Magnetic impurity behavior in a gapless quantum spin liquid: single-layer 1T-TaSe<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Quantum spin liquids are a novel state of matter predicted to arise in quantum antiferromagnets where geometric frustration and quantum fluctuations are strong enough to prevent a magnetically ordered ground state. At half filling, fractional spin-carrying excitations termed spinons dominate the low-energy physics. Here we present scanning tunneling microscopy studies of the behavior of magnetic adatoms deposited onto the quantum spin liquid candidate single-layer 1T-TaSe2. Spectroscopic imaging of pristine single-layer 1T-TaSe2 reveals long-wavelength density modulations at the Hubbard band energies consistent with a spinon Fermi surface instability as predicted by theory. Magnetic atoms deposited onto the 1T-TaSe2 surface bind at different sites in the star-of-David unit cell and exhibit distinct spectroscopic features near the Hubbard band edges. One possible explanation for the observed behavior is exchange coupling between magnetic adatoms and itinerant spinons.

–

Presenters

  • Yi Chen

    • University of California, Berkeley

Authors

  • Yi Chen

    • University of California, Berkeley

  • Wei Ruan

    • University of California, Berkeley

  • Jinwoong Hwang

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • Physics, Pusan National University

  • Meng Wu

    • University of California, Berkeley
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley
    • Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Shujie Tang

    • Standford
    • Stanford University
    • Stanford Univeristy
    • Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University

  • Hyejin Ryu

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

  • Steven Louie

    • University of California at Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA and Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, C
    • University of California, Berkeley
    • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley
    • Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Department of Physics, UC Berkeley
    • Physics, Unviersyt of Calfornia, Berkeley
    • Physics, University of California, Berkeley
    • Physics, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

  • Patrick A Lee

    • Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MIT
    • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
    • MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

  • Zhixun Shen

    • Standford
    • Stanford University
    • Stanford Univeristy
    • Applied Physics, Stanford University
    • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    • Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University
    • Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
    • Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
    • SIMES, SLAC - Natl Accelerator Lab
    • Stanford Univ

  • Sung-Kwan Mo

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • ALS, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Michael F Crommie

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and UC Berkeley
    • University of California, Berkeley