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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.

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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