Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid α-RuCl3

The Kitaev quantum spin liquid (KQSL) is an exotic emergent state of matter exhibiting Majorana fermion and gauge flux excitations. The magnetic insulator α-RuCl3 is thought to realize a proximate KQSL. We used neutron scattering on single crystals of α-RuCl3 to reconstruct dynamical correlations in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2017-06, Vol.356 (6342), p.1055-1059
Main Authors: Banerjee, Arnab, Yan, Jiaqiang, Knolle, Johannes, Bridges, Craig A, Stone, Matthew B, Lumsden, Mark D, Mandrus, David G, Tennant, David A, Moessner, Roderich, Nagler, Stephen E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Fermions
Gages
Honeycomb
Mathematical models
Neutron scattering
Scattering
Single crystals
Spin liquid
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Summary:The Kitaev quantum spin liquid (KQSL) is an exotic emergent state of matter exhibiting Majorana fermion and gauge flux excitations. The magnetic insulator α-RuCl3 is thought to realize a proximate KQSL. We used neutron scattering on single crystals of α-RuCl3 to reconstruct dynamical correlations in energy-momentum space. We discovered highly unusual signals, including a column of scattering over a large energy interval around the Brillouin zone center, which is very stable with temperature. This finding is consistent with scattering from the Majorana excitations of a KQSL. Other, more delicate experimental features can be transparently associated with perturbations to an ideal model. Our results encourage further study of this prototypical material and may open a window into investigating emergent magnetic Majorana fermions in correlated materials.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aah6015