Anisotropic Response of Defect Bound States to the Magnetic Field in Epitaxial FeSn Films.

ABSTRACT: Crystal defects, whether intrinsic or engineered, drive many fundamental phenomena and novel functionalities of quantum materials. Here, we report symmetry-breaking phenomena induced by Sn vacancy defects on the surface of epitaxial Kagome antiferromagnetic FeSn films using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Near the single Sn vacancy, anisotropic quasiparticle interference patterns are observed in the differential conductance dI/dV maps, breaking the 6-fold rotational symmetry of the Kagome layer. Furthermore, the Sn vacancy defects induce bound states that exhibit anomalous Zeeman shift under an out-of-plane magnetic field, where the energy of the bound states moves linearly toward higher energy independent of the direction of the magnetic field. Under an in-plane magnetic field, the shift of the bound state energy also shows a 2-fold oscillating behavior as a function of the azimuth angle. These findings demonstrate defect-enabled new functionalities in Kagome antiferromagnets for potential applications in nanoscale spintronic devices.

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11951140 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature