Heisenberg–Kitaev physics in magnetic fields

Janssen, Lukas; Vojta, Matthias

doi:10.1088/1361-648x/ab283e

Cited by 133 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 155 publications

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“…By contrast, the phases from paths (ii) and (iii)-wherein the edge fermion encircles the bulk Ising anyon an even number of times-conform exactly to Eqs. (36) and (38), respectively [129]. In paths (iv) and (v), the incident emergent fermion splinters into two Ising anyons at the constriction, one of which now encircles a bulk Ising anyon.…”

Section: B Interferometer With a = σmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials

et al. 2020

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Recent thermal-conductivity measurements evidence a magnetic-field-induced non-Abelian spin-liquid phase in the Kitaev material α-RuCl 3. Although the platform is a good Mott insulator, we propose experiments that electrically probe the spin liquid's hallmark chiral Majorana edge state and bulk anyons, including their exotic exchange statistics. We specifically introduce circuits that exploit interfaces between electrically active systems and Kitaev materials to "perfectly" convert electrons from the former into emergent fermions in the latter-thereby enabling variations of transport probes invented for topological superconductors and fractional quantum-Hall states. Along the way, we resolve puzzles in the literature concerning interacting Majorana fermions, and also develop an anyon-interferometry framework that incorporates nontrivial energy-partitioning effects. Our results illuminate a partial pathway toward topological quantum computation with Kitaev materials.

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Section: B Interferometer With a = σmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials

et al. 2020

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“…but canted away from the [111] field. Such a canting originates from the competition between the field and the interaction [30,32,33], thus motivating the name frustrated ferromagnet (FF) for such a phase.…”

Section: Classical U(1) Degeneracy and Quantum Order-by-disordermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a field along the [111] axis, however, a tensor network study reveals that KSL is confined to the vicinity of the pure Kitaev model, while novel nematic paramagnetic states, which breaks the lattice-rotational symmetry, occupy a significant portion of the phase diagram at intermediate fields [31]. On the other hand, the classical model exhibits a plethora of magnetic orders with large unit cells, and a ferromagnetic phase frustrated by the interaction and the field, before the system becomes fully polarized [30,32,33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergence of nematic paramagnet via quantum order-by-disorder and pseudo-Goldstone modes in Kitaev magnets

Gohlke

Chern

Kim

2020

Phys. Rev. Research

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The appearance of nontrivial phases in Kitaev materials exposed to an external magnetic field has recently been a subject of intensive studies. Here, we elucidate the relation between the field-induced ground states of the classical and quantum spin models proposed for such materials, by using the infinite density matrix renormalization group (iDMRG) and the linear spin wave theory (LSWT). We consider the K model, where and are off-diagonal spin exchanges on top of the dominant Kitaev interaction K. Focusing on the magnetic field along the [111] direction, we explain the origin of the nematic paramagnet, which breaks the lattice-rotational symmetry and exists in an extended window of magnetic field, in the quantum model. This phenomenon can be understood as the effect of quantum order-by-disorder in the frustrated ferromagnet with a continuous manifold of degenerate ground states discovered in the corresponding classical model. We compute the dynamical spin structure factors using a matrix operator based time evolution and compare them with the predictions from LSWT. We, thus, provide predictions for future inelastic neutron scattering experiments on Kitaev materials in an external magnetic field along the [111] direction. In particular, the nematic paramagnet exhibits a characteristic pseudo-Goldstone mode, which results from the lifting of a continuous degeneracy via quantum fluctuations.

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“…Nonetheless, the gap between experiments and theoretical understanding is still apparent. Since the non-Kitaev interactions and magnetic field [31,32] spoil the exact solution and restrict QMC simulations to a relatively high temperature [33], little is known about the fractionalization of spins in the extended Kitaev models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal thermodynamics in the Kitaev fractional liquid

Zhang

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Research

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In the Kitaev honeycomb model, the quantum spin fractionalizes into itinerant Majorana fermion and gauge flux upon cooling, leading to rich experimental ramifications at finite temperature and an upsurge of research interest. However, accurate modelings of the Kitaev materials by including realistic couplings beyond the pure Kitaev model constitute a major challenge for the community. With recently developed exponential tensor-network approach, we clear the pathway and perform finite-temperature simulations of the extended Kitaev model with additional interactions common in real materials. At intermediate temperature, we find an emergent Curie law of magnetic susceptibility and a stripy spin-structure factor characterizing the robust Kitaev fractional liquid. With this insight, we revisit the susceptibility measurements of Na 2 IrO 3 and α-RuCl 3 and find evidence of ferromagnetic Kitaev coupling and finite-temperature fractionalization. Bridging the gap between theories and experiments with the state-of-the-art tensor-network simulations, our findings provide guidance for future experimental exploration of the spin liquids in Kitaev materials by thermodynamic measurements and spin-resolved structure factor probes.

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Heisenberg–Kitaev physics in magnetic fields

Cited by 133 publications

References 155 publications

Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials

Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials

Emergence of nematic paramagnet via quantum order-by-disorder and pseudo-Goldstone modes in Kitaev magnets

Universal thermodynamics in the Kitaev fractional liquid

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