Oscillations in the magnetothermal conductivity of $\mathit{\alpha }$-RuCl${}_3$: Evidence of transition anomalies

The 2D layered insulator $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ is a candidate material for a quantum spin-liquid state, which may be realized when a magnetic field suppresses the antiferromagnetic order present at low temperature. Oscillations in the field dependence of the thermal conductivity, observed for an in-plane magnetic field $B$ up to a critical field $B^{\star }$, have been attributed to exotic charge-neutral fermions, viewed as evidence of a quantum spin-liquid state between the critical field $B_c$ $\simeq 7$ T at which the antiferromagnetic phase ends and $B^{\star }$. Here we report measurements of the thermal conductivity of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ as a function of magnetic field up to 15 T applied in two distinct in-plane directions: parallel and perpendicular to the Ru-Ru bond. We find that the number of oscillations between $B_c$ and $B^{\star }$ is the same for the two field directions even though the field interval between $B_c$ and $B^{\star }$ is different. In other words, the period of the oscillations is controlled by the transition fields $B_c$ and $B^{\star }$. We conclude that these are not true oscillations – coming from putative fermions in a spin-liquid state – but anomalies associated with a sequence of magnetic transitions.