We synthesized single crystals of composition
Ba2CuSi2O6Cl2 and investigated their quantum magnetic properties. The crystal structure is closely related to that of the quasi-two-dimensional (2D) dimerized magnet
BaCuSi2O6 also known as Han purple.
Ba2CuSi2O6Cl2 has a singlet ground state with an excitation gap of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}/{k}_{\mathrm{B}}=20.8$ K. The magnetization curves for two different field directions almost perfectly coincide when normalized by the
g factor except for a small jump anomaly for a magnetic field perpendicular to the
c axis. The magnetization curve with a nonlinear slope above the critical field is in excellent agreement with exact-diagonalization calculations based on a 2D coupled spin-dimer model. Individual exchange constants are also evaluated using density functional theory (DFT). The DFT results demonstrate a 2D exchange network and weak frustration between interdimer exchange interactions, supported by weak spin-lattice coupling implied from our magnetostriction data. The magnetic-field-induced spin ordering in
Ba2CuSi2O6Cl2 is described as the quasi-2D Bose-Einstein condensation of triplets.
Besides being an ancient pigment,
BaCuSi2O6 is a quasi-2D magnetic insulator with a gapped spin dimer ground state. The application of strong magnetic fields closes this gap, creating a gas of bosonic spin triplet excitations. The topology of the spin lattice makes
BaCuSi2O6 an ideal candidate for studying the Bose-Einstein condensation of triplet excitations as a function of the external magnetic field, which acts as a chemical potential. In agreement with quantum Monte Carlo numerical simulations, we observe a distinct lambda anomaly in the specific heat together with a maximum in the magnetic susceptibility upon cooling down to liquid helium temperatures.