Exotic excitations and anomalous transport phenomena in quantum spin liquids

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K05517
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Condensed matter physics II
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Fujimoto Satoshi 大阪大学, 基礎工学研究科, 教授 (10263063)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 磁性 / マヨラナ粒子 / 量子スピン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, novel quantum phenomena associated with Majorana particles in the Kitaev spin liquid state are theoretically explored. In contrast to conventional magnets, Kitaev magnets do not show magnetic order even at zero temperature, and moreover, in the spin liquid state, a Majorana particle emerges from the fractionalization of an electron, and has only a half degrees of freedom of an electron. The Majorana particles in solid state materials are important, and attracting much attention, because they can be applied to quantum computation. We have clarified that non-Kitaev interactions, which exist in real candidate materials of Kitaev magnets, drasticallt change properties of Majorana particles, inducing novel topological quantum phenomena.

Free Research Field

物性物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

キタエフ磁性体で実現が期待されるマヨラナ粒子状態は、近未来の量子情報への応用の観点から国内外で非常に興味が持たれ、活発に研究がされている。本研究で明らかになった新しいマヨラナ粒子の性質である、マヨラナ・フェルミ面やトポロジカル相転移は、将来の候補物質におけるマヨラナ粒子の実験探索に利用できると期待される。さらに本研究で新たに分かったマヨラナ粒子の性質を用いて、マヨラナ粒子を制御して、量子計算に応用する新しい方法の開発にも利用できる可能性がある。