Thermal Hall effect in a phonon-glass Ba$_3$CuSb$_2$O$_9$

Abstract

A distinct thermal Hall signal is observed in a quantum spin liquid candidate Ba$_3$CuSb$_2$O$_9$. The transverse thermal conduction shows a power-law temperature dependence below 40 K where a spin gap opens. We suggest that, through the very low longitudinal thermal conductivity and the thermal Hall signals, a phonon Hall effect is induced by strong phonon scatterings by orphan Cu$^{2+}$ spins formed in random domains of Cu$^{2+}$-Sb$^{5+}$ dumbbells.