The exactly solvable Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice has recently received enormous attention linked to the hope of achieving novel spin-liquid states with fractionalized Majorana-like excitations. In this review, we analyze the mechanism proposed by G. Jackeli and G. Khaliullin to identify Kitaev materials based on spin-orbital dependent bond interactions and provide a comprehensive overview of its implications in real materials. We set the focus on experimental results and current theoretical understanding of planar honeycomb systems (Na2IrO3, α-Li2IrO3, and α-RuCl3), three-dimensional Kitaev materials (β- and γ-Li2IrO3), and other potential candidates, completing the review with the list of open questions awaiting new insights.
@article{arxiv.1706.06113,
title = {Models and Materials for Generalized Kitaev Magnetism},
author = {Stephen M. Winter and Alexander A. Tsirlin and Maria Daghofer and Jeroen van den Brink and Yogesh Singh and Philipp Gegenwart and Roser Valenti},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1706.06113},
year = {2017}
}