Mott Insulators in the Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling Limit: From Heisenberg to a Quantum Compass and Kitaev Models

G. Jackeli and G. Khaliullin
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 017205 – Published 6 January 2009

Abstract

We study the magnetic interactions in Mott-Hubbard systems with partially filled t2g levels and with strong spin-orbit coupling. The latter entangles the spin and orbital spaces, and leads to a rich variety of the low energy Hamiltonians that extrapolate from the Heisenberg to a quantum compass model depending on the lattice geometry. This gives way to “engineer” in such Mott insulators an exactly solvable spin model by Kitaev relevant for quantum computation. We, finally, explain “weak” ferromagnetism, with an anomalously large ferromagnetic moment, in Sr2IrO4.

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  • Received 21 August 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.017205

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

G. Jackeli* and G. Khaliullin

  • Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany

  • *Also at E. Andronikashvili Institute of Physics, 0177 Tbilisi, Georgia

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Vol. 102, Iss. 1 — 9 January 2009

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