Kitaev quantum spin liquids
Yuji Matsuda, T. Shibauchi, Hae‐Young Kee
Abstract
Frustration in spin systems can prevent ordering even at $T=0$, creating quantum spin liquids that have been sought since Anderson's pioneering work in 1973 and his influential 1987 paper connecting them to high-temperature superconductivity. Kitaev's solvable spin-1/2 models on a honeycomb lattice brought renewed attention to this field, with Jackeli and Khaliullin later revealing how to engineer Kitaev interactions in real materials. This review highlights theoretical and experimental developments in Kitaev spin liquids, emphasizing leading candidate materials and their broad topological properties such as chiral edge modes. Consequently, it provides essential insights for both experimentalists and theorists working on quantum spin liquid problems.