# Gapless Spin Excitations in the Field-Induced Quantum Spin Liquid Phase of alpha-RuCl3

## TL;DR

This study demonstrates that alpha-RuCl3 enters a gapless quantum spin liquid phase with gapless spin excitations when subjected to a magnetic field, revealing unconventional quantum magnetic behavior.

## Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of a field-induced gapless quantum spin liquid phase in alpha-RuCl3, a key candidate for Kitaev physics, using combined susceptibility, specific heat, and NMR measurements.

## Key findings

- Quantum phase transition to QSL at 7.5 T
- Gapless spin excitations observed up to 16 T
- Unconventional behavior not seen in Heisenberg or Kitaev magnets

## Abstract

$\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ is a leading candidate material for theobservation of physics related to the Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL). By combined susceptibility, specific-heat, and nuclear-magnetic-resonance measurements, we demonstrate that $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ undergoes a quantum phase transition to a QSL in a magnetic field of 7.5 T applied in the $ab$ plane. We show further that this high-field QSL phase has gapless spin excitations over a field range up to 16 T. This highly unconventional result, unknown in either Heisenberg or Kitaev magnets, offers insight essential to establishing the physics of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$.