The proposed program aims to conduct research on exploring novel quantum phenomena under high-pressure conditions, in particular to focus on unraveling the effects of pressure on the atomic and electronic interactions in frustrated quantum magnets. Our primary objective will be to advance the field through the enhancement of High-Pressure Neutron Scattering (HP-NS) techniques at our national neutron sources. These techniques will enable us to directly determine magnetic structures under pressure, and through analysis the electronic interactions present, providing invaluable insights via the neutron scattering under pressure that are not attainable through conventional high-pressure analytical methods like high-pressure X-ray diffraction.

Frustrated magnets represent a class of materials characterized by localized magnetic moments, or spins, engaging in competing exchange interactions that defy simultaneous satisfaction. This results in a significant degeneracy of the system’s lowest energy state. Studies of frustration began with antiferromagnets, in which frustration usually has a simple geometric origin. Such geometric frustration occurs in systems of spins on lattices that involve triangular motifs in which the nearest-neighbor interactions favor anti-aligned spins. The proposed work will thus focus on three families of compounds designed to display complex interactions: Kagomé frustrated lattices; nickelates and its derivatives, which have square net lattices, and novel frustrated magnetic lattices such as LiYbSe₂ in a new type of pyrochlore lattice. In our work, which is designed to make use of national neutron scattering facilities, we will be able to probe the polymorphism, magnetic structures, and electron-electron interactions that are present at high pressures in quantum materials.

This research aligns with the broader goal of exploring quantum materials under extreme conditions, contributing to advancements in sustainable energy materials and supporting key missions in energy, environment, and national security. Additionally, the high-pressure techniques developed here will have broader applications in the synthesis and study of other quantum materials in non-equilibrium states, opening new avenues for the discovery and characterization of quantum materials.