The authors report a crossover from easy-plane to easy-axis magnetic anisotropy in monolayer RuCl3, which they attribute to an in-plane distortion of the Cl atoms observed in electron diffraction that modify the non-Kitaev exchange terms. The results are useful for overcoming the challenge of realizing a quantum spin liquid.
- Bowen Yang
- Yin Min Goh
- Adam W. Tsen