Thermal and magnetoelastic properties of α − RuCl3 in the field-induced low-temperature states

We discuss the implications that new magnetocaloric, thermal expansion, and magnetostriction data in α − RuCl3 single crystals have on its temperature-field phase diagram and uncover the magnetic-field dependence of an apparent energy gap structure Δ(H) that evolves when the low-temperature antiferr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2020-12, Vol.102 (21), p.1
Main Authors: Schönemann, Rico, Imajo, Shusaku, Weickert, Franziska, Yan, Jiaqiang, Mandrus, David G, Takano, Yasumasa, Brosha, Eric L, S Rosa, Priscila F, Nagler, Stephen E, Kindo, Koichi, Jaime, Marcelo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiferromagnetism
Crystals
Dependence
Energy gap
Fermions
Fluxes
Low temperature
Magnetic properties
Magnetostriction
Phase diagrams
Phase transitions
Ruthenium trichloride
Single crystals
Thermal expansion
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We discuss the implications that new magnetocaloric, thermal expansion, and magnetostriction data in α − RuCl3 single crystals have on its temperature-field phase diagram and uncover the magnetic-field dependence of an apparent energy gap structure Δ(H) that evolves when the low-temperature antiferromagnetic order is suppressed. We show that, depending on how the thermal expansion data are modeled, Δ(H) can show a cubic field dependence and remain finite at zero field, consistent with the pure Kitaev model hosting itinerant Majorana fermions and localized Z2 fluxes. Our magnetocaloric effect data provide, below 1 K, unambiguous evidence for dissipative phenomena at Hc, a smoking gun for a first-order phase transition. Conversely, our results show little support for a phase transition from a QSL to a polarized paramagnetic state above Hc.
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.102.214432