Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl3

H. Suzuki; H. Liu; J. Bertinshaw; K. Ueda; H. Kim; S. Laha; D. Weber; Z. Yang; L. Wang; H. Takahashi; K. Fürsich; M. Minola; B. V. Lotsch; B. J. Kim; H. Yavaş; M. Daghofer; J. Chaloupka; G. Khaliullin; H. Gretarsson; B. Keimer

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl₃

H. Suzuki, H. Liu, J. Bertinshaw, K. Ueda, H. Kim, S. Laha, D. Weber, Z. Yang, L. Wang, H. Takahashi, K. Fürsich, M. Minola, B. V. Lotsch, B. J. Kim, H. Yavaş, M. Daghofer, J. Chaloupka, G. Khaliullin, H. Gretarsson, B. Keimer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

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.

Original language	English
Article number	4512
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	12
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4
Publication status	Published - 2021 Dec 1
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry(all)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
General
Physics and Astronomy(all)

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

Cite this

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, B. V., Kim, B. J., Yavaş, H., Daghofer, M., Chaloupka, J., Khaliullin, G., Gretarsson, H., & Keimer, B. (2021). Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl₃. Nature communications, 12(1), [4512]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

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 2021, 'Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl₃', Nature communications, vol. 12, no. 1, 4512. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

@article{37de234a71074177971634161e4781b2,

title = "Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl3",

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.",

author = "H. Suzuki and H. Liu and J. Bertinshaw and K. Ueda and H. Kim and S. Laha and D. Weber and Z. Yang and L. Wang and H. Takahashi and K. F{\"u}rsich and M. Minola and Lotsch, {B. V.} and Kim, {B. J.} and H. Yava{\c s} and M. Daghofer and J. Chaloupka and G. Khaliullin and H. Gretarsson and B. Keimer",

note = "Funding Information: We are grateful to J.A. Sears and S. Francoual for sharing the magnetic REXS data prior to publication and Y.J. Kim and S.E. Nagler for enlightening discussions. We thank R.K. Kremer and E. Br{\"u}cher for their assistance in the magnetization measurements. The project was supported by the European Research Council under Advanced Grant No. 669550 (Com4Com). We acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities. The RIXS experiments were carried out at the beamline P01 of PETRA III at DESY. H.S. and K.U. acknowledge financial support from the JSPS Research Fellowship for Research Abroad. H.S. is supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. J.C. acknowledges support by Czech Science Foundation (GA{\v C}R) under Project No. GA19-16937S. Computational resources were supplied by the project “e-Infrastruktura CZ” (e-INFRA LM2018140) provided within the program Projects of Large Research, Development, and Innovations Infrastructures. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4",

language = "English",

volume = "12",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl3

AU - Suzuki, H.

AU - Liu, H.

AU - Bertinshaw, J.

AU - Ueda, K.

AU - Kim, H.

AU - Laha, S.

AU - Weber, D.

AU - Yang, Z.

AU - Wang, L.

AU - Takahashi, H.

AU - Fürsich, K.

AU - Minola, M.

AU - Lotsch, B. V.

AU - Kim, B. J.

AU - Yavaş, H.

AU - Daghofer, M.

AU - Chaloupka, J.

AU - Khaliullin, G.

AU - Gretarsson, H.

AU - Keimer, B.

N1 - Funding Information: We are grateful to J.A. Sears and S. Francoual for sharing the magnetic REXS data prior to publication and Y.J. Kim and S.E. Nagler for enlightening discussions. We thank R.K. Kremer and E. Brücher for their assistance in the magnetization measurements. The project was supported by the European Research Council under Advanced Grant No. 669550 (Com4Com). We acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities. The RIXS experiments were carried out at the beamline P01 of PETRA III at DESY. H.S. and K.U. acknowledge financial support from the JSPS Research Fellowship for Research Abroad. H.S. is supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. J.C. acknowledges support by Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) under Project No. GA19-16937S. Computational resources were supplied by the project “e-Infrastruktura CZ” (e-INFRA LM2018140) provided within the program Projects of Large Research, Development, and Innovations Infrastructures. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2021/12/1

Y1 - 2021/12/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111094166&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111094166&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

DO - 10.1038/s41467-021-24722-4

M3 - Article

C2 - 34301938

AN - SCOPUS:85111094166

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 12

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 4512

ER -

Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material α-RuCl₃

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this