LAUSR

In the field of quantum magnetism, the exactly solvable Kitaev honeycomb model serves as a paradigm for the fractionalization of spin degrees of freedom and the formation of $${\Bbb Z}_2$$Z2 quantum spin liquids. An intense experimental search has led to the discovery of a number of spin-orbit entangled Mott insulators that realize its characteristic bond-directional interactions and, in the presence of magnetic fields, exhibit no indications of long-range order. Here, we map out the complete phase diagram of the Kitaev model in tilted magnetic fields and report the emergence of a distinct gapless quantum spin liquid at intermediate field strengths. Analyzing a number of static, dynamical, and finite temperature quantities using numerical exact diagonalization techniques, we find strong evidence that this phase exhibits gapless fermions coupled to a massless U(1) gauge field. We discuss its stability in the presence of perturbations that naturally arise in spin-orbit entangled candidate materials.The Kitaev model is intensively studied as an exactly-solvable starting point for theoretical studies of quantum spin liquid states. Hickey and Trebst show that magnetic fields can destabilize the well-known gapped Kitaev spin liquid and induce a new gapless spin liquid, with a distinct gauge structure and neutral Fermi surface.