Geometrical frustration versus Kitaev interactions in BaCo2(AsO4)2

Thomas Halloran, Félix Desrochers, Emily Z. Zhang, Tong Chen, Li Ern Chern, Zhijun Xu, Barry Winn, M. Graves-Brook, M. B. Stone, Alexander I. Kolesnikov, Yiming Qiu, Ruidan Zhong, Robert Cava, Yong Baek Kim, Collin Broholm

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recently, Co-based honeycomb magnets have been proposed as promising candidate materials to host the Kitaev spin liquid (KSL) state. One of the front-runners is BaCo2(AsO4)2 (BCAO), where it was suggested that the exchange processes between Co2+ ions via the surrounding edge-sharing oxygen octahedra could give rise to bond-dependent Kitaev interactions. In this work, we present and analyze a comprehensive inelastic neutron scattering (INS) study of BCAO with fields in the honeycomb plane. Combining the constraints from the magnon excitations in the high-field polarized state and the inelastic spin structure factor measured in zero magnetic field, we examine two leading theoretical models: the Kitaev-type JK 000 model and the XXZ-J1-J3model. We show that the existing experimental data can be consistently accounted for by the XXZ-J1-J3model but not by the JK 000 model, and we discuss the implications of these results for the realization of a spin liquid phase in BCAO and more generally for the realization of the Kitaev model in cobaltates.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere2215509119
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume120
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 10 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Keywords

  • Kitaev model
  • frustrated magnetism
  • inelastic neutron scattering
  • molecular dynamics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Geometrical frustration versus Kitaev interactions in BaCo2(AsO4)2'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this