SciPost Physics Core

SciPost Phys. Core 2, 004 (2020) · published 8 April 2020

• doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhysCore.2.2.004
• pdf
• BiBTeX
• RIS
• Submissions/Reports
• 

Abstract

We study the origin of Lorentz force on the spinons in a U(1) spin liquid. We are inspired by the previous observation of gauge field correlation in the pairwise spin correlation using the neutron scattering measurement when the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction intertwines with the lattice geometry. We extend this observation to the Lorentz force that exerts on the (neutral) spinons. The external magnetic field, that polarizes the spins, effectively generates an internal U(1) gauge flux for the spinons and twists the spinon motion through the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Such a mechanism for the emergent Lorentz force differs fundamentally from the induction of the internal U(1) gauge flux in the weak Mott insulating regime from the charge fluctuations. We apply this understanding to the specific case of spinon metals on the kagome lattice. Our suggestion of emergent Lorentz force generation and the resulting topological thermal Hall effect may apply broadly to other non-centrosymmetric spin liquids with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. We discuss the relevance with the thermal Hall transport in kagome materials volborthite and kapellasite.

• Gao et al., Some experimental schemes to identify quantum spin liquids*
  Chinese Phys. B 29, 097501 (2020) [Crossref]
• Simon et al., Contrasting lattice geometry dependent versus independent quantities: Ramifications for Berry curvature, energy gaps, and dynamics
  Phys. Rev. B 102, 165148 (2020) [Crossref]
• Yang et al., Universal Behavior of the Thermal Hall Conductivity
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 186602 (2020) [Crossref]
• Gomilšek et al., Kondo screening in a charge-insulating spinon metal
  Nat. Phys. 15, 754 (2019) [Crossref]
• Gao et al., Topological phase transition and nontrivial thermal Hall signatures in honeycomb lattice magnets
  Phys. Rev. Research 2, 043071 (2020) [Crossref]
• Teng et al., Unquantized thermal Hall effect in quantum spin liquids with spinon Fermi surfaces
  Phys. Rev. Research 2, 033283 (2020) [Crossref]
• Zhang et al., Thermal Hall effects in quantum magnets
  Physics Reports 1070, 1 (2024) [Crossref]
• Malki et al., Topological magnetic excitations
  EPL 132, 20003 (2020) [Crossref]
• Akazawa et al., Thermal Hall Effects of Spins and Phonons in Kagome Antiferromagnet Cd-Kapellasite
  Phys. Rev. X 10, 041059 (2020) [Crossref]
• Zhao et al., Thermal Properties and Instability of a U(1) Spin Liquid on the Triangular Lattice
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 127205 (2021) [Crossref]
• Pan et al., Ab initio Boltzmann approach to coupled magnon-phonon thermal transport in ferromagnetic crystals
  Phys. Rev. B 107, 104303 (2023) [Crossref]
• Yang et al., Magnetic field and thermal Hall effect in a pyrochlore U(1) quantum spin liquid
  Phys. Rev. B 102, 060405 (2020) [Crossref]
• He et al., Interplay between multispin and chiral spin interactions on a triangular lattice
  Phys. Rev. B 108, 245102 (2023) [Crossref]