Chiral excitations and the intermediate-field regime in the Kitaev magnet α−RuCl_{3}

In the Kitaev magnet α-RuCl_{3}, the existence of a magnetic-field-induced quantum spin-liquid phase and of anyonic excitations is controversially discussed. We address this elusive, exotic phase via helicity-dependent Raman scattering and analyze the Raman optical activity of excitations as a funct...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anuja Sahasrabudhe, Mikhail A. Prosnikov, Thomas C. Koethe, Philipp Stein, Vladimir Tsurkan, Alois Loidl, Markus Grüninger, Hamoon Hedayat, Paul H. M. van Loosdrecht
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2024-04-01
Series:Physical Review Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.L022005
Description
Summary:In the Kitaev magnet α-RuCl_{3}, the existence of a magnetic-field-induced quantum spin-liquid phase and of anyonic excitations is controversially discussed. We address this elusive, exotic phase via helicity-dependent Raman scattering and analyze the Raman optical activity of excitations as a function of magnetic field and temperature. The hotly debated field regime between 7.5 and 10.5T is characterized by clear spectroscopic signatures such as a plateau of the Raman optical activity of the dominant, chiral spin-flip excitation. This provides direct evidence for the existence of a distinct intermediate-field regime with an intriguing ground state featuring chiral excitations.
ISSN:2643-1564