Gauge field dynamics in multilayer Kitaev spin liquids

Abstract

The Kitaev spin liquid realizes an emergent static \({{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}\) gauge field with vison excitations coupled to Majorana fermions. We consider Kitaev models stacked on top of each other, weakly coupled by Heisenberg interaction ∝ J_⊥. This inter-layer coupling breaks the integrability of the model and makes the gauge fields dynamic. Conservation laws and topology keep single visons immobile. However, an inter-layer vison pairs can hop with a hopping amplitude linear in J_⊥ confined to the layer, but their motion is strongly influenced by the type of stacking. For AA stacking, an interlayer pair has a two-dimensional motion but for AB or ABC stacking, sheet conservation laws restrict its motion to a one-dimensional channel within the plane. For all stacking types, an intra-layer vison-pair is constrained to move out-of-plane only. Depending on the anisotropy of the Kitaev couplings K_x, K_y, K_z, the intra-layer vison pairs can display either coherent tunnelling or purely incoherent hopping. When a magnetic field opens a gap for Majorana fermions, there exist two types of intra-layer vison pairs - a bosonic and a fermionic one. Only the bosonic pair obtains a hopping rate linear in J_⊥. We use our results to identify the leading instabilities of the spin liquid phase induced by the inter-layer coupling.