Magnon bound states versus anyonic Majorana excitations in the Kitaev honeycomb magnet α-RuCl3

Dirk Wulferding (), Youngsu Choi, Seung-Hwan Do, Chan Hyeon Lee, Peter Lemmens, Clément Faugeras, Yann Gallais and Kwang-Yong Choi ()
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Dirk Wulferding: TU Braunschweig
Youngsu Choi: Chung-Ang University
Seung-Hwan Do: Chung-Ang University
Chan Hyeon Lee: Chung-Ang University
Peter Lemmens: TU Braunschweig
Clément Faugeras: University of Grenoble Alpes, INSA Toulouse, University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier, EMFL, CNRS, LNCMI
Yann Gallais: Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques (UMR 7162 CNRS)
Kwang-Yong Choi: Chung-Ang University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The pure Kitaev honeycomb model harbors a quantum spin liquid in zero magnetic fields, while applying finite magnetic fields induces a topological spin liquid with non-Abelian anyonic excitations. This latter phase has been much sought after in Kitaev candidate materials, such as α-RuCl3. Currently, two competing scenarios exist for the intermediate field phase of this compound (B = 7 − 10 T), based on experimental as well as theoretical results: (i) conventional multiparticle magnetic excitations of integer quantum number vs. (ii) Majorana fermionic excitations of possibly non-Abelian nature with a fractional quantum number. To discriminate between these scenarios a detailed investigation of excitations over a wide field-temperature phase diagram is essential. Here, we present Raman spectroscopic data revealing low-energy quasiparticles emerging out of a continuum of fractionalized excitations at intermediate fields, which are contrasted by conventional spin-wave excitations. The temperature evolution of these quasiparticles suggests the formation of bound states out of fractionalized excitations.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15370-1

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