Negative flat band magnetism in a spin-orbit coupled correlated kagome magnet

TL;DR

This study uses scanning tunneling microscopy to reveal how a flat band in a kagome magnet exhibits negative magnetism due to spin-orbit coupling, linking electronic structure to emergent magnetic phenomena.

Contribution

It provides the first atomically resolved observation of flat band related negative magnetism in a kagome magnet, connecting spin-orbit coupling, Berry curvature, and magnetic response.

Findings

Identification of a flat band peak at the Fermi level in Co3Sn2S2.

Observation of a negative magnetization-polarized Zeeman shift.

Connection of negative magnetism to Berry curvature and spin-orbit effects.

Abstract

It has long been speculated that electronic flat band systems can be a fertile ground for hosting novel emergent phenomena including unconventional magnetism and superconductivity. Although flat bands are known to exist in a few systems such as heavy fermion materials and twisted bilayer graphene, their microscopic roles and underlying mechanisms in generating emergent behavior remain elusive. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to elucidate the atomically resolved electronic states and their magnetic response in the kagome magnet Co3Sn2S2. We observe a pronounced peak at the Fermi level, which is identified to arise from the kinetically frustrated kagome flat band. Increasing magnetic field up to +-8T, this state exhibits an anomalous magnetization-polarized Zeeman shift, dominated by an orbital moment in opposite to the field direction. Such negative magnetism can be understood as spin-orbit coupling induced quantum phase effects tied to non-trivial flat band systems. We image the flat band peak, resolve the associated negative magnetism, and provide its connection to the Berry curvature field, showing that Co3Sn2S2 is a rare example of kagome magnet where the low energy physics can be dominated by the spin-orbit coupled flat band. Our methodology of probing band-resolved ordering phenomena such as spin-orbit magnetism can also be applied in future experiments to elucidate other exotic phenomena including flat band superconductivity and anomalous quantum transport.