Resonant x-ray scattering reveals possible disappearance of magnetic order under hydrostatic pressure in the Kitaev candidate $\gamma$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$

Abstract

Honeycomb iridates such as $\gamma$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ are argued to realize Kitaev spin-anisotropic magnetic exchange, along with Heisenberg and possibly other couplings. While systems with pure Kitaev interactions are candidates to realize a quantum spin liquid ground state, in $\gamma$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ it has been shown that the balance of magnetic interactions leads to the incommensurate spiral spin order at ambient pressure below 38 K. We study the fragility of this state in single crystals of $\gamma$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ using resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) under applied hydrostatic pressures of up to 3.0 GPa. RXS is a direct probe of the underlying electronic order, and we observe the abrupt disappearance of the $q$=(0.57, 0, 0) spiral order at a critical pressure $P_c=1.5$GPa with no accompanying change in the symmetry of the lattice. This dramatic disappearance is in stark contrast with recent studies of $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ that show continuous suppression of the spiral order in magnetic field; under pressure, a new and possibly nonmagnetic ground state emerges.

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• Unified theory of spiral magnetism in the harmonic-honeycomb iridates α, β, γ Li2IrO3
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Cited by in corpus (27)

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• Hunting Majorana Fermions in Kitaev Magnets
• Competition between spin-orbit coupling, magnetism, and dimerization in the honeycomb iridates: $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ under pressure
• Pressure-tuned magnetic interactions in honeycomb Kitaev materials
• Field-induced intertwined orders in 3D Mott-Kitaev honeycomb $\beta$-Li2IrO3
• Pressure-tuning of bond-directional exchange interactions and magnetic frustration in hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-$\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{i}}_2\mathrm{Ir}{\mathrm{O}}_3$
• Magnetic structure and excitation spectrum of the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Pressure-induced collapse of spin-orbital Mott state in the hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Ordered states in the Kitaev-Heisenberg model: From 1D chains to 2D honeycomb
• Magnetic field-induced evolution of intertwined orders in the Kitaev magnet $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Temperature evolution of spin dynamics in two- and three-dimensional Kitaev models: Influence of fluctuating gauge fluxes
• Spin dynamics and field-induced magnetic phase transition in the honeycomb Kitaev magnet $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• High-pressure versus isoelectronic doping effect on the honeycomb iridate Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Possible quantum paramagnetism in compressed Sr${}_2$IrO${}_4$
• Kitaev magnetism through the prism of lithium iridate
• Pressure-induced structural dimerization in the hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ at low temperatures
• High temperature thermodynamics of the honeycomb-lattice Kitaev-Heisenberg model: A high temperature series expansion study
• Anisotropic temperature-field phase diagram of single-crystalline $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$: magnetization, specific heat, and ${}^7$Li NMR study
• Counter-rotating spiral order in three dimensional iridates: signature of hidden symmetry in Kitaev-$\Gamma$ model
• Anisotropy as a diagnostic test for distinct tensor network wavefunctions of integer and half-integer spin Kitaev quantum spin liquids
• Collective spin dynamics of Z2 vortex crystals in triangular Kitaev-Heisenberg antiferromagnets
• Spin liquid in twisted homobilayers group-VI gichalcogenides
• Unconventional magnetic field response of the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $\beta -{\text{Li}}_2{\text{IrO}}_3$
• Hidden spin-orbital order in the Kitaev hyperhoneycomb $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Lattice dynamics and structural transition of the hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$ investigated by high-pressure Raman scattering
• Defect production and quench dynamics in the three-dimensional Kitaev model