Polarized neutron scattering experiments reveal anisotropy of magnetic correlations in the candidate Kitaev material $\alpha \text{−}{\mathrm{RuCl}}_3$. The anisotropy of the inelastic response at the magnetic Bragg positions is opposite to the expectation for a simple Heisenberg model. Near the antiferromagnetic propagation vector, there are no low-energy transversal magnon modes and the response is always uniaxially polarized. These observations directly prove the fully anisotropic and bond-directional character of the magnetic interaction in $\alpha \text{−}{\mathrm{RuCl}}_3$. However, other findings disagree with a simple or strongly dominant Kitaev component.

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• Magnetic anisotropy
• Magnetic interactions
• Magnetism
• Spin dynamics