{
  "abstract": "Using time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy, we have mapped out the magnetic excitations in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiBr$_2$ over a broad range of energies and momenta. The observed well-defined magnon dispersions are quantitatively reproduced by linear spin-wave theory based on a minimal bilinear Hamiltonian that includes Heisenberg exchange interactions up to third-nearest neighbors, interlayer couplings, and a single-ion anisotropy term, with no need to invoke a Kitaev interaction. This finding is consistent with the fact that bromine is lighter than iodine, leading to weaker ligand-mediated spin-orbit coupling in NiBr2 than in NiI2, and consequently a reduced Kitaev interaction. Our results establish NiBr$_2$ as a Heisenberg-dominated van der Waals antiferromagnet and support the view that the ligand spin-orbit coupling governs the strength of the bond-dependent interactions within the NiX$_2$ (X = halogen) family.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Journal reference: Phys. Rev. B 114, 264402 (2026)",
  "arxiv": "2611.07597",
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Hao Xu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shufan Cheng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yanyan Shangguan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Song Bao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Junbo Liao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bo Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zihang Song"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shuai Dong"
    },
    {
      "name": "Maofeng Wu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shinichi Itoh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daichi Ueta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jinsheng Wen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gq4245ry0km4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2611.07597",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0gq4245ry0km4",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07597",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.str-el"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2611.07597",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gq4245ry0km4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T18:21:30Z",
      "native_id": "2611.07597",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07597"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.mtrl-sci",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Negligible Kitaev interaction in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiBr$_2$ revealed by neutron spectroscopy",
  "title_text": "Negligible Kitaev interaction in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiBr_2 revealed by neutron spectroscopy",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T00:20:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0gq4245ry0km4",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": [
    {
      "doi": "10.1103/xpcs-4726",
      "pid": null,
      "relation": "published-as",
      "title": null,
      "venue": null
    }
  ]
}