Fragile magnetic order in the honeycomb lattice Iridate Na$_{2}$IrO$_3$ revealed by magnetic impurity doping

Abstract

We report the structure, magnetic, and thermal property measurements on single crystalline and polycrystalline samples of Ru substituted honeycomb lattice iridate Na$_2$Ir$_x$Ru$_{1-x}$O$_3$ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5). The evolution of magnetism in Na$_2$Ir$_x$Ru$_{1-x}$O$_3$ has been studied using dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, and heat capacity measurements. The parent compound Na$_2$IrO$_3$ is a spin-orbit driven Mott insulator with magnetic order of reduced moments below $T_N = 15$~K\@. In the Ru substituted samples the antiferromagnetic long range state is replaced by a spin glass like state even for the smallest substitution suggesting that the magnetic order in Na$_2$IrO$_3$ is extremely fragile. We argue that these behaviors indicate the importance of nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange in the parent Na$_2$IrO$_3$. Additionally, all samples show insulating electrical transport.