Investigation of the magnetoelastic coupling anisotropy in the Kitaev material $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$

Abstract

The Kitaev material $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ is among the most prominent candidates to host a quantum spin-liquid state endowed with fractionalized excitations. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations have separately revealed the importance of both the magnetoelastic coupling and the magnetic anisotropy, in dependence of the applied magnetic field direction. In this combined theoretical and experimental research, we investigate the anisotropic magnetic and magnetoelastic properties for magnetic fields applied along the main crystallographic axes as well as for fields canted out of the honeycomb plane. We found that the magnetostriction anisotropy is unusually large compared to the anisotropy of the magnetization, which is related to the strong magnetoelastic $\widetilde{{\Gamma }^{\prime }}$-type coupling in our \textit{ab-initio} derived model. We observed large, non-symmetric magnetic anisotropy for magnetic fields canted out of the honeycomb $ab$-plane in opposite directions, namely towards the $+c^{\ast }$ or $-c^{\ast }$ axes, respectively. The observed directional anisotropy is explained by considering the relative orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the co-aligned RuCl${}_6$ octahedra. Magnetostriction measurements in canted fields support this non-symmetric magnetic anisotropy, however these experiments are affected by magnetic torque effects. Comparison of theoretical predictions with experimental findings allow us to recognize the significant contribution of torque effects in experimental setups where $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ is placed in canted magnetic fields.

arXiv commentmain + supplementary, 12 + 3 pages, 6 + 4 figures, Accepted version

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• Oscillations in the magnetothermal conductivity of $\mathbf{\alpha }$-RuCl${}_3$: Evidence of transition anomalies
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• Extended Quantum Spin Liquid with Spinon-like Excitations in an Anisotropic Kitaev-Gamma Model
• Static and fluctuating zigzag order, and possible signatures of Kitaev physics, in torque measurements of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$
• Phonon Dynamics in the Chiral Kitaev Spin Liquid
• Dilution of the magnetic lattice in the Kitaev candidate $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ by Rh${}^{3+}$ doping
• Sound attenuation in the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev spin liquid
• Real-time control of non-Abelian anyons in Kitaev spin liquid under energy dissipation
• Optical detection of bond-dependent and frustrated spin in the two-dimensional cobalt-based honeycomb antiferromagnet Cu3Co2SbO6
• Magnetodielectric Properties in Two Dimensional Magnetic Insulators
• Magnetostriction in the $J$-$K$-$\Gamma$ model: Application of the numerical linked cluster expansion
• Spin disorder state induced by Mg${}^{2+}$ doping in a Kitaev material Na${}_3$Co${}_2$SbO${}_6$
• Critical behavior and evidence of dimensional crossover in quasi-two-dimensional Li${}_2$FeSiO${}_4$