npj Quantum Materials (Mar 2025)

Continuum of magnetic excitations in the Kitaev honeycomb iridate D3LiIr2O6

  • Thomas Halloran,
  • Yishu Wang,
  • K. W. Plumb,
  • M. B. Stone,
  • Barry Winn,
  • M. K. Graves-Brook,
  • J. A. Rodriguez-Rivera,
  • Yiming Qiu,
  • Prashant Chauhan,
  • Johannes Knolle,
  • Roderich Moessner,
  • N. P. Armitage,
  • Tomohiro Takayama,
  • Hidenori Takagi,
  • Collin Broholm

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-025-00748-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements of powder D3(7Li)(193Ir)2O6 reveal low energy magnetic excitations with a scattering cross-section that is broad in ∣Q∣ and energy transfer. The magnetic nature of the excitation spectrum is demonstrated by longitudinally polarized neutron scattering. The total magnetic moment of 1.8(4)μ B /Ir inferred from the observed magnetic scattering cross-section is consistent with the effective moment inferred from magnetic susceptibility data and expectations for the J eff = 1/2 single ion state. The rise in the dynamic correlation function $${\mathcal{S}}(Q,\omega )$$ S ( Q , ω ) for ℏ ω < 5 meV can be described by a simple model assuming nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin exchange, such as that found in the Kitaev model. Exchange disorder associated with the D site likely plays an important role in stabilizing the low T quantum fluctuating state1,2.