Spin-strain interactions under hydrostatic pressure in α -RuCl3
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Contributors
Abstract
We investigate the effects of hydrostatic pressure on a-RuCl3, a prototypical material for the Kitaev spin model on a honeycomb lattice with a possible spin-liquid ground state. Using ultrasound measurements at pressures up to 1.16 GPa, we reveal significant modifications of the acoustic properties and the H-T phase diagram of this material. Hydrostatic pressure suppresses the three-dimensional magnetic order and induces a dimerization transition at higher pressures. At low pressures, the sound attenuation exhibits a linear temperature dependence, while above 0.28 GPa, it becomes nearly temperature independent, suggesting a shift in the phonon scattering regime dominated by Majorana fermions. These findings provide new insights into spin-strain interactions in Kitaev magnets and deliver a detailed characterization of the H-T phase diagram of a-RuCl3 under hydrostatic pressure.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 134405 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Oct 2025 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |