Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: AlJishi, Abdullah, AlSwaid, Ali, Ekhwan, Moayad, Bahlouli, Hocine, Bomantara, Raditya Weda, Vogl, Michael
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.20181
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911698751848448
author AlJishi, Abdullah
AlSwaid, Ali
Ekhwan, Moayad
Bahlouli, Hocine
Bomantara, Raditya Weda
Vogl, Michael
author_facet AlJishi, Abdullah
AlSwaid, Ali
Ekhwan, Moayad
Bahlouli, Hocine
Bomantara, Raditya Weda
Vogl, Michael
contents Motivated by the growing interest in spin liquids and topological phases, as well as the rise of deformation engineering, we study the combined effects of deformation and magnetic fields on the honeycomb Kitaev model. The Kitaev model, as one of the prototypical and exactly solvable spin liquid-hosting models, serves as a simple platform that demonstrates the rich physics one can expect at the intersection of deformation physics and quantum spin liquids. Our work builds on a simplified solution to the undeformed base model that we present. This simplified solution allows for a straightforward extension of our analysis to the deformed case. After incorporating periodic deformations into the Kitaev model (chosen for its similarity to moiré physics), we investigate the effects of a hexagonally symmetric deformation on the band structure. We find that deformation leads to a smaller Brillouin zone with new band gaps at the edges, indicating the potential for topological transitions. Finally, we introduce a magnetic field to break time-reversal symmetry and thereby allow for non-trivial topology. We find that, under specific parameter conditions, the magnetic field leads to multiple band-gap closings and openings. An investigation into topological properties reveals nontrivial Chern numbers and a plethora of topological transitions. Our results suggest possible thermal Hall or Nernst-type responses. We also suggest a potential bulk measurement approach for he Chern numbers and possible path to physical realization. Most importantly, our results serve as a demonstration of the rich phenomenology that can arise due to the interplay between deformation and spin-liquid physics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_20181
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Band Structure and topology of a periodically deformed Kitaev honeycomb model
AlJishi, Abdullah
AlSwaid, Ali
Ekhwan, Moayad
Bahlouli, Hocine
Bomantara, Raditya Weda
Vogl, Michael
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Motivated by the growing interest in spin liquids and topological phases, as well as the rise of deformation engineering, we study the combined effects of deformation and magnetic fields on the honeycomb Kitaev model. The Kitaev model, as one of the prototypical and exactly solvable spin liquid-hosting models, serves as a simple platform that demonstrates the rich physics one can expect at the intersection of deformation physics and quantum spin liquids. Our work builds on a simplified solution to the undeformed base model that we present. This simplified solution allows for a straightforward extension of our analysis to the deformed case. After incorporating periodic deformations into the Kitaev model (chosen for its similarity to moiré physics), we investigate the effects of a hexagonally symmetric deformation on the band structure. We find that deformation leads to a smaller Brillouin zone with new band gaps at the edges, indicating the potential for topological transitions. Finally, we introduce a magnetic field to break time-reversal symmetry and thereby allow for non-trivial topology. We find that, under specific parameter conditions, the magnetic field leads to multiple band-gap closings and openings. An investigation into topological properties reveals nontrivial Chern numbers and a plethora of topological transitions. Our results suggest possible thermal Hall or Nernst-type responses. We also suggest a potential bulk measurement approach for he Chern numbers and possible path to physical realization. Most importantly, our results serve as a demonstration of the rich phenomenology that can arise due to the interplay between deformation and spin-liquid physics.
title Band Structure and topology of a periodically deformed Kitaev honeycomb model
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.20181