Effects of Ru doping on the magnetism of : A candidate Kitaev quantum spin liquid
Phys. Rev. B 112, 035142 – Published 15 July, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xfm3-px8f
Abstract
We report our investigations on , which results from the Ru substitution in the Kitaev quantum spin-liquid candidate . It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group like its parent compound, . Our susceptibility measurements reveal an effective moment , which is higher than moments of the parent compound and less than that of the Ru analog , suggesting the presence of magnetic and . Bulk magnetic susceptibility suggests long-range order (LRO) at , whereas no clear signature is present in the heat capacity. Likewise, there is a loss of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral intensity around as expected at the onset of LRO but a complete wipeout is not seen, in contrast to the result in . There is as well a anomaly in the NMR relaxation rate and also a fall in the NMR shift with decreasing temperature. These results suggest LRO at in . However, at low below 10 K, we observe a power-law variation in magnetic heat capacity and spin-lattice relaxation rate , temperature-independent , temperature-independent muon spin relaxation rate, and no further loss of the NMR spectral intensity. These results suggest the persistence or stabilization of a quantum spin-liquid-like phase perhaps from a fraction of the sample in below 10 K. Our muon spin relaxation measurements suggest ordering around 20 K, consistent with our other probes. It appears that the main effect of Ru substitution is to shift the LRO to a higher temperature in comparison with , though there are signatures of a novel phase below about 10 K.