Unconventional spin dynamics in the honeycomb-lattice material $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$: high-field ESR studies

Abstract

We present high-field electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of the honeycomb-lattice material $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, a prime candidate to exhibit Kitaev physics. Two modes of antiferromagnetic resonance were detected in the zigzag ordered phase, with magnetic field applied in the $ab$ plane. A very rich excitation spectrum was observed in the field-induced quantum paramagnetic phase. The obtained data are compared with results of recent numerical calculations, strongly suggesting a very unconventional multiparticle character of the spin dynamics in $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$. The frequency-field diagram of the lowest-energy ESR mode is found consistent with the behavior of the field-induced energy gap, revealed by thermodynamic measurements.