journal article·2024-10Open access

Real‐Space Imaging of Intrinsic Symmetry‐Breaking Spin Textures in a Kagome Lattice

Caihong Xie, Yongcheng Deng, Dong Zhang, Junbo Li, Yimin Xiong, Mangyuan Ma, Fusheng Ma, Wei Tong, Jihao Wang, Wenjie Meng, Yubin Hou, Yuyan Han, Qiyuan Feng, Qingyou Lu

Advanced Science· Volume 11· Issue 39

Abstract

Abstract The electronic orders in kagome materials have emerged as a fertile platform for studying exotic quantum states, and their intertwining with the unique kagome lattice geometry remains elusive. While various unconventional charge orders with broken symmetry is observed, the influence of kagome symmetry on magnetic order has so far not been directly observed. Here, using a high‐resolution magnetic force microscopy, it is, for the first time, observed a new lattice form of noncollinear spin textures in the kagome ferromagnet in zero magnetic field. Under the influence of the sixfold rotational symmetry of the kagome lattice, the spin textures are hexagonal in shape and can further form a honeycomb lattice structure. Subsequent thermal cycling measurements reveal that these spin textures transform into a non‐uniform in‐plane ferromagnetic ground state at low temperatures and can fully rebuild at elevated temperatures, showing a strong second‐order phase transition feature. Moreover, some out‐of‐plane magnetic moments persist at low temperatures, supporting the Kane–Mele scenario in explaining the emergence of the Dirac gap. The observations establish that the electronic properties, including both charge and spin orders, are strongly coupled with the kagome lattices.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Condensed Matter Physics · Topological Materials and Phenomena · Random lasers and scattering media

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China

Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Low‐Energy Quantum Materials and Devices High Magnetic Field Laboratory HFIPS Chinese Academy of Sciences Hefei 230031 China

State Key Laboratory for Superlattices and Microstructures Institute of Semiconductors Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100083 China

Department of Physics School of Physics and Optoelectronics Engineering Anhui University Hefei 230039 China

Hefei National Laboratory Hefei 230094 China

Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Magnetic Functional Materials and Devices Anhui University Hefei 230039 China

School of Physics and Technology Nanjing Normal University Nanjing 210046 China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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