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DOE OSTI · 2564754

Re-investigation of moment direction in a Kitaev material α -RuCl 3

Kim, Subin (ORCID:0000000211919640)·Horsley, Ezekiel (ORCID:0000000271593910)·Nelson, Christie S.·Ruff, Jacob P. C.·Kim, Young-June (ORCID:0000000211728895)
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Abstract

Abstract We report x-ray diffraction and resonant elastic x-ray scattering studies on two α -RuCl 3 crystals with distinct magnetic transition temperatures: T N = 7.3 K and 6.5 K. We find that the sample with T N = 6.5 K exhibits a high degree of stacking faults and structural twinning at low temperature, whereas the T N = 7.3 K sample primarily comprises a single domain of R 3 ¯ . Notwithstanding, both samples exhibit an identical zigzag magnetic structure, with magnetic moments pointing away from the honeycomb plane by α = 31 ( 2 ) ∘ . We argue that the identical ordered moment directions in these samples suggest that the intralayer magnetic interactions remain mostly unchanged regardless of T N .

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2D magnetism36 MATERIALS SCIENCEKitaevmagnetic scatteringresonant diffractionspin liquidα-RuCl3

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Kim, Subin (ORCID:0000000211919640), Horsley, Ezekiel (ORCID:0000000271593910), Nelson, Christie S., Ruff, Jacob P. C., Kim, Young-June (ORCID:0000000211728895). 2025-05-06. Re-investigation of moment direction in a Kitaev material α -RuCl 3. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648x%2Fadcf6c

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