Kondo screening in a Majorana metal

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • S. Lee - , Institute for Basic Science (Author)
  • Y. S. Choi - , Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) (Author)
  • S. H. Do - , Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Author)
  • W. Lee - , Institute for Basic Science (Author)
  • C. H. Lee - , Chung-Ang University (Author)
  • M. Lee - , National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Los Almos (Author)
  • M. Vojta - , Clusters of Excellence ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, Chair of Theoretical Solid State Physics (Author)
  • C. N. Wang - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • H. Luetkens - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • Z. Guguchia - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • K. Y. Choi - , Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) (Author)

Abstract

Kondo impurities provide a nontrivial probe to unravel the character of the excitations of a quantum spin liquid. In the S = 1/2 Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice, Kondo impurities embedded in the spin-liquid host can be screened by itinerant Majorana fermions via gauge-flux binding. Here, we report experimental signatures of metallic-like Kondo screening at intermediate temperatures in the Kitaev honeycomb material α-RuCl3 with dilute Cr3+ (S = 3/2) impurities. The static magnetic susceptibility, the muon Knight shift, and the muon spin-relaxation rate all feature logarithmic divergences, a hallmark of a metallic Kondo effect. Concurrently, the linear coefficient of the magnetic specific heat is large in the same temperature regime, indicating the presence of a host Majorana metal. This observation opens new avenues for exploring uncharted Kondo physics in insulating quantum magnets.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number7405
Number of pages8
JournalNature communications
Volume14 (2023)
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 16 Nov 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37974022