin-

1/2

Triangular Heisenberg Model

We study the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with the antiferromagnetic first (J1) and second nearest-neighbor (J2) interactions using density matrix renormalization group. By studying the spin correlation function, we find a 120◦ magnetic order phase for J2 . 0.08J1 and a stripe antiferromagnetic phase for J2 & 0.16J2. Between these two phases, we identify a gapped spin liquid phase characterized by the exponential decaying spin and dimer correlations, as well as finite spin singlet and triplet excitation gaps. We also find two topological degenerating ground states in two topological sectors. Furthermore, we detect the signature of the fractionalization by following the evolution of different ground states with inserting spin flux into the cylinder system. While the sector with spinon is found to respect the time reveral symmetry, the even sector without a spinon may break such a symmetry. We discuss the implications of numerical results for the nature of the topological spin liquid phase.

We study the spin-

\frac{1}{2}

Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice with antiferromagnetic first-

({J}_{1})

and second-

({J}_{2})

nearest-neighbor interactions using density matrix renormalization group. By studying the spin correlation function, we find a ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ magnetic order phase for ${J}_{2}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.07{J}_{1}$ and a stripe antiferromagnetic phase for ${J}_{2}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.15{J}_{1}$. Between these two phases, we identify a spin-liquid region characterized by exponential decaying spin and dimer correlations, as well as large spin singlet and triplet excitation gaps on finite-size systems. We find two near degenerating ground states with distinct properties in two sectors, which indicates more than one spin-liquid candidate in this region. While the sector with spinons is found to respect time reversal symmetry, the even sector without spinons breaks such a symmetry for finite-size systems. Furthermore, we detect the signature of the fractionalization by following the evolution of different ground states with inserting spin flux into the cylinder system. Moreover, by tuning the anisotropic bond coupling, we explore the nature of the spin-liquid phase and find the optimal parameter region for gapped

{Z}_{2}

spin liquids.

We investigate the nonequilibrium critical dynamics of antiferromagnetic Ising model on a two-dimensional triangular lattice via dynamic Monte Carlo simulation employing spin-flip kinetics. Macroscopic degeneracy of the ground state originating from geometric frustration fundamentally affects the nonequilibrium dynamics of the system. In particular, the defects and the loose spins (whose flip costs no energy) play key roles in the dynamics. The long-time evolution is characterized by a critical dynamic scaling with a growing length scale xi(t). With random initial configurations, xi(t) exhibits a subdiffusive growth in time, xi(t) approximately t(1/z) with 1/z approximately 0.43, while xi(t) shows a diffusive growth with z=2 for the relaxation within the dominant sector of the ground-state manifold. The nonequilibrium critical dynamics therefore exhibits an interesting initial-state dependence. Persistence and the two-time temporal properties are also discussed.

It is generally believed that the spin- 1 2 triangular-lattice J 1 − J 2 Heisenberg model hosts a quantum spin liquid in the intermediate regime between the 120 ∘ and stripe ordered phases. Density matrix renormalization group studies on cylinders have consistently found two nearly degenerate ground states, commonly interpreted as distinct topological sectors. Using state-of-the-art matrix product state simulations on YC6 cylinders, we compare the static and dynamical properties of these two sectors at J 2 / J 1 = 0.125 . Noticeable differences appear already in static correlations; moreover, high-resolution dynamical structure factors reveal qualitatively distinct low-energy excitations. These results suggest that the two ground states cannot be understood as merely topologically distinct sectors of a gapped Z 2 spin liquid.

Antiferromagnetic Ising models on frustrated lattices can realize classical spin liquids, with highly degenerate ground states and, possibly, fractionalized excitations and emergent gauge fields. Motivated by the recent interest in many-body systems in negatively curved space, we study hyperbolic frustrated Ising models. Specifically, we consider nearest-neighbor Ising models on tesselations with odd-length loops in two-dimensional hyperbolic space. For finite systems with open boundaries we determine the ground-state degeneracy exactly, and we perform extensive finite-temperature Monte Carlo simulations to obtain thermodynamic data as well as correlation functions. We show that the shape of the boundary, constituting an extensive part of the system, can be used to control low-energy states: Depending on the boundary, we find ordered or disordered ground states. Our results demonstrate how geometric frustration acts in curved space to produce classical spin liquids.

Motivated by experimental progress in pressure and strain tuning of quantum materials, we examine the thermodynamic response of frustrated magnets to uniaxial strain. Specifically, we study Ising and Heisenberg models on spatially anisotropic triangular (and, for the Ising model, also kagome) lattices. We determine the entropy as a function of temperature and strain, and use it to compute the elastic Grüneisen ratio

η

. The Ising models can be strain-tuned into and out of classical spin-liquid phases, and we show that

η

can become arbitrarily large at low temperature

T

near the point of maximal frustration, a universal hallmark of an extensive ground-state entropy. In contrast, the spin-

1/2

Heisenberg model is moderately frustrated and displays multiple

T=0

phase transitions. These transitions dominate

η

at low

T

while the intermediate-

T

behavior is similar to that of the Ising model. We discuss the extent to which the elastic Grüneisen ratio can be used to deduce the phase diagram, and we connect our results to recent experiments on triangular-lattice magnets.