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Title: Signatures of magnetic-field-driven quantum phase transitions in the entanglement entropy and spin dynamics of the Kitaev honeycomb model

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B

The main question we address is how to probe the fractionalized excitations of a quantum spin liquid (QSL), for example, in the Kitaev honeycomb model. Here, by analyzing the energy spectrum and entanglement entropy, for antiferromagnetic couplings and a field along either [111] or [001], we find a gapless QSL phase sandwiched between the non-Abelian Kitaev QSL and polarized phases. Increasing the field strength towards the polarized limit destroys this intermediate QSL phase, resulting in a considerable reduction in the number of frequency modes and the emergence of a beating pattern in the local dynamical correlations, possibly observable in pump-probe experiments.

Research Organization:
The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-07ER46423
OSTI ID:
1609874
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1509762
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Vol. 99, Issue 14; ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 22 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (9)

Magnetic field-induced intermediate quantum spin liquid with a spinon Fermi surface journal May 2019
Antiferromagnetic Kitaev interaction in f -electron based honeycomb magnets journal June 2019
Antiferromagnetic Kitaev Interaction in $f$-Electron Based Honeycomb Magnets text January 2018
Magnetic field induced intermediate quantum spin-liquid with a spinon Fermi surface text January 2018
Microscopic mechanism for higher-spin Kitaev model text January 2019
Nonequilibrium Majorana Dynamics by Quenching a Magnetic Field in Kitaev Spin Liquids text January 2019
Heisenberg-Kitaev Models on Hyperhoneycomb and Stripyhoneycomb Lattices: 3D-2D Equivalence of Ordered States and Phase Diagrams text January 2019
The Heart of Entanglement: Chiral, Nematic, and Incommensurate Phases in the Kitaev-Gamma Ladder in a Field text January 2020
Orbital Frustration and Emergent Flat Bands text January 2021

Figures / Tables (4)