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Suzuki H, Liu H, Bertinshaw J, Ueda K, Kim H, Laha S, Weber D, Yang Z, Wang L, Takahashi H, Fürsich K, Minola M, Lotsch BV, Kim BJ, Yavaş H, Daghofer M, Chaloupka J, Khaliullin G, Gretarsson H, Keimer B. Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl 3. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4512. [PMID: 34301938 PMCID: PMC8302668 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
α-RuCl3 is a major candidate for the realization of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid, but its zigzag antiferromagnetic order at low temperatures indicates deviations from the Kitaev model. We have quantified the spin Hamiltonian of α-RuCl3 by a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study at the Ru L3 absorption edge. In the paramagnetic state, the quasi-elastic intensity of magnetic excitations has a broad maximum around the zone center without any local maxima at the zigzag magnetic Bragg wavevectors. This finding implies that the zigzag order is fragile and readily destabilized by competing ferromagnetic correlations. The classical ground state of the experimentally determined Hamiltonian is actually ferromagnetic. The zigzag state is stabilized by quantum fluctuations, leaving ferromagnetism – along with the Kitaev spin liquid – as energetically proximate metastable states. The three closely competing states and their collective excitations hold the key to the theoretical understanding of the unusual properties of α-RuCl3 in magnetic fields. RuCl3 has stood out as a prime candidate in the search for quantum spin liquids; however, its antiferromagnetic ordering at low temperature suggests deviations from typical QSL models. Here, using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, the authors provide a comprehensive determination of the low energy effective Hamiltonian.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Suzuki
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - H Liu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - J Bertinshaw
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - K Ueda
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - H Kim
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea.,Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, South Korea
| | - S Laha
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - D Weber
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Z Yang
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - L Wang
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - H Takahashi
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - K Fürsich
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - M Minola
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - B V Lotsch
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, University of Munich (LMU), München, Germany
| | - B J Kim
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea.,Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, South Korea
| | - H Yavaş
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany.,SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - M Daghofer
- Institute for Functional Matter and Quantum Technologies, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.,Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - J Chaloupka
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - G Khaliullin
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - H Gretarsson
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - B Keimer
- Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany.
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