Chiral Spin Order in Kondo-Heisenberg systems

TL;DR

This paper shows that Kondo-Heisenberg systems can host scalar chiral spin order due to the competition between RKKY and Heisenberg interactions, offering a new platform for realizing chiral spin liquids.

Contribution

It introduces Kondo-Heisenberg systems as a novel platform for scalar chiral spin order driven by the interplay of RKKY and Heisenberg interactions.

Findings

Weak direct exchange leads to disordered phase.

Moderate direct exchange induces Ising-type transition.

Potential for experimental realization of chiral spin liquids.

Abstract

We demonstrate that Kondo-Heisenberg systems, consisting of itinerant electrons and localized magnetic moments (Kondo impurities), can be used as a principally new platform to realize scalar chiral spin order. The underlying physics is governed by a competition of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kosuya-Yosida (RKKY) indirect exchange interaction between the local moments with the direct Heisenberg one. When the direct exchange is weak and RKKY dominates the isotropic system is in the disordered phase. A moderately large direct exchange leads to an Ising-type phase transition to the phase with chiral spin order. Our finding paves the way towards pioneering experimental realizations of the chiral spin liquid in low dimensional systems with spontaneously broken time reversal symmetry.