Manipulating topological quantum phase transitions of Kitaev's quantum spin liquids with electric fields

Abstract

Highly entangled excitations such as Majorana fermions of Kitaev quantum spin liquids have been proposed to be utilized for future quantum science and technology, and a deeper understanding of such excitations has been strongly desired. Here we demonstrate that Majorana fermion's mass and associated topological quantum phase transitions in the Kitaev quantum spin liquids may be manipulated by using electric fields in sharp contrast to the common belief that an insulator is inert under weak electric fields due to charge energy gaps. Using general symmetry analysis with perturbation and exact diagonalization, we uncover the universal phase diagrams with electric and magnetic fields. We also provide distinctive experimental signatures to identify Kitaev quantum spin liquids with electric fields, especially in connection with the candidate materials such as alpha-RuCl3.