Kondo screening in a Majorana metal

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • S. Lee - (Author)
  • Y. S. Choi - (Author)
  • S.-H. Do - (Author)
  • W. Lee - (Author)
  • C. H. Lee - (Author)
  • M. Lee - (Author)
  • Matthias Vojta - , Chair of Theoretical Solid State Physics (Author)
  • C. N. Wang - (Author)
  • H. Luetkens - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • Z. Guguchia - , Paul Scherrer Institute (Author)
  • K.-Y. Choi - (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
JournalNature Communications
Volume14
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 16 Nov 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85176808678

Keywords