Ordered states in the Kitaev-Heisenberg model: From 1D chains to 2D honeycomb

Abstract: We study the ground state of the 1D Kitaev-Heisenberg (KH) model using the density-matrix renormalization group and Lanczos exact diagonalization methods. We obtain a rich ground-state phase diagram as a function of the ratio between Heisenberg ($J=\cos\phi)$ and Kitaev ($K=\sin\phi$) interactions. Depending on the ratio, the system exhibits four long-range ordered states: ferromagnetic-$z$ , ferromagnetic-$xy$, staggered-$xy$, N\'eel-$z$, and two liquid states: Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid and spiral-$xy$. The two Kitaev points $\phi=\frac{\pi}{2}$ and $\phi=\frac{3\pi}{2}$ are singular. The $\phi$-dependent phase diagram is similar to that for the 2D honeycomb-lattice KH model. Remarkably, all the ordered states of the honeycomb-lattice KH model can be interpreted in terms of the coupled KH chains. We also discuss the magnetic structure of the K-intercalated RuCl$_3$, a potential Kitaev material, in the framework of the 1D KH model. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the low-lying excitations of the 1D KH Hamiltonian can be explained within the combination of the known six-vertex model and spin-wave theory.