Field-angle-resolved specific heat measurements in the Kitaev material α-RuCl<sub>3</sub>

Recently, 4d⁵ or 5d⁵ honeycomb materials with strong spin-orbit coupling have attracted great attention as a candidate for realizing a Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL). However, most of the candidate materials show magnetic orders at low temperatures. Indeed, α-RuCl₃, one of the most promising candidates, also exhibits a zigzag antiferromagnetic order below T_N (~ 7 K). However, the magnetic order of this material can be suppressed by applying a critical magnetic field H* of 7.5 T parallel to the honeycomb plane. Recent thermal transport measurements, as well as spectroscopic studies such as inelastic neutron scattering, suggest the emergence of spin fractionalization into Majorana fermions in the field-induced QSL phase. Here, we report specific heat measurements under in-plane magnetic fields up to 7 T on electron-irradiated α-RuCl₃ single crystals, in which a systematic suppression of T_N and H* was observed. We find a remarkable six-fold oscillation in the field-angle dependence of the specific heat at low temperatures above H*. This result is consistent with the field-angle dependence of the Majorana gap expected in the Kitaev QSL.

About APS

The American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics.

Headquarters 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844 (301) 209-3200
Editorial Office 100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788 (631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs 529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001 (202) 662-8700

Bulletin of the American Physical Society

APS March Meeting 2020

Volume 65, Number 1

Monday–Friday, March 2–6, 2020; Denver, Colorado

Session L47: Kitaev Magnetism: Experiment

Abstract: L47.00010 : Field-angle-resolved specific heat measurements in the Kitaev material α-RuCl3

Presenter:

Authors:

Follow Us

Engage

My APS

Information for

About APS

Abstract: L47.00010 : Field-angle-resolved specific heat measurements in the Kitaev material α-RuCl₃