arXiv subjects

Yong Baek Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Yong Baek Kim.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Magnetic vortex liquid and anomalous thermal Hall conductivity in frustrated magnets with bond-dependent interactions

Recently, the observation of large thermal Hall conductivities in correlated insulators with no apparent broken symmetry have generated immense interest and debates on the underlying ground states. Here, considering frustrated magnets with bond-dependent interactions, which are realized in the so-called Kitaev materials, we theoretically demonstrate that a large thermal Hall conductivity can originate from a classical ground state without any magnetic order. We discover a novel liquid state of magnetic vortices, which are inhomogeneous spin textures embedded in the background of polarized spins, under out-of-plane magnetic fields. In the classical regime, different configurations of vortices form a degenerate manifold. We study the static and dynamical properties of the magnetic vortex liquid state at zero and finite temperatures. In particular, we show that the spin excitation spectrum resembles a continuum of nearly flat Chern bands, which ultimately leads to a large thermal Hall conductivity. Possible connections to experiments are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Sign structure of thermal Hall conductivity for in-plane-field polarized Kitaev magnets

The appearance of half-quantized thermal Hall conductivity in $α$-RuCl$_3$ in the presence of in-plane magnetic fields has been taken as a strong evidence for Kitaev spin liquid. Apart from the quantization, the observed sign structure of the thermal Hall conductivity is also consistent with predictions from the exact solution of the Kitaev model. Namely, the thermal Hall conductivity changes sign when the field direction is reversed with respect to the heat current, which is perpendicular to one of the three nearest neighbor bonds on the honeycomb lattice. On the other hand, it is almost zero when the field is applied along the bond direction. Here, we show that such a peculiar sign structure of the thermal Hall conductivity is a generic property of the polarized state in the presence of in-plane magnetic-fields. In this case, thermal Hall effect arises from topological magnons with finite Chern numbers and the sign structure follows from the symmetries of the momentum space Berry curvature. Using a realistic spin model with bond-dependent interactions, we show that the thermal Hall conductivity can have a magnitude comparable to that observed in the experiments. Hence the sign structure alone cannot make a strong case for Kitaev spin liquid. The quantization at very low temperatures, however, will be a decisive test as the magnon contribution vanishes in the zero temperature limit.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Anisotropy as a diagnostic test for distinct tensor network wavefunctions of integer and half-integer spin Kitaev quantum spin liquids

Contrasting ground states of quantum magnets with the integer and half-integer spin moments are the manifestation of many-body quantum interference effects. In this work, we investigate the distinct nature of the integer and half-integer spin quantum spin liquids in the framework of the Kitaev's model on the honeycomb lattice. The models with arbitrary spin quantum numbers are not exactly solvable in contrast to the well-known quantum spin liquid solution of the spin-1/2 system. We use the tensor network wavefunctions for the integer and half-integer spin quantum spin liquid states to unveil the important difference between these states. We find that the distinct sign structures of the tensor network wavefunction for the integer and half-integer spin quantum spin liquids are responsible for completely different ground states in the spatially anisotropic limit. Hence the spatial anisotropy would be a useful diagnostic test for distinguishing these quantum spin liquid states, both in the numerical computations and experiments on real materials. We support this discovery via extensive numerics including the tensor network, DMRG, and exact diagonalization computations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Geometric Superconductivity in 3D Hofstadter Butterfly

Electrons on the lattice subject to a strong magnetic field exhibit the fractal spectrum of electrons, which is known as the Hofstadter butterfly. In this work, we investigate unconventional superconductivity in a three-dimensional Hofstadter butterfly system. While it is generally difficult to achieve the Hofstadter regime, we show that the quasi-two-dimensional materials with a tilted magnetic field produce the large-scale superlattices, which generate the Hofstadter butterfly even at the moderate magnetic field strength. We first show that the van-Hove singularities of the butterfly flat bands greatly elevate the superconducting critical temperature, offering a new mechanism of field-enhanced superconductivity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the quantum geometry of the Landau mini-bands plays a crucial role in the description of the superconductivity, which is shown to be clearly distinct from the conventional superconductors. Finally, we discuss the relevance of our results to the recently discovered re-entrant superconductivity of UTe2 in strong magnetic fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Artificial electric field and electron hydrodynamics

In the electron dynamics in quantum matter, the Berry curvature of the electronic wave function provides the artificial magnetic field (AMF) in momentum space, which leads to non-trivial contributions to transport coefficients. It is known that in the presence of electron-electron and/or electron-phonon interactions, there is an extra contribution to the electron dynamics due to the artificial electric field (AEF) in momentum space. In this work, we construct hydrodynamic equations for the electrons in time-reversal invariant but inversion-breaking systems and find the novel hydrodynamic coefficients related to the AEF. Furthermore, we investigate the novel linear and non-linear transport coefficients in presence of the AEF.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Distinguishing dipolar and octupolar quantum spin ices using contrasting magnetostriction signatures

Recently there have been a number of experiments on Ce$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ and Ce$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$, suggesting that these materials host a three-dimensional quantum spin liquid with emergent photons and fractionalized spinon excitations. However, the interpretation of the data to determine the precise nature of the quantum spin liquids is still under debate. The Kramers doublet in Ce$^{3+}$ local moment offers unusual pseudo-spin degrees of freedom as the $x$ and $z$ components transform as a dipole and $y$ component as an octupole. This leads to a variety of possible quantum spin liquid (or quantum spin ice) phases on the pyrochlore lattice of Ce$^{3+}$ moments. In this work, we theoretically propose that magnetostriction would be able to distinguish the dipolar (D-QSI) and octupolar (O-QSI) quantum spin ice, where the dipolar or octupolar components possess the respective spin ice correlations. We show that the magnetostriction in various configurations can be used as a selection rule to differentiate not only D-QSI and O-QSI, but also a number of competing broken symmetry states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Thermal and field-induced transitions in ferroquadrupolar Kondo systems

Recent experiments have examined the impact of a magnetic field on ferroquadrupolar orders in the intermetallic Kondo material PrTi$_2$Al$_{20}$. Motivated by this, we use extensive Monte Carlo simulations to study a diamond lattice XY model of non-Kramers pseudospin-$1/2$ Pr$^{3+}$ moments which crucially incorporates three-spin interactions. This model supports a thermal $Z_3$ Potts ordering transition upon cooling from the paramagnetic phase into the ferroquadrupolar phase. An applied magnetic field along the [110] direction leads to a thermal Ising transition out of the quadrupolar ordered phase. A magnetic field along the [001] direction leads to only thermal crossovers, but supports a spinodal transition out of metastable domains which could be strongly pinned by coupling to elastic lattice deformations. We propose noise measurements as a potential probe to "hear" the spinodal transition. Our work highlights the importance of multispin interactions in Kondo materials near the small-to-large Fermi surface transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Theory of magnetostriction for multipolar quantum spin ice in pyrochlore materials

Multipolar magnetism is an emerging field of quantum materials research. The building blocks of multipolar phenomena are magnetic ions with a non-Kramers doublet, where the orbital and spin degrees of freedom are inextricably intertwined, leading to unusual spin-orbital entangled states. The detection of such subtle forms of matter has, however, been difficult due to a limited number of appropriate experimental tools. In this work, motivated by a recent magnetostriction experiment on Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$, we theoretically investigate how multipolar quantum spin ice, an elusive three dimensional quantum spin liquid, and other multipolar ordered phases in the pyrochlore materials can be detected using magnetostriction. We provide theoretical results based on classical and/or quantum studies of non-Kramers and Kramers magnetic ions, and contrast the behaviors of distinct phases in both systems. Our work paves an important avenue for future identification of exotic ground states in multipolar systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Magnetic field induced quantum phases in a tensor network study of Kitaev magnets

Recent discovery of the half quantized thermal Hall conductivity in $α$-RuCl$_3$, a candidate material for the Kitaev spin liquid, suggests the presence of a highly entangled quantum state in external magnetic fields. This field induced phase appears between the low field zig-zag magnetic order and the high field polarized state. Motivated by this experiment, we study possible field induced quantum phases in theoretical models of the Kitaev magnets, using the two dimensional tensor network approach or infinite tensor product states. We find various quantum ground states in addition to the chiral Kitaev spin liquid occupying a small area in the phase diagram. They form a band of emergent quantum phases in an intermediate window of external magnetic fields, somewhat reminiscent of the experiment. We discuss the implications of these results in view of the experiment and previous theoretical studies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Theory of two-dimensional nonlinear spectroscopy for the Kitaev spin liquid

Unambiguous identification of fractionalized excitations in quantum spin liquids has been a long-standing issue in correlated topological phases. Conventional spectroscopic probes, such as the dynamical spin structure factor, can only detect composites of fractionalized excitations, leading to a broad continuum in energy. Lacking a clear signature in conventional probes has been the biggest obstacle in the field. In this work, we theoretically investigate what kinds of distinctive signatures of fractionalized excitations can be probed in two-dimensional nonlinear spectroscopy by considering the exactly solvable Kitaev spin liquids. We demonstrate the existence of a number of salient features of the Majorana fermions and fluxes in two-dimensional nonlinear spectroscopy, which provide crucial information about such excitations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Emergent non-Fermi-liquid phenomena in multipolar quantum impurity systems

Discovery of novel spin-orbital entangled quantum ground states paves an important avenue for controllable quantum materials via unique couplings to the lattice and other external perturbations. In this work, motivated by recent experiments on cubic heavy fermion materials with multipolar local moments, we theoretically investigate strongly-interacting spin-orbital entangled quantum ground states in multipolar quantum impurity systems. Here itinerant electrons are interacting with the local moments carrying quadrupolar and octupolar moments, in contrast to the conventional Kondo problem with dipolar local moment. Using perturbative renormalization group methods, we uncover a number of non-Fermi liquid ground states, which are characterized by an absence of well-defined quasiparticles and singular power-law behaviours in physical properties. We show that the non-Fermi liquid states found here are outside the known categories of non-Fermi liquid states in the conventional multi-channel Kondo problem. This work lays a novel ground for the identification of unexpected non-Fermi liquid phases in many strongly spin-orbital-coupled quantum materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Self-duality of the integer quantum Hall to insulator transition: composite fermion description

The integer quantum Hall to insulator transition (IQHIT) is a paradigmatic quantum critical point. Key aspects of this transition, however, remain mysterious, due to the simultaneous effects of quenched disorder and strong interactions. We study this transition using a composite fermion (CF) representation, which incorporates some of the effects of interactions. As we describe, the transition also marks a IQHIT of CFs: this suggests that the transition may exhibit `self-duality'. We show the explicit equivalence of the electron and CF Lagrangians at the critical point via the corresponding non-linear sigma models, revealing the self-dual nature of the transition. We show analytically that the resistivity tensor at the critical point is $ρ^c_{xx} = ρ^c_{xy} = \frac{h}{e^2}$, which are consistent with the expectations of self-duality, and in rough agreement with experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Multipolar superconductivity in Luttinger semimetals

Topological superconductivity in multiband systems has received much attention due to a variety of possible exotic superconducting order parameters as well as non-trivial bulk and surface states. While the impact of coexisting magnetic order on superconductivity has been studied for many years, such as ferromagnetic superconductors, the implication of coexisting multipolar order has not been explored much despite the possibility of multipolar hidden order in a number of $f$-electron materials. In this work, we investigate topological properties of multipolar superconductors that may arise when quadrupolar local moments are coupled to conduction electrons in the multiband Luttinger semimetal. We show that the multipolar ordering of local moments leads to various multipolar superconductors with distinct topological properties. We apply these results to the quadrupolar Kondo semimetal system, PrBi, by deriving the microscopic multipolar Kondo model and examining the possible superconducting order parameters. We also discuss how to experimentally probe the topological nature of the Bogoliubov quasiparticles in distinct multipolar superconductors via doping and external pressure, especially in the context of PrBi.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Tensor network wavefunction of $S=1$ Kitaev spin liquids

Recently there has been a great interest in understanding quantum spin liquid phases with varying spin magnitude, partly due to possible material realizations. A number of recent numerical computations suggest that the ground state of the S=1 Kitaev model may be a quantum spin liquid in analogy to the renowned $S$=$1/2$ model. On the other hand, the nature of the ground state remains elusive since the $S$=$1$ model is not exactly solvable in contrast to the $S$=$1/2$ model. In this work, we construct a tensor network ground state wavefunction for the S=1 Kitaev model, which is explicitly written in terms of physical spin operators. We explain how this class of wavefunctions can be successfully used for variational computations and compare the outcomes to known results on finite size systems. We establish the existence of distinct topological sectors on torus by constructing the minimally entangled states in the degenerate ground state manifold and evaluating topological entanglement entropy. Our results suggest that the ground state of the S=1 Kitaev model is a gapped quantum spin liquid with Z2 gauge structure and Abelian quasiparticles.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Ferromagnetic Kitaev interaction and the origin of large magnetic anisotropy in $α$-RuCl$_3$

$α$-RuCl$_3$ is drawing much attention as a promising candidate Kitaev quantum spin liquid. However, despite intensive research efforts, controversy remains about the form of the basic interactions governing the physics of this material. Even the sign of the Kitaev interaction (the bond-dependent anisotropic interaction responsible for Kitaev physics) is still under debate, with conflicting results from theoretical and experimental studies. The significance of the symmetric off-diagonal exchange interaction (referred to as the $Γ$ term) is another contentious question. Here, we present resonant elastic x-ray scattering data that provides unambiguous experimental constraints to the two leading terms in the magnetic interaction Hamiltonian. We show that the Kitaev interaction ($K$) is ferromagnetic, and that the $Γ$ term is antiferromagnetic and comparable in size to the Kitaev interaction. Our findings also provide a natural explanation for the large anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility in $α$-RuCl$_3$ as arising from the large $Γ$ term. We therefore provide a crucial foundation for understanding the interactions underpinning the exotic magnetic behaviours observed in $α$-RuCl$_3$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic Field Induced Competing Phases in Spin-Orbital Entangled Kitaev Magnets

There has been a great interest in magnetic field induced quantum spin liquids in Kitaev magnets after the discovery of neutron scattering continuum and half quantized thermal Hall conductivity in the material $α$-RuCl$_3$. In this work, we provide a semiclassical analysis of the relevant theoretical models on large system sizes, and compare the results to previous studies on quantum models with small system sizes. We find a series of competing magnetic orders with fairly large unit cells at intermediate magnetic fields, which are most likely missed by previous approaches. We show that quantum fluctuations are typically strong in these large unit cell orders, while their magnetic excitations may resemble a scattering continuum and give rise to a large thermal Hall conductivity. Our work provides an important basis for a thorough investigation of emergent spin liquids and competing phases in Kitaev magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Multi-scale Quantum Criticality driven by Kondo-lattice Coupling in Pyrochlore Systems

Pyrochlore systems ($A_{2}B_{2}O_{7}$) with $A$-site rare-earth local moments and $B$-site $5d$ conduction electrons offer excellent material platforms for the discovery of exotic quantum many-body ground states. Notable examples include U(1) quantum spin liquid of the local moments and semimetallic non-Fermi liquid of the conduction electrons. Here we investigate emergent quantum phases and their transitions driven by the Kondo lattice coupling between such highly entangled quantum ground states. Using the renormalization group method, it is shown that weak Kondo lattice coupling is irrelevant, leading to a fractionalized semimetal phase with decoupled local moments and conduction electrons. Upon increasing the Kondo lattice coupling, this phase is unstable to the formation of broken symmetry states. Particularly important is the opposing influence of the Kondo lattice coupling and long-range Coulomb interaction. The former prefers to break the particle-hole symmetry while the latter tends to restore it. The characteristic competition leads to possibly multiple phase transitions, first from a fractionalized semimetal phase to a fractionalized Fermi surface state with particle-hole pockets, followed by the second transition to a fractionalized ferromagnetic state. Multiscale quantum critical behaviors appear at nonzero temperatures and with external magnetic field near such quantum phase transitions. We discuss the implication of these results to the experiments on Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Symmetry-protected topological magnons in three dimensional Kitaev materials

Topological phases in magnetic materials offer novel tunability of topological properties via varying the underlying magnetism. We show that three dimensional Kitaev materials can provide a great opportunity for controlling symmetry-protected topological nodal magnons. These materials are originally considered as strong candidates for the Kitaev quantum spin liquid due to the bond-dependent frustrating spin exchange interactions. As a concrete example, we consider the symmetry and topology of the magnons in the canted zig-zag ordered state in the hyperhoneycomb $β\text{-}\mathrm{Li_2IrO_3}$, which can be obtained by applying a magnetic field in the counter-rotating spiral state at zero field. It is shown that the magnetic glide symmetries and the non-Hermitian nature of the bosonic magnons lead to unique topological protection that is different from the case of the fermionic counterparts. We investigate how such topological magnons can be controlled by changing the symmetry of the underlying spin exchange interactions.

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