Manipulation of Dirac band curvature and momentum-dependent g-factor in a kagome magnet YMn6Sn6

TL;DR

This study experimentally reveals a strongly momentum-dependent g-factor in a kagome magnet, showing how magnetic fields can manipulate Dirac band curvature, with implications for topological magnetic materials.

Contribution

First direct experimental measurement of momentum-dependent g-factor in a topological kagome magnet using spectroscopic-imaging STM.

Findings

Electronic states at different momenta show different Zeeman shifts.

The g-factor peaks around the Dirac point.

Magnetic field manipulates Dirac band curvature.

Abstract

The Zeeman effect describes the energy change of an atomic quantum state in magnetic field. The magnitude and the direction of this change depend on the dimensionless Lande g-factor. In quantum solids, the response of the Bloch electron states to the magnetic field also exhibits the Zeeman effect with an effective g-factor that was theoretically predicted to be dependent on the momentum. While typically negligible in many ordinary solids, the momentum-dependent variation of the g-factor is theorized to be substantially enhanced in many topological and magnetic systems. However, the momentum-dependence of the g-factor is notoriously difficult to extract and it is yet to be directly experimentally measured. In this work, we report the experimental discovery of a strongly momentum-dependent g-factor in a kagome magnet YMn6Sn6. Using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we map the evolution of a massive Dirac band in the vicinity of the Fermi level as a function of magnetic field. We find that electronic states at different lattice momenta exhibit markedly different Zeeman energy shifts, giving rise to an anomalous g-factor that peaks around the Dirac point. Our work provides the first momentum-resolved visualization of Dirac band curvature manipulation by magnetic field, which should in principle be highly relevant to other topological kagome magnets.