Evidence for the first-order topological phase transition in a Kitaev spin liquid candidate $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$

S. Suetsugu, Y. Ukai, M. Shimomura +9

The Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) on the two-dimensional honeycomb lattice epitomizes an entangled topological state, where the spins fractionalize into Majorana fermions. This…