Phase diagram and quantum order by disorder in the Kitaev $K_1$-$K_2$ honeycomb magnet
ORAL
Abstract
We show that the topological Kitaev spin liquid on the honeycomb lattice is extremely fragile against the second neighbor Kitaev coupling $K_2$, which has been recently identified as the dominant perturbation away from the nearest neighbor model in iridate Na$_2$IrO$_3$, and may also play a role in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$. This coupling explains naturally the zig-zag ordering and the special entanglement between real and spin space observed recently in Na$_2$IrO$_3$. The minimal $K_1$-$K_2$ model that we present here holds in addition the unique property that the classical and quantum phase diagrams and their respective order-by-disorder mechanisms are qualitatively different due to their fundamentally different symmetry structure.
*NSF DMR-1511768; Freie Univ. Berlin Excellence Initiative of German Research Foundation; European Research Council, ERC-StG-336012; DFG-SFB 1170; DFG-SFB 1143, DFG-SPP 1666, and Helmholtz association VI-521.
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