Lichen Wang

Jul 27, 2023 | link.aps.org | Zichen Yang |Lichen Wang |Dong Zhao |Mingdi Luo

Abstract We present Ru L3-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements of spin-orbit and d−d excitations in exfoliated nanolayers of the Kitaev spin-liquid candidate RuCl3. Whereas the spin-orbit excitations are independent of thickness, we observe a pronounced redshift and broadening of the d−d excitations in layers with thicknesses below ∼7 nm. Aided by model calculations, we attribute these effects to distortions of the RuCl6 octahedra near the surface.