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The Saga of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$: Parameters, Models, and Phase Diagrams

T0 review · 3 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-07 · deepseek-v4-flash

Pith's one-line read Three measured quantities pin down the exchange model of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$.

desk verdict A strong, valuable paper with a genuinely useful staged strategy and beautiful DMRG work on the IC phases, but the quoted parameter bounds are softer than claimed because the DMRG checks show quantum corrections varying across the region. read the letter →

arxiv 2502.08698 v4 pith:5EZMVM3W submitted 2025-02-12 cond-mat.str-el

classification cond-mat.str-el
keywords $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$Kitaevspinliquidanisotropic-exchangemagnethoneycomblatticegeneralizedKitaev-Heisenbergmodelzigzagorderincommensuratespiraldensity-matrixrenormalizationgroup
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

This paper argues that the long-disputed low-energy spin model of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ can be pinned down by combining three measured observables that exist only because of spin-orbit-induced anisotropic exchange: the out-of-plane tilt of the ordered moments in the zigzag state, the high-field shift of the lowest spin-flip excitation, and the small difference between the two in-plane critical fields. Together these nearly orthogonal constraints put the Kitaev coupling $K$ between $-10$ and $-4.4$ meV, the off-diagonal exchange $\Gamma$ between $3.2$ and $5.0$ meV, and $\Gamma'$ between $1.8$ and $2.85$ meV, with $\Gamma+2\Gamma'$ between $7.5$ and $10$ meV. Read in a crystallographic parametrization, the resulting model is a strongly easy-plane ferromagnet with dominant $J_1$ and a sizable bond-dependent $J_{z\pm}$ term, placing $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ far from the pure Kitaev limit. A representative complete parameter set reproduces the measured critical fields and magnetization curve in density-matrix renormalization group calculations. The paper's broader claim is that the same staged strategy can settle effective models of other anisotropic-exchange magnets.

What carries the argument

The load-bearing device is a chain of three nearly orthogonal phenomenological constraints, each tied to a quasiclassical formula for an observable that vanishes if the anisotropic exchanges vanish: the zigzag tilt angle $\tan 2\alpha = 4\sqrt{2}(\Gamma-K-\Gamma')/(7\Gamma+2K+2\Gamma')$; the ESR gap $\Delta E_g=3S(\Gamma+2\Gamma')=-3S J_1(1-\Delta)$; and the critical-field difference $\Delta H_c$ from the quasiclassical expressions for the two in-plane transition fields, which depend only on $\{K,\Gamma,\Gamma'\}$. These formulas convert experimental ranges ($\alpha\in[30^\circ,37^\circ]$, $\Gamma+2\Gamma'\in[7.5,10]$ meV, $\Delta H_c\in[0,1.5]$ T) into a compact region in parameter space. The other half of the machinery is the transformation from the cubic-axis $K$-$J$-$\Gamma$-$\Gamma'$ language to the crystallographic $XXZ$-$J_{\pm\pm}$-$J_{z\pm}$ language, which exposes the easy-plane ferromagnetic hierarchy and makes the constraints intuitive. Numerical phase diagrams from Luttinger-Tisza, exact diagonalization, and DMRG then check that the quasiclassical constraints survive quantum fluctuations and characterize the proximate phases.

What would settle it

Measure the lowest spin-flip gap $E_0(H)$ in fields from 35 to 60 T in crystals with known $g$-factor and subtract the two-magnon repulsion: if the extracted $\Gamma+2\Gamma'$ falls outside $7.5$-$10$ meV, the bounds are wrong. Alternatively, resolve the zero-field zigzag tilt angle in a clean single crystal to better than $1^\circ$: if it lies outside $30^\circ$-$37^\circ$ while the same sample shows the quoted critical fields, at least one of the three constraints is inconsistent with the model.

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Extended reading notes

Core claim

The central discovery is that the effective spin model of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ is not underdetermined: three decades of seemingly conflicting parameter estimates collapse onto a single narrow region once three observables are required to match experiment. The physically allowed ranges are $K\in[-10.0,-4.4]$ meV, $\Gamma\in[3.2,5.0]$ meV, and $\Gamma'\in[1.8,2.85]$ meV, with $\Gamma+2\Gamma'\in[7.5,10]$ meV; in the crystallographic frame this corresponds to a dominant ferromagnetic $J_1(1-\Delta)\approx-9$ meV, a sizable $J_{z\pm}\approx-4.5$ meV, a small $J_{\pm\pm}\approx0.6$ meV, and $\Delta\approx0.1$. The representative Point-$\star$ set $\{K,\Gamma,\Gamma',J,J_3\}=\{-7.567,4.276,2.362,-4.75,3.4\}$ meV reproduces the in-plane critical fields and the full magnetization curve in DMRG, and the proximate incommensurate phases are identified as two counter-rotating deformed helices with ordering vectors along $\Gamma M$ and $\Gamma K$.

Load-bearing premise

The weakest point is that three measured quantities are turned into parameter bounds with semiclassical formulas even though $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ is a strongly fluctuating spin-$1/2$ magnet, and the upper edge of the $\Gamma+2\Gamma'$ range is a plausibility argument about quantum corrections, while the numerical checks sample only a few representative parameter sets rather than the whole accepted region.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • Future fits for $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ can restrict themselves to the narrow ranges $K\in[-10.0,-4.4]$, $\Gamma\in[3.2,5.0]$, and $\Gamma'\in[1.8,2.85]$ meV, making full model searches tractable.
  • The material is effectively a strongly easy-plane ferromagnet with dominant $J_1$ and sizable $J_{z\pm}$, not a near-Kitaev spin liquid; the Kitaev-only and pure $K$-$J$ points lie on the $\Delta=1$ plane that the physical parameter space avoids.
  • The zigzag phase is separated from the ferromagnetic phase by two incommensurate phases, IC1 and IC2, which are counter-rotating helices; the ZZ-IC1 boundary is first order while the FM-IC2 boundary is soft, so small perturbations can move the system between them.
  • The Point-$\star$ parameter set reproduces the measured critical fields and magnetization curve in DMRG, providing a concrete starting point for computing spectra, thermodynamics, and field-driven behavior.
  • The staged constraint strategy transfers to other anisotropic-exchange magnets: pick observables that vanish without anisotropy, convert them to parameter bounds, then verify with unbiased numerics.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The authors leave implicit that the older parameter sets with near-zero $\Gamma'$ or $\Gamma+2\Gamma'\approx3$ meV, including machine-learning fits restricted to an abbreviated model, are effectively excluded by the ESR-gap constraint; if these ranges are right, those derived predictions need revisiting.
  • The near-degeneracy of the IC1 and IC2 helices suggests that strain, stacking faults, or interlayer coupling could select one helix over the other, so field- or pressure-driven transitions between them are a testable consequence for real crystals with small three-dimensional couplings.
  • The same three-observable protocol could be applied to other Kitaev candidates such as cobaltates or iridates, since the tilt-angle and critical-field-difference formulas depend only on the honeycomb bond symmetry, not on the specific electronic structure.
  • A sharp testable prediction follows from the paper's classical spiral analysis: the pitch of IC1 and IC2 helices is independent of $J$ and $J_3$, so measuring the ordering wavevector under uniaxial strain, doping, or varying interlayer coupling would discriminate this model from alternatives with significant further-neighbor anisotropy.
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Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

3 major / 5 minor

Summary. The paper proposes a staged constraint strategy for the effective J-K-Γ-Γ'-J3 honeycomb model of α-RuCl3. Using three experimental inputs—the out-of-plane zigzag tilt angle, the high-field ESR/THz gap, and the in-plane critical-field difference—the authors derive a bounded region for the anisotropic exchanges, K∈[-10.0,-4.4] meV, Γ∈[3.2,5.0] meV, Γ'∈[1.8,2.85] meV, with Γ+2Γ'∈[7.5,10] meV. They then construct LT, ED, and DMRG phase diagrams for representative parameter points, identify the incommensurate phases as counter-rotating helical states, and show that one complete parameter set, Point ⋆, reproduces the measured critical fields and magnetization curve without fitting those data. The paper also promotes a crystallographic-frame parametrization (XXZ-J±±-Jz±) that makes the resulting model hierarchy and its consistency with prior estimates transparent.

Significance. If the bounded parameter region is robust, this is an important contribution to a long-standing controversy. The paper's main strengths are its extensive use of complementary methods (LT, ED, DMRG), the explicit falsifiable predictions (weak renormalization of ΔHc, the nature of the IC phases), and the demonstration that DMRG can resolve incommensurate helical order on honeycomb cylinders. The independent reproduction of the magnetization curve, with parameters fixed before comparison, is particularly convincing. The proposed crystallographic parametrization is a genuinely useful organizing tool and the systematic re-analysis of prior parameter sets in Tables I and II is valuable. However, the central quantitative claim—the precise boundaries of the allowed parameter region—rests on quasiclassical formulas whose quantum corrections are verified at only a few representative points, and at least one verification is internally inconsistent with the stated physical range. The framework is sound, but the boundary claims need additional numerical support or honest error bars before they can be taken as definitive.

major comments (3)
  1. [Sec. IV B 2 and Sec. II A 3] The ΔHc constraint is verified by DMRG for a single parameter set, Point ⋆, where the authors themselves describe the near-exact match as 'somewhat fortuitous.' This does not establish that the ratio of quantum renormalization of Hc(a) and Hc(b) stays near unity throughout the proposed volume in Figs. 6 and 7, in particular near the ΔHc=1.5 T boundary that sets the Γ'/Γ strip. Since the critical fields are renormalized by about 40% at the verified point, a modest differential correction would shift the boundary and change the quoted ranges. I request DMRG or ED checks at Points A and B, or a quantitative estimate of the spread of the renormalization factor across the accepted region.
  2. [Sec. IV B 1 and Sec. II A 1] The DMRG tilt-angle verification contradicts the stated physical range: Point A has a bare tilt of 32° but a renormalized tilt of 29.4°, below the 30° lower bound used to define the allowed α window and to set the K-range. The text claims the renormalized angles remain 'safely within the physical range,' which is not true for Point A. This shows that quantum corrections to the tilt are not uniformly small across the proposed region, so the bare-tilt constraint as applied in Eqs. (4) and (5) can shift the boundaries of the K interval. The authors should either recompute the boundaries using a quantum-corrected tilt criterion or explicitly justify why a 0.6° violation at one representative point is acceptable.
  3. [Sec. II A 2, Eq. (7) and Fig. 5] The upper bound Γ+2Γ' ≤ 10 meV is based on the plausibility statement that it 'would be very hard to justify' larger values, not on a quantitative calculation. The lower bound is supported by the downward-renormalization argument, but the upper bound is load-bearing for the final ranges in Table I and for the representative points. Since the ED verification in Sec. IV B 3 is performed only for Γtot=9 meV, it does not test the upper bound. Please provide a numerical estimate of the high-field ESR gap renormalization as a function of Γtot, or explicitly label this boundary as heuristic and show how the parameter ranges in Figs. 6 and 7 change if the upper bound is relaxed or tightened.
minor comments (5)
  1. [General notation] The notation for the ESR-gap combination is inconsistent: 'Γ+2Γ′', 'Γtot', and 'Γ tot' are all used. Define the symbol once and use it consistently.
  2. [Eq. (4) and Sec. II A 1] The sign convention for the tilt angle α and its relation to the experimentally measured moment direction is not stated; the text mentions possible differences but does not quantify them, which makes the 30°–37° window difficult to interpret.
  3. [Sec. II A 3] The 'falsifiable prediction' regarding ΔHc would be more useful if stated with a quantitative acceptance criterion before comparison, rather than as a qualitative expectation.
  4. [Table I] Several compiled parameter sets have no listed Γ′ value; it would help to state explicitly what value was assumed when computing α, Γ+2Γ′, and ΔHc for those rows.
  5. [Sec. IV C and Fig. 19] The Van Vleck subtraction procedure is described briefly; a more explicit statement of the slope-extraction range and its uncertainty would strengthen the comparison with the DMRG magnetization curve.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No significant circularity: the parameter ranges come from external experimental constraints, and the DMRG/ED checks are independent numerical evaluations rather than algebraic restatements of those constraints.

full rationale

The claimed parameter ranges are obtained by inverse modeling: three independent experimental observables (the zigzag tilt angle, the high-field ESR gap, and the critical-field difference) are inserted into quasiclassical formulas (4), (7), (8), and (9) to carve out the allowed {K, Γ, Γ′} region. The experimental inputs are external to the paper, and the formulas are parameter-free mappings from model parameters to observables; they do not themselves contain the target ranges. The DMRG and ED checks in Sec. IV are genuine numerical evaluations of the quantum model at representative points: the tilt angle, the two critical fields, their difference, and the ESR excitation are recomputed from the Hamiltonian rather than read off from the constraint equations, so the agreement is not an algebraic identity. The magnetization comparison in Sec. IV C is an external benchmark not used in the parameter selection beyond the already-quoted critical-field range and g-factor choice. The main caveat is that verification is performed at a small number of representative points rather than over the entire accepted volume; the Point A tilt check (29.4°) even falls slightly below the 30° lower boundary, and the ΔHc renormalization ratio could vary across the region. These are robustness and generalization concerns, not circularity, because the checks could in principle have failed. Self-citations to Ref. [46] supply the quasiclassical expressions and the positive-Γ′ concept, but those are independently checkable and are here tested against unbiased numerics, so they do not make the derivation circular. Overall, the central claim has independent empirical and numerical content.

Assumptions & free parameters 6 free parameters · 6 assumptions · 0 invented entities

The central claim is a parameter-space statement built on top of the effective model and quasiclassical formulas. The model parameters are fitted to experimental observables rather than derived, so the contribution is the constraint logic plus the numerical verification. The only genuinely new classifications are the incommensurate phases, which rest on DMRG and LT agreement rather than on new microscopic entities.

free parameters (6)
  • K (Kitaev exchange) = -10.0 to -4.4 meV; Point 0: -7.567
    Constrained by tilt angle and Delta-Hc ranges; not derived from first principles.
  • Gamma (off-diagonal exchange) = 3.2 to 5.0 meV; Point 0: 4.276
    Constrained by ESR gap and Delta-Hc ranges.
  • Gamma-prime (off-diagonal exchange) = 1.8 to 2.85 meV; Point 0: 2.362
    Required positive and sizable by the ESR gap combination Gamma+2Gamma-prime and Delta-Hc.
  • J and J3 isotropic exchanges = Point-star: J = -4.75 meV, J3 = 3.4 meV
    Chosen within the allowed J-J3 strip from the critical-field constraint; explicitly non-unique.
  • g-factors = ga = gb = 2.5; magnetization check: gb = 2.3
    Taken from prior literature to convert field to energy; not fitted in this work.
  • Constraint windows (alpha, Delta-Hc, Gamma-tot) = alpha 30-37 degrees, Delta-Hc 0-1.5 T, Gamma+2Gamma-prime 7.5-10 meV
    Hand-set ranges around experimental values, including a heuristic upper bound for Gamma-tot.
assumptions (6)
  • domain assumption The effective spin model is the nearest-neighbor K-J-Gamma-Gamma-prime plus third-neighbor J3 Hamiltonian (Eq. 1).
    The paper assumes this five-parameter model captures the low-energy physics of alpha-RuCl3 and absorbs further-neighbor anisotropy.
  • domain assumption The exchange matrix on each nearest-neighbor bond has exactly the four symmetry-allowed terms K, J, Gamma, Gamma-prime (Eq. 2).
    Derived from honeycomb lattice symmetry in prior literature (Refs. 57, 58, 14); not re-derived here.
  • domain assumption Quasiclassical expressions for tan 2alpha (Eq. 4), the ESR gap (Eq. 7), and the critical fields (Eqs. 8 and 9) are accurate for S=1/2 up to controlled quantum corrections.
    These formulas map measured tilt, ESR shift, and Delta-Hc onto parameter bounds; DMRG checks are done only at three representative points.
  • domain assumption Interplane couplings are small and mostly isotropic, so they only renormalize J+3J3 and do not affect Delta-Hc.
    Discussion in Sec. II A 3; the paper notes that 3D couplings of about 0.5 meV exist and might require a re-evaluation (Sec. VI).
  • ad hoc to paper Luttinger-Tisza solutions that violate the local spin-length constraint can still correctly describe the incommensurate phases if confirmed by DMRG.
    Stated in Sec. III A 1 and Appendix B as a 'blessing in disguise'; supported by DMRG agreement but not a theorem.
  • domain assumption The experimental values alpha approx 32-35 degrees, Delta-Hc approx 0.8 T, and the ESR/THz high-field data are accurate and representative of the 2D model.
    External data from Refs. 26, 29, 69, 82, 83, 106, and 107 are used without error bars in deriving the region.

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Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of The Saga of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$: Parameters, Models, and Phase Diagrams." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/5EZMVM3W

@misc{pith2026250208698,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: The Saga of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$: Parameters, Models, and Phase Diagrams},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/5EZMVM3W}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2502.08698}
}
abstract

RuCl$_3$ was likely the first ever deliberately synthesized ruthenium compound, following the discovery of the $_{44}$Ru element in 1844. For a long time it was known as an oxidation catalyst, with its physical properties being discrepant and confusing, until a decade ago when its allotropic form $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ rose to exceptional prominence. This "re-discovery" of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ has not only reshaped the hunt for a material manifestation of the Kitaev spin liquid, but it has opened the floodgates of theoretical and experimental research in the many unusual phases and excitations that the anisotropic-exchange magnets as a class of compounds have to offer. Given its importance for the field of Kitaev materials, it is astonishing that the low-energy spin model that describes this compound and its possible proximity to the much-desired spin-liquid state is still a subject of significant debate ten years later. In the present study, we argue that the existing key phenomenological observations put strong natural constraints on the effective microscopic spin model of $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$, and specifically on its spin-orbit-induced anisotropic-exchange parameters that are responsible for the non-trivial physical properties of this material. These constraints allow one to focus on the relevant region of the multi-dimensional phase diagram of the $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ model, suggest an intuitive description of it via a different parametrization of the exchange matrix, offer a unifying view on the earlier assessments of its parameters, and bring closer together several approaches to the derivation of anisotropic-exchange models. We explore extended phase diagrams relevant to the $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ parameter space using quasi-classical, Luttinger-Tisza, exact diagonalization, and density-matrix renormalization group methods, demonstrating a remarkably c... (arxiv cutoff; for the rest, see the paper)

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2502.08698 by the authors.

Figure 1
Figure 1. FIG. 1. (a) Ru [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. FIG. 2. The [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. FIG. 4. Polar phase diagram of the model ( [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_4.png] view at source ↗
Figures from the paper (22 more)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: FIG. 5. ESR [ [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p008_5.png]
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: FIG. 6. The projection of the [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p009_6.png]
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: FIG. 8. Same as Figs [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p010_8.png]
Figure 9
Figure 9. Figure 9: FIG. 9. The [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p011_9.png]
Figure 10
Figure 10. Figure 10: (b). It is the same data from Ref. [92], but in the crystallographic parametrization of the XXZ–J±±–Jz± model (3). One can see all the aspects of the physical pa￾rameter space of α-RuCl3 that are discussed in Sec. II B 2 above: leading J1(1 − ∆) that is followed by Jz…
Figure 12
Figure 12. Figure 12: FIG. 12. Same as in Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p013_12.png]
Figure 13
Figure 13. Figure 13: , all prior works with no exception suggest an easy￾plane character of the ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor ex￾change in their α-RuCl3 modeling, showing |∆| < 1. In retrospect, the strongly easy-plane character of the model (3) is one of the most direct arguments that t…
Figure 14
Figure 14. Figure 14: FIG. 14. The [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p015_14.png]
Figure 15
Figure 15. Figure 15: FIG. 15. The [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p016_15.png]
Figure 16
Figure 16. Figure 16: FIG. 16. Polar phase diagrams of the model ( [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p018_16.png]
Figure 17
Figure 17. Figure 17: (b) shows the same for the field perpendicular to the bond, a(x ′ )-direction. To compare the results for the two field directions fairly, we kept the same XC cylinder for H(a) , but used a tilted direction of the field to have it perpendicular to the bond, with the s…
Figure 18
Figure 18. Figure 18: FIG. 18. The intensity map of [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p021_18.png]
Figure 19
Figure 19. Figure 19: FIG. 19. Upper curve is the ordered moment extracted from [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p022_19.png]
Figure 20
Figure 20. Figure 20: FIG. 20. (a) The 32 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p023_20.png]
Figure 21
Figure 21. Figure 21: (c) as ℓ≈7.85a, which corresponds to the incom￾mensurate |Q| ≈ 0.19 r.l.u. [reciprocal lattice vector is G= (4π/3a, 0)]. Before moving on to the next non-scan, we note, for the record, that the DMRG non-scan in the XC cylinder in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p02…
Figure 22
Figure 22. Figure 22: FIG. 22. Same as Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p025_22.png]
Figure 23
Figure 23. Figure 23: FIG. 23. (a) and (b) The 32 [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p026_23.png]
Figure 24
Figure 24. Figure 24: FIG. 24. (a) The 24-site cluster used in the ED calculations; the outer bonds visualize its periodicity. (b) The allowed momenta [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p031_24.png]
Figure 25
Figure 25. Figure 25: FIG. 25. (a) Same as Fig [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p032_25.png]
Figure 26
Figure 26. Figure 26: FIG. 26. The intensity map of [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p033_26.png]
Figure 27
Figure 27. Figure 27: FIG. 27. Polar phase diagram of the model ( [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p034_27.png]
Figure 28
Figure 28. Figure 28: FIG. 28. Phase diagram of the model ( [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p035_28.png]

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Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

163 extracted references · 69 canonical work pages · cited by 3 Pith papers

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    L T formalism The most general lattice Hamiltonian with binary in- teractions of the classical spins is given by H = X ⟨ij⟩ ST i ˆJijSj , (B3) where the lattice indices i and j run over all sites of the lattice, ⟨ij⟩ denotes the corresponding bonds, and the 3 × 3 exchange matrix depends only on ri − rj because of the translational invariance. To capitaliz...

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    IC2 For J3 = 1.5 meV, the point in the proximity of the FM-IC phase boundary, see Fig. 20(a), a different state is realized, for which we found the “rotated” YC orientation of the cylinders to be optimal. In Fig. 22(a), the 6 ×24 YC cylinder is shown, with the same color-coding for the spins according to their sublattices as in Fig. 21(a), but spin are no...

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    Comparison with LT and classical spiral ansatz The IC phases were found as potentially proximate to the α-RuCl3 parameter space using the LT approach and verified with ED and DMRG. In order to show the almost unnatural closeness of the agreement of the LT and DMRG results, we per- formed additional checks of the IC states within the LT approach for the re...

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    Our Figures 23(a) and 23(b) provide the 1D scans through the phase diagram for the Point A in Fig

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