Anderson–Kitaev spin liquid
Masahiko G. Yamada
Abstract
Abstract The bond-disordered Kitaev model attracts much attention due to the experimental relevance in α -RuCl 3 and A 3 LiIr 2 O 6 ( A = H, D, Ag, etc.). Applying a magnetic field to break the time-reversal symmetry leads to a strong modulation in mass terms for Dirac cones. Because of the smallness of the flux gap of the Kitaev model, a small bond disorder can have large influence on itinerant Majorana fermions. The quantization of the thermal Hall conductivity κ x y / T disappears by a quantum Hall transition induced by a small disorder, and κ x y / T shows a rapid crossover into a state with a negligible Hall current. We call this immobile liquid state Anderson–Kitaev spin liquid (AKSL). Especially, the critical disorder strength δ J c1 ~ 0.05 in the unit of the Kitaev interaction would have many implications for the stability of Kitaev spin liquids.