Emergent quantum phases in a frustrated J1-J2 Heisenberg model on hyperhoneycomb lattice

Abstract

We investigate possible quantum ground states as well as the classical limit of a frustrated J1-J2 Heisenberg model on the three-dimensional (3D) hyperhoneycomb lattice. Our study is inspired by the recent discovery of beta-Li2IrO3, where Ir^{4+} ions form a 3D network with each lattice site being connected to three nearest neighbors. We focus on the influence of magnetic frustration caused by the second-nearest neighbor spin interactions. Such interactions are likely to be significant due to large extent of 5d orbitals in iridates or other 5d transition metal oxides. In the classical limit, the ground state manifold is given by line degeneracies of the spiral magnetic-order wavevectors when J2/J1\gtrsim 0.17 while the collinear stripy order is included in the degenerate manifold when J2/J1 = 0.5. Quantum order-by-disorder effects are studied using both the semi-classical $1/S$ expansion in the spin wave theory and Schwinger boson approach. In general, certain coplanar spiral orders are chosen from the classical degenerate manifold for a large fraction of the phase diagram. Nonetheless quantum fluctuations favor the collinear stripy order over the spiral orders in an extended parameter region around J2/J1 = 0.5, despite the spin-rotation invariance of the underlying Hamiltonian. This is in contrast to the emergence of stripy order in the Heisenberg-Kitaev model studied earlier on the same lattice, where the Kitaev-type Ising interactions are important for stabilizing the stripy order. As quantum fluctuations become stronger, U(1) and Z2 quantum spin liquid phases are shown to arise via quantum disordering of the Neel, stripy and spiral magnetically-ordered phases. The effects of magnetic anisotropy and their relevance to future experiments are also discussed.