Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1902.06166 · Physical Review Letters

Vison Crystals in an Extended Kitaev Model on the Honeycomb Lattice

Shang-Shun Zhang, Zhentao Wang, Gábor B. Halász, Cristian D. Batista

Published Jul 31, 2019• 38 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce an extension of the Kitaev honeycomb model by including four-spin interactions that preserve the local gauge structure and, hence, the integrability of the original model. The extended model has a rich phase diagram containing five distinct vison crystals, as well as a symmetric π-flux spin liquid with a Fermi surface of Majorana fermions and a sequence of Lifshitz transitions. We discuss possible experimental signatures and, in particular, present finite-temperature Monte Carlo calculations of the specific heat and the static vison structure factor. We argue that our extended model emerges naturally from generic perturbations to the Kitaev honeycomb model.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.123.057201

Related papers

Thermodynamics of vison crystals in an anisotropic quantum spin liquid

Ritwika Majumder, Onur Erten, Anamitra Mukherjee

Using unbiased Monte Carlo simulations and variational analysis, we present the ground state and finite-temperature phase diagrams of an exactly solvable spin-orbital model with Kitaev-type interactions on a square lattice. We show that an array of gapped and gapless vison crystals, characterized by the periodic arrangement of ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ flux excitations, can be stabilized as a function of external magnetic field and exchange anisotropy. In particular, we discover a variety of ``quarter phases'' wherein different 16-site periodic patterns emerge, with only a quarter of the fluxes adopting zero-flux configurations. In contrast, the rest remain in $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux configurations. Vison crystals break translational symmetry and undergo finite-temperature phase transitions. We investigate the finite-temperature properties of these phases and report the corresponding critical and crossover temperatures. Our results reveal an array of novel phases in exactly solvable extensions of the Kitaev model, wherein local and topological orders can coexist.

arXiv:2401.14525•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Sep 30, 2024•5 citations

Thermal quench dynamics of visons in gapless Kitaev spin liquid

Yang Yang, Gia-Wei Chern

Understanding the nonequilibrium relaxation dynamics of quantum spin liquids is an important and relatively unexplored frontier, where fractionalized quasiparticles and emergent gauge fields can give rise to dynamical behaviors far beyond those of conventional magnets. Here we study the relaxation dynamics of the Kitaev honeycomb model following a thermal quench, focusing on visons—gapped $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$$ flux excitations of the emergent gauge field in the Kitaev spin liquid. The long-time evolution is governed by the diffusion and pair annihilation of visons, with both the activation barrier for vison motion and the effective vison-vison interactions mediated by fractionalized Majorana fermions. The resulting open-system quantum dynamics, induced by coupling to a thermal bath, can be efficiently simulated using an effective kinetic Monte Carlo approach. We uncover a rich set of temperature-dependent dynamical regimes. With decreasing temperature, the relaxation crosses over from diffusion-limited annihilation to terminal-velocity–limited kinetics, and ultimately to pronounced dynamical arrest and freezing. We show that this freezing behavior is closely tied to the formation of long-lived, metastable $$\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}$$ vison crystals, which strongly suppress further annihilation. Remarkably, even in the absence of true long-range crystalline order, the system exhibits a hidden coarsening dynamics of vison superclusters associated with an emergent $${{\mathbb{Z}}}_{3}$$ symmetry.

arXiv:2412.17774•npj Quantum Materials•Jun 6, 2026•2 citations

Further insights into the thermodynamics of the Kitaev honeycomb model

Kexin Feng, Natalia Borisovna Perkins, F. J. Burnell

Here we revisit the thermodynamics of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid realized on the honeycomb lattice. We address two main questions: First, we investigate whether there are observable thermodynamic signatures of the topological Majorana boundary modes of the Kitaev honeycomb model. We argue that for the time-reversal invariant case the residual low-temperature entropy is the primary thermodynamic signature of these Majorana edge modes. Using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we verify that this residual entropy is present in the full Kitaev model. When time-reversal symmetry is broken, the Majorana edge modes are potentially observable in more direct thermodynamic measurements such as the specific heat, though only at temperatures well below the bulk gap. Second, we study the energetics, and the corresponding thermodynamic signatures, of the flux excitations in the Kitaev model. Specifically, we study the flux interactions on both cylinder and torus geometries numerically and quantify their impact on the thermodynamics of the Kitaev spin liquid by using a polynomial fit for the average flux energy as a function of flux density and extrapolating it to the thermodynamic limit. By comparing this model to Monte Carlo simulations, we find that flux interactions have a significant quantitative impact on the shape and the position of the low-temperature peak in the specific heat.

arXiv:2008.01822•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 1, 2020•19 citations

Revised thermodynamics of the Kitaev honeycomb model

Kexin Feng, Natalia Borisovna Perkins, F. J. Burnell

Here we revisit the thermodynamics of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid realized on the honeycomb lattice. We address two main questions: First, we investigate whether there are observable thermodynamic signatures of the topological Majorana boundary modes of the Kitaev honeycomb model. We argue that for the time-reversal invariant case the residual low-temperature entropy is the primary thermodynamic signature of these Majorana edge modes, and verify using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations that this residual entropy is present in the full Kitaev model. When time-reversal symmetry is broken, the Majorana edge modes are potentially observable in more direct thermodynamic measurements such as the specific heat, though only at temperatures well below the bulk gap. % Second, we study the energetics, and the corresponding thermodynamic signatures, of the flux excitations in the Kitaev model. Specifically, we study the flux interactions on both cylinder and torus geometries numerically, and quantify their impact on the thermodynamics of the Kitaev spin liquid by using a polynomial fit for the average flux energy as a function of flux density and extrapolating it to the thermodynamic limit. By comparing this model to Monte Carlo simulations, we find that flux interactions have a significant quantitative impact on the shape and the position of the low-temperature peak in the specific heat.

•Aug 4, 2020•0 citations

Nature of visons in the perturbed ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Kitaev honeycomb models

Chuan Chen, Inti Sodemann

The Kitaev honeycomb model features emergent anyons in the form of a Majorana fermion and a non-Abelian excitation known as the vison. While visons are static in the ideal model, certain perturbations can induce their motion. Here, it is demonstrated that the vison dynamics induced by Zeeman perturbations are sharply distinct in the ferromagnetic versus the antiferromagnetic model. Namely, in the ferromagnetic model the vison has a trivial translational symmetry and zero Berry curvature, whereas in the antiferromagnetic model it experiences a $\ensuremath{\pi}$ flux per unit cell and has two bands with opposite Chern numbers, leading to an intrinsic contribution to the thermal Hall effect.

arXiv:2207.09492•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jan 10, 2023•18 citations

Visons in Kitaev spin liquids with Majorana Fermi surfaces

Anonymous, Rodrigo G. Pereira

The excitation spectrum of Kitaev quantum spin liquids consists of itinerant Majorana fermions, which can be gapless or gapped, and vortices of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge field, known as visons, which are \new{gapped within a stable $\mathbb Z_2$ spin liquid phase}. In this work, we investigate visons in Kitaev-type models where the Majorana fermions form a Fermi surface. In this case, the creation of a vison pair is analogous to introducing a local impurity potential in a metal. Since the gapless modes lead to strong finite-size effects, we compare the numerical calculation of the \new{two-vison gap} on finite lattices with the result from an analytical approach based on Green's function techniques. We find that the \new{two-vison gap} decreases as the size of the Fermi surface increases, signalling an instability of the quantum spin liquid ground state. We also show that larger Fermi surfaces tend to suppress the change in local spin correlations due to the Majorana-vison scattering potential.

arXiv:2604.23014•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Aug 11, 2026•1 citation
We introduce an extension of the Kitaev honeycomb model by including four-spin interactions that preserve the local gauge structure and, hence, the integrability of the original model. The extended model has a rich phase diagram containing five distinct vison crystals, as well as a symmetric π-flux spin liquid with a Fermi surface of Majorana fermions and a sequence of Lifshitz transitions. We discuss possible experimental signatures and, in particular, present finite-temperature Monte Carlo calculations of the specific heat and the static vison structure factor. We argue that our extended model emerges naturally from generic perturbations to the Kitaev honeycomb model.
Using unbiased Monte Carlo simulations and variational analysis, we present the ground state and finite-temperature phase diagrams of an exactly solvable spin-orbital model with Kitaev-type interactions on a square lattice. We show that an array of gapped and gapless vison crystals, characterized by the periodic arrangement of Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ flux excitations, can be stabilized as a function of external magnetic field and exchange anisotropy. In particular, we discover a variety of ``quarter phases'' wherein different 16-site periodic patterns emerge, with only a quarter of the fluxes adopting zero-flux configurations. In contrast, the rest remain in $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux configurations. Vison crystals break translational symmetry and undergo finite-temperature phase transitions. We investigate the finite-temperature properties of these phases and report the corresponding critical and crossover temperatures. Our results reveal an array of novel phases in exactly solvable extensions of the Kitaev model, wherein local and topological orders can coexist.
Understanding the nonequilibrium relaxation dynamics of quantum spin liquids is an important and relatively unexplored frontier, where fractionalized quasiparticles and emergent gauge fields can give rise to dynamical behaviors far beyond those of conventional magnets. Here we study the relaxation dynamics of the Kitaev honeycomb model following a thermal quench, focusing on visons—gapped Z2{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}Z2​ flux excitations of the emergent gauge field in the Kitaev spin liquid. The long-time evolution is governed by the diffusion and pair annihilation of visons, with both the activation barrier for vison motion and the effective vison-vison interactions mediated by fractionalized Majorana fermions. The resulting open-system quantum dynamics, induced by coupling to a thermal bath, can be efficiently simulated using an effective kinetic Monte Carlo approach. We uncover a rich set of temperature-dependent dynamical regimes. With decreasing temperature, the relaxation crosses over from diffusion-limited annihilation to terminal-velocity–limited kinetics, and ultimately to pronounced dynamical arrest and freezing. We show that this freezing behavior is closely tied to the formation of long-lived, metastable 3×3\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}3​×3​ vison crystals, which strongly suppress further annihilation. Remarkably, even in the absence of true long-range crystalline order, the system exhibits a hidden coarsening dynamics of vison superclusters associated with an emergent Z3{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{3}Z3​ symmetry.
Here we revisit the thermodynamics of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid realized on the honeycomb lattice. We address two main questions: First, we investigate whether there are observable thermodynamic signatures of the topological Majorana boundary modes of the Kitaev honeycomb model. We argue that for the time-reversal invariant case the residual low-temperature entropy is the primary thermodynamic signature of these Majorana edge modes. Using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we verify that this residual entropy is present in the full Kitaev model. When time-reversal symmetry is broken, the Majorana edge modes are potentially observable in more direct thermodynamic measurements such as the specific heat, though only at temperatures well below the bulk gap. Second, we study the energetics, and the corresponding thermodynamic signatures, of the flux excitations in the Kitaev model. Specifically, we study the flux interactions on both cylinder and torus geometries numerically and quantify their impact on the thermodynamics of the Kitaev spin liquid by using a polynomial fit for the average flux energy as a function of flux density and extrapolating it to the thermodynamic limit. By comparing this model to Monte Carlo simulations, we find that flux interactions have a significant quantitative impact on the shape and the position of the low-temperature peak in the specific heat.
Here we revisit the thermodynamics of the Kitaev quantum spin liquid realized on the honeycomb lattice. We address two main questions: First, we investigate whether there are observable thermodynamic signatures of the topological Majorana boundary modes of the Kitaev honeycomb model. We argue that for the time-reversal invariant case the residual low-temperature entropy is the primary thermodynamic signature of these Majorana edge modes, and verify using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations that this residual entropy is present in the full Kitaev model. When time-reversal symmetry is broken, the Majorana edge modes are potentially observable in more direct thermodynamic measurements such as the specific heat, though only at temperatures well below the bulk gap. % Second, we study the energetics, and the corresponding thermodynamic signatures, of the flux excitations in the Kitaev model. Specifically, we study the flux interactions on both cylinder and torus geometries numerically, and quantify their impact on the thermodynamics of the Kitaev spin liquid by using a polynomial fit for the average flux energy as a function of flux density and extrapolating it to the thermodynamic limit. By comparing this model to Monte Carlo simulations, we find that flux interactions have a significant quantitative impact on the shape and the position of the low-temperature peak in the specific heat.
The Kitaev honeycomb model features emergent anyons in the form of a Majorana fermion and a non-Abelian excitation known as the vison. While visons are static in the ideal model, certain perturbations can induce their motion. Here, it is demonstrated that the vison dynamics induced by Zeeman perturbations are sharply distinct in the ferromagnetic versus the antiferromagnetic model. Namely, in the ferromagnetic model the vison has a trivial translational symmetry and zero Berry curvature, whereas in the antiferromagnetic model it experiences a $\ensuremath{\pi}$ flux per unit cell and has two bands with opposite Chern numbers, leading to an intrinsic contribution to the thermal Hall effect.
The excitation spectrum of Kitaev quantum spin liquids consists of itinerant Majorana fermions, which can be gapless or gapped, and vortices of a Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ gauge field, known as visons, which are \new{gapped within a stable Z2\mathbb Z_2Z2​ spin liquid phase}. In this work, we investigate visons in Kitaev-type models where the Majorana fermions form a Fermi surface. In this case, the creation of a vison pair is analogous to introducing a local impurity potential in a metal. Since the gapless modes lead to strong finite-size effects, we compare the numerical calculation of the \new{two-vison gap} on finite lattices with the result from an analytical approach based on Green's function techniques. We find that the \new{two-vison gap} decreases as the size of the Fermi surface increases, signalling an instability of the quantum spin liquid ground state. We also show that larger Fermi surfaces tend to suppress the change in local spin correlations due to the Majorana-vison scattering potential.