Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid
Abstract Stabilizing Z 2 fluxes in Kitaev spin liquids (KSLs) is crucial for both characterizing candidate materials and identifying Ising anyons. In this study, we investigate the effects of spin-S magnetic impurities embedded in the spin-1/2 KSL. Utilizing exact diagonalization and density matrix...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | npj Quantum Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00729-8 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Stabilizing Z 2 fluxes in Kitaev spin liquids (KSLs) is crucial for both characterizing candidate materials and identifying Ising anyons. In this study, we investigate the effects of spin-S magnetic impurities embedded in the spin-1/2 KSL. Utilizing exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods, we examine the impurity magnetization and ground-state flux sector with varying impurity coupling and spin size. Our findings reveal that impurity magnetization exhibits an integer/half-integer spin dependence, which aligns with analytical predictions, and a flux-sector transition from bound-flux to zero-flux occurs at low coupling strengths, independent of the impurity spin. Notably, for spin-3/2 impurities, we observe a reentrant bound-flux sector, which remains stable under magnetic fields. By considering fermionic representations of our spin Hamiltonian, we provide phenomenological explanations for the transitions. Our results suggest a novel way of binding a flux in KSLs, beyond the proposals of vacancies or Kondo impurities. |
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| ISSN: | 2397-4648 |