Phonon dynamics in the site-disordered Kitaev spin liquid

TL;DR

This paper investigates how site disorder and magnetic fields influence phonon dynamics and sound attenuation in the Kitaev honeycomb model, shedding light on experimental signatures of quantum spin liquids in real materials.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed calculation of sound attenuation in the disordered Kitaev model under magnetic fields, considering thermal flux effects, to better understand experimental observations.

Findings

Disorder induces localized modes affecting phonon behavior.

Magnetic field breaks time-reversal symmetry, altering sound attenuation.

Thermal fluxes significantly impact temperature-dependent phonon dynamics.

Abstract

The Kitaev honeycomb model provides a paradigmatic example of an exactly solvable quantum spin liquid (QSL), in which the spin degrees of freedom fractionalize into itinerant Majorana fermions coupled to a static background of $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ gauge fluxes. This model has attracted significant attention in recent years due to the possibility of its experimental realization in some spin-orbit Mott insulators such as $ \alpha $-RuCl$ _3 $. Among various experimental probes, ultrasound experiments measuring sound attenuation have emerged as a promising avenue to unveil the fractionalization of spins in these materials. Yet, candidate materials often deviate from the ideal Kitaev model due to the presence of disorder, leading to the emergence of localized modes governing low-energy physics. To provide further insight into the effects of these defect-induced modes on the phonon dynamics, we calculate the sound attenuation coefficient in the site-disordered Kitaev honeycomb model with an applied magnetic field, which breaks the time-reversal symmetry. In order to obtain a more accurate perspective on the temperature-dependent sound attenuation in this model, the impact of thermally excited fluxes on the disordered system is also analyzed.