  We report on diffuse neutron scattering experiments providing evidence for
the presence of random strains in the quantum spin ice candidate Pr2Zr2O7.
Since Pr is a non-Kramers ion, the strain deeply modifies the picture of Ising
magnetic moments governing the low temperature properties of this material. It
is shown that the derived strain distribution accounts for the temperature
dependence of the specific heat and of the spin excitation spectra. Taking
advantage of mean field and spin dynamics simulations, we argue that the
randomness in Pr2Zr2O7, promotes a new state of matter, which is disordered,
yet characterized by short range antiferroquadrupolar correlations, and from
which emerge spin-ice like excitations. This study thus opens an original
research route in the field of quantum spin ice.
