Localized spin-orbit polaron in magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2

Yuqing Xing; Jianlei Shen; Hui Chen; Li Huang; Yuxiang Gao; Qi Zheng; Yu-Yang Zhang; Geng Li; Bin Hu; Guojian Qian; Lu Cao; Xianli Zhang; Peng Fan; Ruisong Ma; Qi Wang; Qiangwei Yin; Hechang Lei; Wei Ji; Shixuan Du; Haitao Yang; Wenhong Wang; Chengmin Shen; Xiao Lin; Enke Liu; Baogen Shen; Ziqiang Wang; Hong-Jun Gao

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19440-2

Localized spin-orbit polaron in magnetic Weyl semimetal Co₃Sn₂S₂

Nat Commun. 2020 Nov 5;11(1):5613. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19440-2.

Authors

Yuqing Xing^{1

2

3}, Jianlei Shen^{1

2}, Hui Chen^{1

2

3}, Li Huang^{1

2

3}, Yuxiang Gao^{1

2

3}, Qi Zheng^{1

2

3}, Yu-Yang Zhang^{2

3}, Geng Li^{1

2

3}, Bin Hu^{1

2

3}, Guojian Qian^{1

2

3}, Lu Cao^{1

2

3}, Xianli Zhang^{1

2

3}, Peng Fan^{1

2

3}, Ruisong Ma^{1

2

3}, Qi Wang⁴, Qiangwei Yin⁴, Hechang Lei⁴, Wei Ji⁴, Shixuan Du^{1

2

3

5}, Haitao Yang^{1

2

3}, Wenhong Wang^{1

2

5}, Chengmin Shen^{1

2

3}, Xiao Lin^{1

2

3}, Enke Liu^{6

7

8}, Baogen Shen^{1

2

9}, Ziqiang Wang¹⁰, Hong-Jun Gao^{11

12

13

14}

Affiliations

¹ Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.
² School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.
³ CAS Center for Excellence in Topological Quantum Computation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Beijing Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials & Micro-Nano Devices, Department of Physics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China. ekliu@iphy.ac.cn.
⁷ School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China. ekliu@iphy.ac.cn.
⁸ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, People's Republic of China. ekliu@iphy.ac.cn.
⁹ Institute of Rare Earths, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiangxi, 341000, China.
¹⁰ Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA. wangzi@bc.edu.
¹¹ Beijing National Center for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China. hjgao@iphy.ac.cn.
¹² School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China. hjgao@iphy.ac.cn.
¹³ CAS Center for Excellence in Topological Quantum Computation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China. hjgao@iphy.ac.cn.
¹⁴ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, People's Republic of China. hjgao@iphy.ac.cn.

Abstract

The kagome lattice Co₃Sn₂S₂ exhibits the quintessential topological phenomena of a magnetic Weyl semimetal such as the chiral anomaly and Fermi-arc surface states. Probing its magnetic properties is crucial for understanding this correlated topological state. Here, using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) combined with first-principle calculations, we report the discovery of localized spin-orbit polarons (SOPs) with three-fold rotation symmetry nucleated around single S-vacancies in Co₃Sn₂S_2. The SOPs carry a magnetic moment and a large diamagnetic orbital magnetization of a possible topological origin associated relating to the diamagnetic circulating current around the S-vacancy. Appreciable magneto-elastic coupling of the SOP is detected by nc-AFM and STM. Our findings suggest that the SOPs can enhance magnetism and more robust time-reversal-symmetry-breaking topological phenomena. Controlled engineering of the SOPs may pave the way toward practical applications in functional quantum devices.

Abstract

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