Thermodynamic properties in Kitaev spin liquids

The ground state of the bilayer Kitaev model with the Heisenberg-type interlayer exchange interaction is investigated by means of the exact diagonalization. Calculating the ground-state energy, local quantity defined on each plaquette, and dynamical spin structure factor, we obtain results suggesting the existence of a quantum phase transition between the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) and dimer singlet states when the interlayer coupling is antiferromagnetic. On the other hand, increasing the ferromagnetic interlayer coupling, there exists no singularity in the physical quantities, suggesting that the $S=1/2$ Kitaev QSL state realized in each layer adiabatically connects to another QSL state realized in the $S=1$ Kitaev model. Thermodynamic properties are also studied by means of the thermal pure quantum state method.The ground state of the bilayer Kitaev model with the Heisenberg-type interlayer exchange interaction is investigated by means of the exact diagonalization. Calculating the ground-state energy, local quantity defined on each plaquette, and dynamical spin structure factor, we obtain results suggesting the existence of a quantum phase transition between the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) and dimer singlet states when the interlayer coupling is antiferromagnetic. On the other hand, increasing the ferromagnetic interlayer coupling, there exists no singularity in the physical quantities, suggesting that the $S=1/2$ Kitaev QSL state realized in each layer adiabatically connects to another QSL state realized in the $S=1$ Kitaev model. Thermodynamic properties are also studied by means of the thermal pure quantum state method.

arXiv:1902.00165Physical review. B./Physical review. BMay 23, 201916 citations

Concept and realization of Kitaev quantum spin liquids

H. Takagi, T. Takayama, George Jackeli +2 more

arXiv:1903.08081Nature Reviews PhysicsMar 25, 2019813 citations

Thermodynamics of three-dimensional Kitaev quantum spin liquids via tensor networks

Saeed S. Jahromi, Hadi Yarloo, Román Orús

We study the 3D Kitaev and Kitaev-Heisenberg models, respectively, on the hyperhoneycomb and hyperoctagon lattices, both at zero and finite-temperature, in the thermodynamic limit. Our analysis relies on advanced tensor network (TN) simulations based on graph projected entangled-pair states (gPEPS). We map out the TN phase diagrams of the models and characterize their underlying gapped and gapless phases both at zero and finite temperature. In particular, we demonstrate how cooling down the hyperhoneycomb system from high temperature leads to fractionalization of spins to Majorana fermions and gauge fields that occurs in two separate temperature regimes, leaving their fingerprint on specific heat as a double-peak feature as well as on other quantities such as the thermal entropy, spin-spin correlations, and bond entropy. Using the Majorana representation of the Kitaev model, we further show that the low-temperature thermal transition to the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) phase is associated with the nontrivial Majorana band topology and the presence of Weyl nodes, which manifests itself via nonvanishing Chern number and finite thermal Hall conductivity. Beyond the pure Kitaev limit, we study the 3D Kitaev-Heisenberg (KH) model on the hyperoctagon lattice and extract the full phase diagram for different Heisenberg couplings. We further explore the thermodynamic properties of the magnetically-ordered regions in the KH model and show that, in contrast to the QSL phase, here the thermal phase transition follows the standard Landau symmetry-breaking theory.We study the 3D Kitaev and Kitaev-Heisenberg models, respectively, on the hyperhoneycomb and hyperoctagon lattices, both at zero and finite-temperature, in the thermodynamic limit. Our analysis relies on advanced tensor network (TN) simulations based on graph projected entangled-pair states (gPEPS). We map out the TN phase diagrams of the models and characterize their underlying gapped and gapless phases both at zero and finite temperature. In particular, we demonstrate how cooling down the hyperhoneycomb system from high temperature leads to fractionalization of spins to Majorana fermions and gauge fields that occurs in two separate temperature regimes, leaving their fingerprint on specific heat as a double-peak feature as well as on other quantities such as the thermal entropy, spin-spin correlations, and bond entropy. Using the Majorana representation of the Kitaev model, we further show that the low-temperature thermal transition to the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL) phase is associated with the nontrivial Majorana band topology and the presence of Weyl nodes, which manifests itself via nonvanishing Chern number and finite thermal Hall conductivity. Beyond the pure Kitaev limit, we study the 3D Kitaev-Heisenberg (KH) model on the hyperoctagon lattice and extract the full phase diagram for different Heisenberg couplings. We further explore the thermodynamic properties of the magnetically-ordered regions in the KH model and show that, in contrast to the QSL phase, here the thermal phase transition follows the standard Landau symmetry-breaking theory.

arXiv:2011.11577Physical Review ResearchSep 2, 202113 citations

Dynamics of Kitaev Spin Liquid under A Local Magnetic Field

Shuang Liang, Wei Chen

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyMar 8, 20180 citations

Thermodynamic behavior of modified integer-spin Kitaev models on the honeycomb lattice

Owen Bradley, J. Oitmaa, Diptiman Sen +1 more

We study the thermodynamic behavior of modified spin-S Kitaev models introduced by Baskaran, Sen, and Shankar [Phys. Rev. B 78, 115116 (2008)PRBMDO1098-012110.1103/PhysRevB.78.115116]. These models have the property that for half-odd-integer spins their eigenstates map on to those of spin-1/2 Kitaev models, with well-known highly entangled quantum spin-liquid states and Majorana fermions. For integer spins, the Hamiltonian is made out of commuting local operators. Thus, the eigenstates can be chosen to be completely unentangled between different sites, though with a significant degeneracy for each eigenstate. For half-odd-integer spins, the thermodynamic properties can be related to the spin-1/2 Kitaev models apart from an additional degeneracy. Hence we focus here on the case of integer spins. We use transfer matrix methods, high-temperature expansions, and Monte Carlo simulations to study the thermodynamic properties of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic models with spin S=1 and S=2. Apart from large residual entropies, which all the models have, we find that they can have a variety of different behaviors. Transfer matrix calculations show that for the different models, the correlation lengths can be finite as T→0, become critical as T→0, or diverge exponentially as T→0. The Z_{2} flux variable associated with each hexagonal plaquette saturates at the value +1 as T→0 in all models except the S=1 antiferromagnet where the mean flux remains zero as T→0. We provide qualitative explanations for these results.We study the thermodynamic behavior of modified spin-S Kitaev models introduced by Baskaran, Sen, and Shankar [Phys. Rev. B 78, 115116 (2008)PRBMDO1098-012110.1103/PhysRevB.78.115116]. These models have the property that for half-odd-integer spins their eigenstates map on to those of spin-1/2 Kitaev models, with well-known highly entangled quantum spin-liquid states and Majorana fermions. For integer spins, the Hamiltonian is made out of commuting local operators. Thus, the eigenstates can be chosen to be completely unentangled between different sites, though with a significant degeneracy for each eigenstate. For half-odd-integer spins, the thermodynamic properties can be related to the spin-1/2 Kitaev models apart from an additional degeneracy. Hence we focus here on the case of integer spins. We use transfer matrix methods, high-temperature expansions, and Monte Carlo simulations to study the thermodynamic properties of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic models with spin S=1 and S=2. Apart from large residual entropies, which all the models have, we find that they can have a variety of different behaviors. Transfer matrix calculations show that for the different models, the correlation lengths can be finite as T→0, become critical as T→0, or diverge exponentially as T→0. The Z_{2} flux variable associated with each hexagonal plaquette saturates at the value +1 as T→0 in all models except the S=1 antiferromagnet where the mean flux remains zero as T→0. We provide qualitative explanations for these results.

arXiv:2005.01255Physical review. EFeb 5, 20211 citation

S=1/2

Kitaev QSL state realized in each layer adiabatically connects to another QSL state realized in the

S=1

Kitaev model. Thermodynamic properties are also studied by means of the thermal pure quantum state method.