Two-dimensional heavy fermions in the van der Waals metal CeSiI

Victoria A. Posey, Simon Turkel, Mehdi Rezaee, Aravind Devarakonda, Asish K. Kundu, Chin Shen Ong, Morgan Thinel, Daniel G. Chica, Rocco A. Vitalone, Ran Jing, Suheng Xu, David R. Needell, Elena Meirzadeh, Margalit L. Feuer, Apoorv Jindal, Xiaomeng Cui, Tonica Valla, Patrik Thunström, Turgut Yilmaz, Elio Vescovo, David Graf, Xiaoyang Zhu, Allen Scheie, Andrew F. May, Olle Eriksson, D. N. Basov, Cory R. Dean, Angel Rubio (), Philip Kim, Michael E. Ziebel (), Andrew J. Millis (), Abhay N. Pasupathy () and Xavier Roy ()
Additional contact information
Victoria A. Posey: Columbia University
Simon Turkel: Columbia University
Mehdi Rezaee: Harvard University
Aravind Devarakonda: Columbia University
Asish K. Kundu: Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Chin Shen Ong: Uppsala University
Morgan Thinel: Columbia University
Daniel G. Chica: Columbia University
Rocco A. Vitalone: Columbia University
Ran Jing: Columbia University
Suheng Xu: Columbia University
David R. Needell: Columbia University
Elena Meirzadeh: Columbia University
Margalit L. Feuer: Columbia University
Apoorv Jindal: Columbia University
Xiaomeng Cui: Harvard University
Tonica Valla: Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Patrik Thunström: Uppsala University
Turgut Yilmaz: National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Lab
Elio Vescovo: National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Lab
David Graf: Florida State University
Xiaoyang Zhu: Columbia University
Allen Scheie: Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Lab
Andrew F. May: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Lab
Olle Eriksson: Uppsala University
D. N. Basov: Columbia University
Cory R. Dean: Columbia University
Angel Rubio: Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science and Department of Physics
Philip Kim: Harvard University
Michael E. Ziebel: Columbia University
Andrew J. Millis: Columbia University
Abhay N. Pasupathy: Columbia University
Xavier Roy: Columbia University

Nature, 2024, vol. 625, issue 7995, 483-488

Abstract: Abstract Heavy-fermion metals are prototype systems for observing emergent quantum phases driven by electronic interactions1–6. A long-standing aspiration is the dimensional reduction of these materials to exert control over their quantum phases7–11, which remains a significant challenge because traditional intermetallic heavy-fermion compounds have three-dimensional atomic and electronic structures. Here we report comprehensive thermodynamic and spectroscopic evidence of an antiferromagnetically ordered heavy-fermion ground state in CeSiI, an intermetallic comprising two-dimensional (2D) metallic sheets held together by weak interlayer van der Waals (vdW) interactions. Owing to its vdW nature, CeSiI has a quasi-2D electronic structure, and we can control its physical dimension through exfoliation. The emergence of coherent hybridization of f and conduction electrons at low temperature is supported by the temperature evolution of angle-resolved photoemission and scanning tunnelling spectra near the Fermi level and by heat capacity measurements. Electrical transport measurements on few-layer flakes reveal heavy-fermion behaviour and magnetic order down to the ultra-thin regime. Our work establishes CeSiI and related materials as a unique platform for studying dimensionally confined heavy fermions in bulk crystals and employing 2D device fabrication techniques and vdW heterostructures12 to manipulate the interplay between Kondo screening, magnetic order and proximity effects.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06868-x

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