Weyl Spin Liquids

2014/11/30 by Maria Hermanns, Kevin O’Brien, Kevin O'Brien +1 · 99 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Condensed matter physics #Electron #Fermion #Fractionalization #Gauge theory #MAJORANA #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum #Quantum mechanics #Quantum spin liquid #Quasiparticle #Spin polarization #State of matter #Superconductivity #Theoretical physics #Topological Materials and Phenomena #cond-mat.str-el

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.114.157202

published in Physical Review Letters 114(15), 157202 (American Physical Society) · published version

arxiv created 2015/04/15 · openalex publication_date 2015/04/15 · arxiv updated 2015/04/16 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The fractionalization of quantum numbers in interacting quantum many-body systems is a central motif in condensed-matter physics with prominent examples including the fractionalization of the electron in quantum Hall liquids or the emergence of magnetic monopoles in spin-ice materials. Here, we discuss the fractionalization of magnetic moments in three-dimensional Kitaev models into Majorana fermions (and a Z₂ gauge field) and their emergent collective behavior. We analytically demonstrate that the Majorana fermions form a Weyl superconductor for the Kitaev model on the recently synthesized hyperhoneycomb structure of β-Li₂IrO₃ when applying a magnetic field. We characterize the topologically protected bulk and surface features of this state, which we dub a Weyl spin liquid, including thermodynamic and transport signatures.

Citations

• Periodic table for topological insulators and superconductors
• Absence of neutrinos on a lattice
• Unconventional magnetic order on the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev lattice inβ−Li2IrO3: Full solution via magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction
• Absence of neutrinos on a lattice
• Anyons in an exactly solved model and beyond

Cited by

• Long-range interactions in the effective low-energy Hamiltonian of Sr2IrO4: A core-to-core resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study
• Topological spinon bands and vison excitations in spin-orbit coupled quantum spin liquids
• Thermal Transport in the Kitaev Model
• Vacancies in Kitaev quantum spin liquids on the three-dimensional hyperhoneycomb lattice
• Barrier tunneling of the loop-nodal semimetal in the hyperhoneycomb lattice

Related

• Incarnation of Majorana Fermions in Kitaev Quantum Spin Lattice
• An introduction to Kitaev model-I
• Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquids
• Topological Majorana flat bands in the Kitaev model on a Bishamon-kikko lattice
• Magnetic order through Kondo coupling to quantum spin liquids