Antiferromagnetically coupled S=1/2 spins on an isotropic triangular lattice is the paradigm of frustrated quantum magnetism, but structurally ideal realizations are rare. Here we investigate NaYbO2, which hosts an ideal triangular lattice of Jeff=1/2 moments with no inherent site disorder. No signatures of conventional magnetic order appear down to 50 mK, strongly suggesting a quantum spin liquid ground state. We observe a two-peak specific heat and a nearly quadratic temperature dependence in accord with expectations for a two-dimensional Dirac spin liquid. Application of a magnetic field strongly perturbs the quantum disordered ground state and induces a clear transition into a collinear ordered state consistent with a long-predicted "up-up-down" structure for a triangular lattice XXZ Hamiltonian driven by quantum fluctuations. The observation of spin liquid signatures in zero field and quantum-induced ordering in intermediate fields in the same compound demonstrate an intrinsically quantum disordered ground state. We conclude that NaYbO2 is a model, versatile platform for exploring spin liquid physics with full tunability of field and temperature.Exotic ground states of quantum antiferromagnets are encouraged by the combination of low dimensionality, geometric frustration, and inherent anisotropies. Planar triangular lattices have long been sought as platforms for stabilizing them 1-7 ; however, ideal manifestations that do not break crystallographic or exchange symmetries upon approaching the quantum regime are rare. The organic compounds κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu2(CN)3 8 and EtMe3Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2 9 are two promising examples of triangular lattices with S=1/2 moments and a dynamically disordered spin ground state. However, S=1/2 inorganic analogs such as Ba3CoSb2O9 10 , Ba8CoNb6O24 11 , and NaTiO2 12-14 either order magnetically or undergo a lattice deformation and dimerization upon cooling. A key roadblock in inorganic systems is the identification of a material with a high crystallographic symmetry, rigid structure, and minimal defect mechanisms that also contains magnetic ions possessing strong quantum fluctuations. Ideally, the magnetic ions should be located at high symmetry positions that preclude antisymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange from lifting geometric frustration at low temperatures.As an alternative to S=1/2 based compounds, rare earth ions with ground state doublets may also engender enhanced quantum fluctuations when decorating a triangular lattice. Specifically, recent studies have shown that the spin-orbit entangled Jeff=1/2 moments of Yb 3+ ions on this lattice may exhibit a variety of nearly degenerate magnetic states 15-22 . Given the appropriate anisotropies and when driven close

The most direct approach for characterizing the quantum dynamics of a strongly-interacting system is to measure the time-evolution of its full many-body state. Despite the conceptual simplicity of this approach, it quickly becomes intractable as the system size grows. An alternate framework is to think of the many-body dynamics as generating noise, which can be measured by the decoherence of a probe qubit. Our work centers on the following question: What can the decoherence dynamics of such a probe tell us about the many-body system? In particular, we utilize optically addressable probe spins to experimentally characterize both static and dynamical properties of strongly-interacting magnetic dipoles. Our experimental platform consists of two types of spin defects in diamond: nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers (probe spins) and substitutional nitrogen impurities (many-body system). We demonstrate that signatures of the many-body system's dimensionality, dynamics, and disorder are naturally encoded in the functional form of the NV's decoherence profile. Leveraging these insights, we directly characterize the two-dimensional nature of a nitrogen delta-doped diamond sample. In addition, we explore two distinct facets of the many-body dynamics: First, we address a persistent debate about the microscopic nature of spin dynamics in strongly-interacting dipolar systems. Second, we demonstrate direct control over the spectral properties of the many-body system, including its correlation time. Our work opens the door to new directions in both quantum sensing and simulation.

The most direct approach for characterizing the quantum dynamics of a strongly interacting system is to measure the time evolution of its full many-body state. Despite the conceptual simplicity of this approach, it quickly becomes intractable as the system size grows. An alternate approach is to think of the many-body dynamics as generating noise, which can be measured by the decoherence of a probe qubit. Here we investigate what the decoherence dynamics of such a probe tells us about the many-body system. In particular, we utilize optically addressable probe spins to experimentally characterize both static and dynamical properties of strongly interacting magnetic dipoles. Our experimental platform consists of two types of spin defects in nitrogen delta-doped diamond: nitrogen-vacancy colour centres, which we use as probe spins, and a many-body ensemble of substitutional nitrogen impurities. We demonstrate that the many-body system’s dimensionality, dynamics and disorder are naturally encoded in the probe spins’ decoherence profile. Furthermore, we obtain direct control over the spectral properties of the many-body system, with potential applications in quantum sensing and simulation.

Modern quantum technologies rely crucially on techniques to mitigate quantum decoherence; these techniques can be either passive, achieved for example via materials engineering, or active, typically achieved via pulsed monochromatic driving fields applied to the qubit. Using a solid-state defect spin coupled to a microwave-driven spin bath, we experimentally demonstrate a decoherence mitigation method based on spectral engineering of the environmental noise with a polychromatic drive waveform, and show that it outperforms monochromatic techniques. Results are in agreement with quantitative modeling, and open the path to active decoherence protection using custom-designed waveforms applied to the environment rather than the qubit.