Dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in the strong spin-orbit coupling regime.

Exotic quantum phases, arising from a complex interplay of charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, are of immense interest to a wide research community. A well-known example of such an entangled behavior is the Jahn-Teller effect, where the lifting of orbital degeneracy proceeds through lattice distortions. Here we demonstrate that a highly-symmetrical 5d double perovskite BaMgReO, comprising a 3D array of isolated ReO octahedra, represents a rare example of a dynamic Jahn-Teller system in the strong spin-orbit coupling regime.