Momentum-independent magnetic excitation continuum in the honeycomb iridate H3LiIr2O6

A. Torre (), B. Zager, F. Bahrami, M. H. Upton, J. Kim, G. Fabbris, G.-H. Lee, W. Yang, D. Haskel, F. Tafti and K. W. Plumb ()
Additional contact information
A. Torre: Brown University
B. Zager: Brown University
F. Bahrami: Boston College
M. H. Upton: Argonne National Laboratory
J. Kim: Argonne National Laboratory
G. Fabbris: Argonne National Laboratory
G.-H. Lee: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
W. Yang: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
D. Haskel: Argonne National Laboratory
F. Tafti: Boston College
K. W. Plumb: Brown University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Understanding the interplay between the inherent disorder and the correlated fluctuating-spin ground state is a key element in the search for quantum spin liquids. H3LiIr2O6 is considered to be a spin liquid that is proximate to the Kitaev-limit quantum spin liquid. Its ground state shows no magnetic order or spin freezing as expected for the spin liquid state. However, hydrogen zero-point motion and stacking faults are known to be present. The resulting bond disorder has been invoked to explain the existence of unexpected low-energy spin excitations, although data interpretation remains challenging. Here, we use resonant X-ray spectroscopies to map the collective excitations in H3LiIr2O6 and characterize its magnetic state. In the low-temperature correlated state, we reveal a broad bandwidth of magnetic excitations. The central energy and the high-energy tail of the continuum are consistent with expectations for dominant ferromagnetic Kitaev interactions between dynamically fluctuating spins. Furthermore, the absence of a momentum dependence to these excitations are consistent with disorder-induced broken translational invariance. Our low-energy data and the energy and width of the crystal field excitations support an interpretation of H3LiIr2O6 as a disordered topological spin liquid in close proximity to bond-disordered versions of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40769-x

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