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arXiv · 1308.4336

Dynamics of a two-dimensional quantum spin liquid: signatures of emergent Majorana fermions and fluxes

J. Knolle·D. L. Kovrizhin·J. T. Chalker·R. Moessner
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Abstract

Topological states of matter present a wide variety of striking new phenomena. Prominent among these is the fractionalisation of electrons into unusual particles: Majorana fermions [1], Laughlin quasiparticles [2] or magnetic monopoles [3]. Their detection, however, is fundamentally complicated by the lack of any local order, such as, for example, the magnetisation in a ferromagnet. While there are now several instances of candidate topological spin liquids [4], their identification remains challenging [5]. Here, we provide a complete and exact theoretical study of the dynamical structure factor of a two-dimensional quantum spin liquid in gapless and gapped phases. We show that there are direct signatures - qualitative and quantitative - of the Majorana fermions and gauge fluxes emerging in Kitaev's honeycomb model. These include counterintuitive manifestations of quantum number fractionalisation, such as a neutron scattering response with a gap even in the presence of gapless excitations, and a sharp component despite the fractionalisation of electron spin. Our analysis identifies new varieties of the venerable X-ray edge problem and explores connections to the physics of quantum quenches.

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J. Knolle, D. L. Kovrizhin, J. T. Chalker, R. Moessner. 2013-08-20. Dynamics of a two-dimensional quantum spin liquid: signatures of emergent Majorana fermions and fluxes. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.112.207203

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