Wu Tsung-Chi, Chang Yueqing, Wu Ang-Kun, Terilli Michael, Wen Fangdi, Kareev Mikhail, Choi Eun Sang, Graf David, Zhang Qinghua, Gu Lin, Wang Zhentao, Pixley Jedediah H, Chakhalian Jak
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Sci Adv. 2025 Jun 13;11(24):eadr6202. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adr6202.
In magnetic pyrochlore materials, the interplay of spin-orbit coupling, electronic correlations, and geometrical frustration gives rise to exotic quantum phases, including topological semimetals and spin ice. While these phases have been observed in isolation, the interface-driven phenomena emerging from their interaction have never been realized previously. Here, we report on the discovery of interfacial electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a heterostructure consisting of the Weyl semimetal EuIrO and spin ice DyTiO. Subjected to magnetic fields, we unveil a sixfold anisotropic transport response that is theoretically accounted by a Kondo-coupled heterointerface, where the spin ice's field-tuned magnetism induces electron scattering in the Weyl semimetal's topological Fermi-arc states. Furthermore, at elevated magnetic fields, we reveal a twofold anisotropic response indicative of the emergence of a symmetry-broken many-body state. This discovery showcases the potential of pyrochlore frustrated magnet/topological semimetal heterostructures in search of emergent interfacial phenomena.
在磁性烧绿石材料中，自旋轨道耦合、电子关联和几何阻挫之间的相互作用产生了奇异的量子相，包括拓扑半金属和自旋冰。虽然这些相已被单独观测到，但它们相互作用产生的界面驱动现象此前从未被实现过。在此，我们报告了在由外尔半金属EuIrO和自旋冰DyTiO组成的异质结构中发现的界面电子各向异性和旋转对称性破缺。在磁场作用下，我们揭示了一种六重各向异性输运响应，理论上这是由近藤耦合异质界面引起的，其中自旋冰的场调磁性在 Weyl 半金属的拓扑费米弧态中诱导电子散射。此外，在高磁场下，我们揭示了一种二重各向异性响应，这表明出现了对称性破缺的多体状态。这一发现展示了烧绿石阻挫磁体/拓扑半金属异质结构在探索新兴界面现象方面的潜力。
