| Title: |
Mott gap softening coinciding with spin correlations collapse in α- RuCl 3 |
| Authors: |
Yue, Wei; Zheng, Xiaohu; Yang, Chongli; Peng, Kun; Du, Rui-Rui |
| Contributors: |
Chinese Academy of Sciences; National Key Research and Development Program of China; Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics; Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology |
| Source: |
Physical Review Research ; volume 7, issue 4 ; ISSN 2643-1564 |
| Publisher Information: |
American Physical Society (APS) |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Description: |
The Mott insulator α , featuring the intertwined interplay of spin-orbit coupling and Kitaev spin correlations, provides an unparalleled platform for probing quantum many-body physics. Using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we compare temperature-dependent spectra between grown monolayers and exfoliated bulk samples. Both systems exhibit pronounced Mott gap softening near 110 K, manifested by spectral weight transfer from Hubbard bands toward the Fermi level, resulting in low-energy correlated charge delocalization. Although this gap softening coincides with Kitaev paramagnetic and structural phase transitions in bulk crystals, monolayer studies provide compelling insights. By eliminating structural phase transition in monolayer sample, we suggest that spin correlations, rather than Coulomb interactions alone, may govern charge dynamics within the Mott-Hubbard framework, challenging conventional Mott-Hubbard paradigms. These results resolve a long-standing controversy regarding the Mott gap magnitude in α and experimentally confirm the critical role of spin correlations in Mott physics. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1103/nbfx-x8f6 |
| DOI: |
10.1103/nbfx-x8f6/fulltext |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1103/nbfx-x8f6; https://link.aps.org/article/10.1103/nbfx-x8f6; http://harvest.aps.org/v2/journals/articles/10.1103/nbfx-x8f6/fulltext |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.DA29D896 |
| Database: |
BASE |