Quantum Honeycomb magnets which contain Kitaev exchange interactions have attracted lots of research interest since they are promising to realize the Kitaev Spin Liquid phase. However, most of these Kitaev materials exhibits long-range magnetic order at low temperatures. Hence theoretical investigations of the phase diagram for extended Kitaev models are helpful for experimental search of candidate materials. In this talk, I will present our recent results of Variational Monte Carlo study on Kitaev physics. We consider the effects of non-Kitaev interactions such as Gamma and Gamma prime terms, as well as external magnetic fields and pressure. Several Kitaev-type multi-node Quantum Spin Liquids are found. We show that the number of the nodes is closely related to the symmetry of the system. Under external magnetic fields, these QSLs become Abelian or non-Abelian chiral spin liquids, depending on their Chern numbers. Our work reveals the possible existence of a series of gapless quantum spin liquids on the Honeycomb lattice.
About the speaker:
Dr. Zheng-Xin Liu obtained his Ph.D in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2010. After that he worked in the Institute for Advanced Study in Tsinghua University as a post doctor and then as an associate member. He joined Renmin University of China in 2015 as an associate professor. Dr. Liu's research area includes quantum magnetism, symmetry protected topological phases, and numerical methods in many-body physics. Recently, his interest is focused on magnetic systems, including quantum spin liquids and magnetic semimetals.