magnetic structures and excitations in the series of A2PrO3 (A: alkali metals)

We study magnetic structures and excitations in the series of A2PrO3 (A: alkali metals) by performing
neutron scattering experiments. In these compounds, tetravalent
praseodymium ions reside in edge-sharing PrO6 octahedra and the 4 f1 electrons
exhibit Jeff=1/2 ground state doublet which result from a strong spin-orbital
coupling and a weak octahedral crystal field. Furthermore, it was proposed that for
A=Li, Na, the interactions are anti-ferromagnetic and dominantly Kitaev-type and
therefore offer a potential playground for quantum spin liquid. We show evidence of
anti-ferromagnetic phase transitions in such materials and provide possible effective
Hamiltonians that will guide further searches for Kitaev spin liquids in rare earth compounds.