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

TL;DR

This paper suggests that analyzing the temperature dependence of Fano lineshapes in optical phonons can reveal spin fractionalization signatures in quantum magnets, specifically in the hyperhoneycomb Kitaev magnet $eta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$, indicating proximity to a quantum spin-liquid phase.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework linking Fano lineshape asymmetry in Raman spectra to spin fractionalization via Majorana fermions in a hyperhoneycomb Kitaev model.

Findings

Fano lineshape asymmetry correlates with spin fractionalization.

Temperature dependence supports Majorana fermion involvement.

Results align with $eta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$ near a quantum spin-liquid state.

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.