Persistent quantum vibronic dynamics in a $5d^1$ double perovskite oxide

Abstract

Quantum entanglement between the spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom in condensed matter systems can emerge due to an interplay between spin-orbit and vibronic interactions. Heavy transition metal ions decorated on a face-centered cubic lattice, for example, in $5d^1$ double perovskites, are particularly suited to support these quantum entangled states, but direct evidence has not yet been presented. In this work, we report additional peaks in the low-energy spectra of a $5d^1$ double perovskite, Ba$_2$CaReO$_6$, which cannot be explained by adopting a purely classical description of lattice vibrations. Instead, our theoretical analysis demonstrates that these spectroscopic signatures are characteristic of orbital-lattice entangled states in Ba$_2$CaReO$_6$. Crucially, both theory and experiment demonstrate that these quantum-entangled states persist to low temperatures, despite the onset of multipolar order.