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αRuCl3: A spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator on a honeycomb lattice

K. W. Plumb, J. P. Clancy, L. J. Sandilands, V. Vijay Shankar, Y. F. Hu, K. S. Burch, Hae-Young Kee, and Young-June Kim
Phys. Rev. B 90, 041112(R) – Published 29 July 2014
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Abstract

We examine the role of spin-orbit coupling in the electronic structure of αRuCl3, in which Ru ions in 4d5 configuration form a honeycomb lattice. Our x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements at the Ru L edges exhibit distinct spectral features associated with the presence of substantial spin-orbit coupling, as well as an anomalously large branching ratio. Furthermore the measured optical spectra can be described very well with first-principles electronic structure calculations obtained by taking into account both spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations. We propose that αRuCl3 is a spin-orbit assisted Mott insulator, and that the bond-dependent Kitaev interaction may be important for understanding magnetism of this compound.

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  • Received 18 March 2014
  • Revised 30 June 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.041112

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

K. W. Plumb1, J. P. Clancy1, L. J. Sandilands1, V. Vijay Shankar1, Y. F. Hu2, K. S. Burch1,3, Hae-Young Kee1,4, and Young-June Kim1,*

  • 1Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Materials, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7
  • 2Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0X4
  • 3Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
  • 4Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1Z8

  • *yjkim@physics.utoronto.ca

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Issue

Vol. 90, Iss. 4 — 15 July 2014

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