Pressure-induced melting of magnetic order and emergence of new quantum state in alpha-RuCl3

Abstract

Here we report the observation of pressure-induced melting of antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and emergence of a new quantum state in the honeycomb-lattice halide alpha-RuCl3, a candidate compound in the proximity of quantum spin liquid state. Our high-pressure heat capacity measurements demonstrate that the AFM order smoothly melts away at a critical pressure (Pc) of 0.7 GPa. Intriguingly, the AFM transition temperature displays an increase upon applying pressure below the Pc, in stark contrast to usual phase diagrams, for example in pressurized parent compounds of unconventional superconductors. Furthermore, in the high-pressure phase an unusual steady of magnetoresistance is observed. These observations suggest that the high-pressure phase is in an exotic gapped quantum state which is robust against pressure up to ~140 GPa.

arXiv comment20 pages, 4 figures

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Cited by in corpus (34)

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• Electronic properties of α-RuCl3 in proximity to graphene
• Pressure-tuned magnetic interactions in honeycomb Kitaev materials
• Impact of off-diagonal exchange interactions on the Kitaev spin liquid state of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Giant magnetic in-plane anisotropy and competing instabilities in Na3Co2SbO6
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• Novel chiral quantum spin liquids in Kitaev magnets
• Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquids
• Bond ordering and phase transitions in Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$ under high pressure
• Stacking faults in $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ revealed by local electric polarization
• Uniaxial and hydrostatic pressure effects in alpha-RuCl3 single crystals via thermal-expansion measurements
• Evidence for magnetic fractional excitations in a Kitaev quantum-spin-liquid candidate $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Optical signature of the pressure-induced dimerization in the honeycomb iridate $\alpha$-Li${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Non-Kitaev spin liquids in Kitaev materials
• Comparing the influence of Floquet dynamics in various Kitaev-Heisenberg materials
• Low temperature enhancement of ferromagnetic Kitaev correlations in α-RuCl3
• Spin liquid in twisted homobilayers group-VI gichalcogenides
• Symmetry-protected gapless spin liquids on the strained honeycomb lattice
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• Phase diagram for Hole-Doped Kitaev System on the Honeycomb Lattice
• Magnetodielectric Properties in Two Dimensional Magnetic Insulators
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• Nesting instability of gapless U(1) spin liquids with spinon Fermi pockets in two dimensions