Researchers from SLAC and Stanford report a lab-grown zinc barlowite exhibiting a quantum spin liquid, with magnetic spins remaining fluctuating and entangled even near absolute zero, signaling potential for robust qubits.

A novel growth technique yielded fluorine-free, high-purity crystals using a Teflon-augmented setup and a temperature gradient, with neutron scattering at Oak Ridge National Laboratory probing spin dynamics near 2 K above absolute zero.

Zinc barlowite features a kagome lattice of magnetic copper ions sandwiched between non-magnetic zinc layers, creating a highly frustrated spin system that fosters quantum entanglement across the lattice.

Building on prior spin-liquid evidence in herbertsmithite, the work demonstrates reproducible spin-liquid behavior across materials, with future directions focusing on impurity reduction, quantifying entanglement, and exploring possible superconducting transitions, funded by the DOE Office of Science and NSF fellowships.

Neutron scattering shows a broad energy spectrum rather than a sharp peak, indicating fluctuating spins and suggesting spinons as a signature of spin-liquid behavior, consistent with computer simulations.

The findings appear in Nature Physics, published on the date close to the end of October 2025, credited to A. T. Breidenbach, A. C. Campello, and colleagues, with support from the DOE and NSF and facilities at the Spallation Neutron Source.

The spin entanglement extends across the entire sample, hinting at more robust qubits than current candidates, though practical realization requires further impurity reduction and exploration of superconductivity prospects.