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arXiv · 2407.15993

Signatures of fractionalization in the optical phonons of hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $\beta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$

Swetlana Swarup·Susmita Singh·Natalia B. Perkins
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Abstract

In this study, we propose that the signatures of spin fractionalization in quantum magnets can be identified through a detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the asymmetric Fano lineshape of optical phonons overlapping with a continuum of spin excitations. We focus on the hyperhoneycomb magnet $\beta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$, a promising candidate for being in proximity to a three-dimensional Kitaev quantum spin liquid. The Raman response in $\beta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$ notably displays a distinctive asymmetric Fano lineshape in the 24 meV Raman-active optical phonon. This asymmetry arises from the interaction between the discrete phonon mode and the spin excitation continuum, which could be fractionalized if the material is indeed near a quantum spin-liquid phase. Our theoretical model considers the coupling of this optical phonon to Majorana fermions in the Kitaev model on the hyperhoneycomb lattice. Our findings reveal that the temperature-dependent Fano lineshape is consistent with the fractionalization of spins into Majorana fermions and $\mathbb{Z}{_2}$ fluxes.

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Swetlana Swarup, Susmita Singh, Natalia B. Perkins. 2024-07-22. Signatures of fractionalization in the optical phonons of hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $\beta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.110.134421

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