Observation of two types of fractional excitation in the Kitaev honeycomb magnet
| Autor: | Matej Pregelj, Karl Krämer, Alun Biffin, M. Gomilšek, N. Janša, Martin Klanjšek, Daniel Biner, Andrej Zorko, Christian Rüegg |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Condensed matter physics 530 Physics Anyon General Physics and Astronomy 02 engineering and technology Fermion 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology 01 natural sciences Topological quantum computer Paramagnetism 540 Chemistry 0103 physical sciences Quasiparticle Quantum spin liquid 010306 general physics 0210 nano-technology Spin-½ Majorana fermion |
| Zdroj: | Nature Physics Nature physics, 2018, Vol.14(8), pp.786-790 [Peer Reviewed Journal] |
| ISSN: | 1745-2473 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41567-018-0129-5 |
| Popis: | Quantum spin liquid is a disordered but highly entangled magnetic state with fractional spin excitations1. The ground state of an exactly solved Kitaev honeycomb model is perhaps its clearest example2. Under a magnetic field, a spin flip in this model fractionalizes into two types of anyon, a quasiparticle with more complex exchange statistics than standard fermions or bosons: a pair of gauge fluxes and a Majorana fermion2,3. Here, we demonstrate this kind of fractionalization in the Kitaev paramagnetic state of the honeycomb magnet α-RuCl3. The spin excitation gap determined by nuclear magnetic resonance consists of the predicted Majorana fermion contribution following the cube of the applied magnetic field2,4,5, and a finite zero-field contribution matching the predicted size of the gauge flux gap2,6. The observed fractionalization into gapped anyons survives in a broad range of temperatures and magnetic fields, which establishes α-RuCl3 as a unique platform for future investigations of anyons. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full text from SpringerLink