Half-integer quantized anomalous thermal Hall effect in the Kitaev material candidate α-RuCl 3

Abstract

A thermal signature Although the material α-ruthenium chloride exhibits some of the physics associated with Kitaev spin liquids, it is not a perfect representation of this model. Yokoi et al . probed the limits of the Kitaev description by studying the thermal Hall response in this material. Applying an external magnetic field both in the plane of the sample and at an angle to it, the researchers observed a half-integer quantization of the thermal Hall signal. The findings suggest the formation of a topological state consistent with the Kitaev model. —JS