LAUSR

Physics The layered material α-RuCl3 has piqued the interest of physicists as a potential platform for the so-called Kitaev model—a type of quantum spin liquid that hosts exotic excitations. However, in addition to the magnetic interactions of the Kitaev model, α-RuCl3 also hosts non-Kitaev interactions. Biswas et al. investigated theoretically whether a heterostructure consisting of a α-RuCl3 monolayer on top of graphene would be a better approximation of the Kitaev model. Using ab initio calculations, the researchers found that the α-RuCl3 layer would experience strain and become doped by graphene electrons. The strain would make the Kitaev interactions more dominant, and the doping may provide a route towards p-wave superconductivity in this system. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 , 237201 (2019).