Spinon Majorana fermion

A new realization of Majorana fermions is proposed in the frustrated magnets via the topological proximity effect. Specifically, we consider the interface between a topological insulator and a frustrated magnetic material. Using the renormalization group-based mean-field theory, and calculating the self-energy correction due to the topological insulator, we find that the spin texture and the spin-momentum locking of the Dirac cone will be inherited by the spinons in the nearby frustrated magnets. This leads to a particular topological state of matter that supports the Majorana excitation. Unlike the conventional ones, these Majorana fermions are the composite states of spinons and anti-spinons, rather than electrons and holes. They can also participate in the transport of spinons, resulting in nontrivial spin current, while the charge current is completely frozen.