Electronically highly cubic conditions for Ru in alpha-RuCl3

Abstract

We studied the local Ru 4d electronic structure of alpha-RuCl3 by means of polarization dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ru-L2,3 edges. We observed a vanishingly small linear dichroism indicating that electronically the Ru 4d local symmetry is highly cubic. Using full multiplet cluster calculations we were able to reproduce the spectra excellently and to extract that the trigonal splitting of the t2g orbitals is -12 $\pm 10$ meV, i.e. negligible as compared to the Ru 4d spin-orbit coupling constant. Consistent with our magnetic circular dichroism measurements, we found that the ratio of the orbital and spin moments is 2.0, the value expected for a Jeff = 1/2 ground state. We have thus shown that as far as the Ru 4d local properties are concerned, alpha-RuCl3 is an ideal candidate for the realization of Kitaev physics.

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Cited by in corpus (22)

• Kitaev quantum spin liquid - concept and materialization
• Models and Materials for Generalized Kitaev Magnetism
• Excitations in the field-induced quantum spin liquid state of alpha-RuCl3
• Magnetic Excitations and Continuum of a Field-Induced Quantum Spin Liquid in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Ferromagnetic Kitaev interaction and the origin of large magnetic anisotropy in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Heisenberg-Kitaev physics in magnetic fields
• Nature of the magnetism of iridium in the double perovskite Sr2CoIrO6
• Anisotropic susceptibilities in the honeycomb Kitaev system $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Proximate ferromagnetic state in the Kitaev model material $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Dynamical and thermal magnetic properties of the Kitaev spin liquid candidate $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Pressure-induced collapse of spin-orbital Mott state in the hyperhoneycomb iridate $\beta$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Magnon dispersion and dynamic spin response in three-dimensional spin models for $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$: a progress report
• Susceptibility anisotropy and its disorder evolution in models for Kitaev materials
• Multiple Spin-Orbit Excitons and the Electronic Structure of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Exchange interactions in $d^5$ Kitaev materials: From Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$ to $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Signatures of Kitaev interactions in the van der Waals ferromagnet VI3
• Sub-gap optical response across the structural phase transition in van der Waals layered α-RuCl${}_3$
• Low temperature enhancement of ferromagnetic Kitaev correlations in α-RuCl3
• Proximate Kitaev system for an intermediate magnetic phase in in-plane magnetic fields
• Thermal decomposition of the Kitaev material $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ and its influence on low-temperature behavior
• First-principles study of bulk stacking, $J_{\mathrm{eff}}$ picture, magnetic Hamiltonian, $g$ factors, and structural distortions of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$