$\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices in the ground states of classical Kitaev-Heisenberg models

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Auteurs principaux: Seabrook, Eddie, Baez, Maria Laura, Reuther, Johannes
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2019
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author Seabrook, Eddie
Baez, Maria Laura
Reuther, Johannes
author_facet Seabrook, Eddie
Baez, Maria Laura
Reuther, Johannes
contents The classical nearest neighbor Kitaev-Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice is known to host $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin-vortices forming a crystalline superstructure in the ground state. The $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices in this system can be understood as distortions of the local $120^\circ$ Néel parent order of the Heisenberg-only Hamiltonian. Here, we explore possibilities of stabilizing further types of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases in Kitaev-Heisenberg models including those which rely on more complicated types of non-collinear parent orders such as tetrahedral states. We perform extensive scans through large classes of Kitaev-Heisenberg models on different lattices employing a two-step methodology which first involves a mean-field analysis followed by a stochastic iterative minimization approach. When allowing for longer-range Kitaev couplings we identify several new $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases such as a state based on the $120^\circ$ Néel order on the triangular lattice which shows a coexistence of different $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex types. Furthermore, perturbing the tetrahedral order on the triangular lattice with a suitable combination of first and second neighbor Kitaev interactions we find that a kagome-like superstructure of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices may be stabilized where vortices feature a counter-rotating winding of spins on different sublattices. This last phase may also be extended to honeycomb lattices where it is related to cubic types of parent orders. In total, this analysis shows that $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases appear in much wider contexts than the $120^\circ$ Néel ordered systems previously studied.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_1911_02276
institution arXiv
publishDate 2019
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices in the ground states of classical Kitaev-Heisenberg models
Seabrook, Eddie
Baez, Maria Laura
Reuther, Johannes
Strongly Correlated Electrons
The classical nearest neighbor Kitaev-Heisenberg model on the triangular lattice is known to host $\mathbb{Z}_2$ spin-vortices forming a crystalline superstructure in the ground state. The $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices in this system can be understood as distortions of the local $120^\circ$ Néel parent order of the Heisenberg-only Hamiltonian. Here, we explore possibilities of stabilizing further types of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases in Kitaev-Heisenberg models including those which rely on more complicated types of non-collinear parent orders such as tetrahedral states. We perform extensive scans through large classes of Kitaev-Heisenberg models on different lattices employing a two-step methodology which first involves a mean-field analysis followed by a stochastic iterative minimization approach. When allowing for longer-range Kitaev couplings we identify several new $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases such as a state based on the $120^\circ$ Néel order on the triangular lattice which shows a coexistence of different $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex types. Furthermore, perturbing the tetrahedral order on the triangular lattice with a suitable combination of first and second neighbor Kitaev interactions we find that a kagome-like superstructure of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices may be stabilized where vortices feature a counter-rotating winding of spins on different sublattices. This last phase may also be extended to honeycomb lattices where it is related to cubic types of parent orders. In total, this analysis shows that $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex phases appear in much wider contexts than the $120^\circ$ Néel ordered systems previously studied.
title $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortices in the ground states of classical Kitaev-Heisenberg models
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.02276