Engineering Kondo state in two-dimensional semiconducting phosphorene

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of an intrinsic, high-temperature Kondo state in two-dimensional semiconducting phosphorene, induced by lattice defects and stable under various conditions, opening new avenues in Kondo physics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of a robust, high-temperature Kondo state in phosphorene triggered by lattice defects, which is distinct from conventional Kondo systems.

Findings

Kondo state observed at 40-200 K range

Kondo cloud has a smaller spatial extension

State remains stable under uniaxial strain and layer variation

Abstract

Correlated interaction between dilute localized impurity electrons with the itinerant host conduction electrons in metals gives rise to the conventional many-body Kondo effect below sufficiently low temperature. In sharp contrast to these conventional Kondo systems, we report an intrinsic, robust and high-temperature Kondo state in two-dimensional semiconducting phosphorene. While absorbed at a thermodynamically stable lattice defect, Cr impurity triggers an electronic phase transition in phosphorene to provide conduction electrons, which strongly interact with the localized moment generated at the Cr site. These manifests into intrinsic Kondo state, where the impurity moment is quenched at multi-stage and at temperatures in the 40-200 K range. Further, along with a much smaller extension of Kondo cloud, the predicted Kondo state is shown to be robust under uniaxial strain and layer thickness, which greatly simplifies its future experimental realization. We predict the present study will open up new avenues in Kondo physics and trigger further theoretical and experimental studies.