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Destabilization of Magnetic Order in a Dilute Kitaev Spin Liquid Candidate

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
The insulating honeycomb magnet α–RuCl3 exhibits fractionalized excitations that signal its proximity to a Kitaev quantum spin liquid state; however, at T=0, fragile long-range magnetic order arises from non-Kitaev terms in the Hamiltonian. Spin vacancies in the form of Ir3+ substituted for Ru are found to destabilize this long-range order. Neutron diffraction and bulk characterization of Ru1–xIrxCl3 show that the magnetic ordering temperature is suppressed with increasing x, and evidence of zizag magnetic order is absent for x > 0.3. Inelastic neutron scattering demonstrates that the signature of fractionalized excitations is maintained over the full range of x investigated. In conclusion, the depleted lattice without magnetic order thus hosts a spin-liquid-like ground state that may indicate the relevance of Kitaev physics in the magnetically dilute limit of RuCl3.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1413606
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1411500
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 119; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (8)

Dynamical coupling of dilute magnetic impurities with quantum spin liquid state in the S   =  3/2 dimer compound Ba 3 ZnRu 2 O 9 journal August 2018
Anisotropic susceptibilities in the honeycomb Kitaev system α − RuCl 3 journal September 2018
Revisiting the Kitaev material candidacy of Ir 4 + double perovskite iridates journal April 2019
Chemical disorder and spin-liquid-like magnetism in the van der Waals layered 5 d transition metal halide Os 0.55 Cl 2 journal June 2019
Hydrated lithium intercalation into the Kitaev spin liquid candidate material α − RuCl 3 journal June 2019
Randomly Hopping Majorana Fermions in the Diluted Kitaev System α - Ru 0.8 Ir 0.2 Cl 3 journal January 2020
Magnetic order in single crystals of Na 3 Co 2 SbO 6 with a honeycomb arrangement of 3 d 7 Co 2 + ions journal July 2019
Dynamical coupling of dilute magnetic impurities with quantum spin liquid state in the S = 3/2 dimer compound Ba3ZnRu2O9 text January 2018

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