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Quantum magnetism

Structural tweaking of 2D quantum magnetism

A combination of tunnelling spectroscopy, magnetotransport, electron diffraction and ab initio calculations have revealed that picometre-scale lattice distortions reverse magnetic anisotropy and enhance magnetic frustration in atomically thin ruthenium trichloride — a key step towards realizing a quantum spin liquid in the two-dimensional limit.

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Fig. 1: Kitaev honeycomb model and lattice distortions in monolayer α-RuCl3.

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Correspondence to Hu Miao or Gábor B. Halász.

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Miao, H., Halász, G.B. Structural tweaking of 2D quantum magnetism. Nat. Mater. 22, 8–9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01445-5

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