Dynamics of vacancy-induced modes in the non-Abelian Kitaev spin liquid

Identification of quantum spin liquids faces two main challenges: the absence of local magnetic ordering and the inevitable presence of disorder. Analyzing the dynamical response of the site-diluted Kitaev spin liquid, the authors reveal here distinctive Majorana features, including a quasi-zero-frequency peak, explained by a local hybridization model of defect-induced Majorana modes. These findings, highlighting the nontrivial interplay between disorder and spin fractionalization, suggest the potential detection of spin-liquid phases in candidate materials by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).