English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Finite-temperature ($T$) properties of a Kitaev model defined on a honeycomblattice are investigated by a quantum Monte Carlo simulation, from theviewpoint of fractionalization of quantum $S=1/2$ spins into two types ofMajorana fermions, itinerant and localized. In this system, the entropy isreleased successively at two well-separated $T$ scales, as a clear indicationof the thermal fractionalization. We show that the high-$T$ crossover, which isdriven by itinerant Majorana fermions, is closely related with the developmentof nearest-neighbor spin correlations. On the other hand, the low-$T$ crossoveroriginates in thermal fluctuations of fluxes composed of localized Majoranafermions, by which the spectrum of itinerant Majorana fermions is significantlydisturbed. As a consequence, in the intermediate-$T$ range between the twocrossovers, the system exhibits $T$-linear behavior in the specific heat andcoherent transport of Majorana fermions, which are unexpected for the Diracsemimetallic spectrum in the low-$T$ limit. We also show that the fluxfluctuations tend to open an energy gap in the Majorana spectrum near thegapless-gapped phase boundary. Our results indicate that the fractionalizationis experimentally observable in the specific heat, spin correlations, andtransport properties.

Thermal fractionalization of quantum spins in a Kitaev model: $T$-linear specific heat and coherent transport of Majorana fermions