Emergent phases in Kitaev spin-orbital magnets
Onur Erten
Arizona State University
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
2:30 p.m.
In-person: QNC 1201
Abstract: The Kitaev model provides an elegant framework for realizing quantum spin liquids, yet itis notoriously fragile since most perturbations that fail to commute with the flux operators. A promising route to overcome this limitation lies in spin-orbital generalizations of the Kitaev model. In this talk, I will discuss the rich landscape of emergent phases stabilized in these systems [1,2,3]. I will further show that the coexistence of local and topological order enables the emergence of novel fractional excitations, including fractionalized Goldstone modes [4].
[1] A. Vijayvargia, E. Day-Roberts, A. Botana, O. Erten Phys. Rev. Lett. 135 166701 (2025).
[2] M. Akram, A. Vijayvargia, H.-Y. Kee, O. Erten npj Quantum Materials (2026).
[3] M. Keskiner, M. Oktel, N. Perkins, O. Erten Mat. Today Quantum, 100038 (2025).
[4] A. Vijayvargia, E. Nica, R. Moessner, Y.-M. Lu, O. Erten PRR 5 2, L022062 (2023).
View the full Fall Quantum Matters seminar schedule: Anton Burkov's website - Quantum Matter Seminars