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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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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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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| author | Masahiro O. Takahashi Wen-Han Kao Satoshi Fujimoto Natalia B. Perkins |
| author_facet | Masahiro O. Takahashi Wen-Han Kao Satoshi Fujimoto Natalia B. Perkins |
| author_sort | Masahiro O. Takahashi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71b8d680967b4d71aa74c8f6e607bf04 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-4648 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Quantum Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-71b8d680967b4d71aa74c8f6e607bf042025-02-02T12:07:16ZengNature Portfolionpj Quantum Materials2397-46482025-01-011011910.1038/s41535-025-00729-8Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquidMasahiro O. Takahashi0Wen-Han Kao1Satoshi Fujimoto2Natalia B. Perkins3Department of Materials Engineering Science, Osaka UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of MinnesotaDepartment of Materials Engineering Science, Osaka UniversitySchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of MinnesotaAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00729-8 |
| spellingShingle | Masahiro O. Takahashi Wen-Han Kao Satoshi Fujimoto Natalia B. Perkins Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid npj Quantum Materials |
| title | Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid |
| title_full | Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid |
| title_fullStr | Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid |
| title_full_unstemmed | Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid |
| title_short | Z 2 flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid |
| title_sort | z 2 flux binding to higher spin impurities in the kitaev spin liquid |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00729-8 |
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