Generic Spin Model for the Honeycomb Iridates beyond the Kitaev Limit

2013/10/31 by Jeffrey G. Rau, Eric Kin-Ho Lee, Hae‐Young Kee +1 · 718 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Condensed matter physics #Diagonal #Ferromagnetism #Hamiltonian (control theory) #Heisenberg model #Lattice (music) #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Mott insulator #Order (exchange) #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Zigzag #cond-mat.str-el

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.112.077204

published in Physical Review Letters 112(7), 077204 (American Physical Society) · 5 pages, 3 figures; added supplementary material and journal reference; fixed typos

openalex publication_date 2014/02/20 · arxiv created 2014/03/14 · arxiv updated 2014/03/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Recently, realizations of Kitaev physics have been sought in the A2IrO3 family of honeycomb iridates, originating from oxygen-mediated exchange through edge-shared octahedra. However, for the jeff=1/2 Mott insulator in these materials, exchange from direct d-orbital overlap is relevant, and it was proposed that a Heisenberg term should be added to the Kitaev model. Here, we provide the generic nearest-neighbor spin Hamiltonian when both oxygen-mediated and direct overlap are present, containing a bond-dependent off-diagonal exchange in addition to Heisenberg and Kitaev terms. We analyze this complete model using a combination of classical techniques and exact diagonalization. Near the Kitaev limit, we find new magnetic phases, 120° and incommensurate spiral order, as well as extended regions of zigzag and stripy order. Possible applications to Na2IrO3 and Li2IrO3 are discussed.

Citations

• Kitaev-Heisenberg-J2-J3model for the iridatesA2IrO<mml:mrow/>3
• Finite-temperature phase diagram of the Heisenberg-Kitaev model
• Doped Mott Insulators in (111) Bilayers of Perovskite Transition-Metal Oxides with a Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling
• Spin–orbital locking, emergent pseudo-spin and magnetic order in honeycomb lattice iridates
• Mott Insulators in the Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling Limit: From Heisenberg to a Quantum Compass and Kitaev Models
• Effects of spin vacancies on magnetic properties of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model
• A thermodynamic theory of “weak” ferromagnetism of antiferromagnetics
• Quantum phase transition in Heisenberg-Kitaev model
• Anyons in an exactly solved model and beyond
• Anisotropic Superexchange Interaction and Weak Ferromagnetism

Cited by

• A microscopic design rule for spin supersolids in triangular-lattice magnets
• Strategy to extract Kitaev interaction using symmetry in honeycomb Mott insulators
• Incommensurate counterrotating magnetic order stabilized by Kitaev interactions in the layered honeycombα−Li2IrO3
• Thermal conductivity of local moment models with strong spin-orbit coupling
• Intermediate phases in α-RuCl₃ under in-plane magnetic field via interlayer spin interactions
• Magnetic order inα−RuCl3: A honeycomb-lattice quantum magnet with strong spin-orbit coupling
• Spin-Wave Excitations Evidencing the Kitaev Interaction in Single Crystalline α−RuCl3

Related

• Models and Materials for Generalized Kitaev Magnetism
• Trigonal distortion in the honeycomb iridates: Proximity of zigzag and spiral phases in Na2IrO3
• Kitaev Materials
• Direct Evidence for Dominant Bond-directional Interactions in a Honeycomb Lattice Iridate Na2IrO3
• Ferrimagnetic Kitaev spin liquids in mixed spin 1/2 spin 3/2 honeycomb magnets