Emergence of the isotropic Kitaev honeycomb lattice $α$–RuCl3 and its magnetic properties

Park, Sang-Youn; Do, Seung-Hwan; Choi, Kwang-Yong; Jang, D.; Jang, Tae-Hwan; Scheffer, J.; Wu, Chun-Ming; Gardner, J. S.; Park, J. M. S.; Park, Jae-Hoon; Ji, Sungdae

doi:10.1088/1361-648x/ad294f

Emergence of the isotropic Kitaev honeycomb lattice $$α$$–RuCl₃ and its magnetic properties

Journal Article · Tue Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648x/ad294f· OSTI ID:2426027

^[1]; ^[2]; Choi, Kwang-Yong ^[3]; ^[4]; Jang, Tae-Hwan ^[1]; Scheffer, J. ^[5]; Wu, Chun-Ming ^[6]; ^[7]; Park, J. M. S. ^[8]; Park, Jae-Hoon ^[1]; Ji, Sungdae ^[8]

Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (Korea, Republic of)
Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (Korea, Republic of); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Sungkyunkwan Univ., Suwon (Republic of Korea)
Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu (Taiwan)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Menai, NSW (Australia). Bragg Inst.
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

Here, we present a comprehensive investigation of the crystal and magnetic structures of the van der Waals antiferromagnet $$α$$–RuCl₃ using single crystal x-ray and neutron diffraction. The crystal structure at room temperature is a monoclinic (C2/m). However, with decreasing temperature, a remarkable first-order structural phase transition is observed, leading to the emergence of a rhombohedral ($$R\bar3$$) structure characterized by three-fold rotational symmetry forming an isotropic honeycomb lattice. On further cooling, a zigzag-type antiferromagnetic order develops below $$T_{\textrm{N}} = 6\sim6.6$$ K. The critical exponent of the magnetic order parameter was determined to be $$\beta = 0.11(1)$$, which is close to the two-dimensional Ising model. Additionally, the angular dependence of the magnetic critical field of the zigzag antiferromagnetic order for the polarized ferromagnetic phase reveals a six-fold rotational symmetry within the ab–plane. These findings reflect the symmetry associated with the Ising-like bond-dependent Kitaev spin interactions and underscore the universality of the Kitaev interaction-dominated antiferromagnetic system.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2426027

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2438925

Journal Information:: Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter, Journal Name: Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 36; ISSN 0953-8984

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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