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Main Authors: Zhao, Chenxiao, Catarina, Gonçalo, Zhang, Jin-Jiang, Henriques, João C. G., Yang, Lin, Ma, Ji, Feng, Xinliang, Gröning, Oliver, Ruffieux, Pascal, Fernández-Rossier, Joaquín, Fasel, Roman
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.13590
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author Zhao, Chenxiao
Catarina, Gonçalo
Zhang, Jin-Jiang
Henriques, João C. G.
Yang, Lin
Ma, Ji
Feng, Xinliang
Gröning, Oliver
Ruffieux, Pascal
Fernández-Rossier, Joaquín
Fasel, Roman
author_facet Zhao, Chenxiao
Catarina, Gonçalo
Zhang, Jin-Jiang
Henriques, João C. G.
Yang, Lin
Ma, Ji
Feng, Xinliang
Gröning, Oliver
Ruffieux, Pascal
Fernández-Rossier, Joaquín
Fasel, Roman
contents Unlocking the potential of topological order within many-body spin systems has long been a central pursuit in the realm of quantum materials. Despite extensive efforts, the quest for a versatile platform enabling site-selective spin manipulation, essential for tuning and probing diverse topological phases, has persisted. Here, we utilize on-surface synthesis to construct spin-1/2 alternating-exchange Heisenberg (AH) chains[1] with antiferromagnetic couplings $J_1$ and $J_2$ by covalently linking Clar's goblets -- nanographenes each hosting two antiferromagnetically-coupled unpaired electrons[2]. Utilizing scanning tunneling microscopy, we exert atomic-scale control over the spin chain lengths, parities and exchange-coupling terminations, and probe their magnetic response by means of inelastic tunneling spectroscopy. Our investigation confirms the gapped nature of bulk excitations in the chains, known as triplons[3]. Besides, the triplon dispersion relation is successfully extracted from the spatial variation of tunneling spectral amplitudes. Furthermore, depending on the parity and termination of chains, we observe varying numbers of in-gap $S=1/2$ edge spins, enabling the determination of the degeneracy of distinct topological ground states in the thermodynamic limit-either 1, 2, or 4. By monitoring interactions between these edge spins, we identify the exponential decay of spin correlations. Our experimental findings, corroborated by theoretical calculations, present a phase-controlled many-body platform, opening promising avenues toward the development of spin-based quantum devices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_13590
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Tunable topological phases in nanographene-based spin-1/2 alternating-exchange Heisenberg chains
Zhao, Chenxiao
Catarina, Gonçalo
Zhang, Jin-Jiang
Henriques, João C. G.
Yang, Lin
Ma, Ji
Feng, Xinliang
Gröning, Oliver
Ruffieux, Pascal
Fernández-Rossier, Joaquín
Fasel, Roman
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Chemical Physics
Quantum Physics
Unlocking the potential of topological order within many-body spin systems has long been a central pursuit in the realm of quantum materials. Despite extensive efforts, the quest for a versatile platform enabling site-selective spin manipulation, essential for tuning and probing diverse topological phases, has persisted. Here, we utilize on-surface synthesis to construct spin-1/2 alternating-exchange Heisenberg (AH) chains[1] with antiferromagnetic couplings $J_1$ and $J_2$ by covalently linking Clar's goblets -- nanographenes each hosting two antiferromagnetically-coupled unpaired electrons[2]. Utilizing scanning tunneling microscopy, we exert atomic-scale control over the spin chain lengths, parities and exchange-coupling terminations, and probe their magnetic response by means of inelastic tunneling spectroscopy. Our investigation confirms the gapped nature of bulk excitations in the chains, known as triplons[3]. Besides, the triplon dispersion relation is successfully extracted from the spatial variation of tunneling spectral amplitudes. Furthermore, depending on the parity and termination of chains, we observe varying numbers of in-gap $S=1/2$ edge spins, enabling the determination of the degeneracy of distinct topological ground states in the thermodynamic limit-either 1, 2, or 4. By monitoring interactions between these edge spins, we identify the exponential decay of spin correlations. Our experimental findings, corroborated by theoretical calculations, present a phase-controlled many-body platform, opening promising avenues toward the development of spin-based quantum devices.
title Tunable topological phases in nanographene-based spin-1/2 alternating-exchange Heisenberg chains
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Chemical Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.13590