Emergent Surface Kondo Flat Band Driven by Competing Interactions in a Topological Ferromagnet

arXiv:2609.20432 · cond-mat.str-el · Submitted 2026-09-17 · Read on arXiv

cond-mat.str-el

Submitted: 2026-09-17

Updated: 2026-09-17

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: A central goal of modern condensed matter physics is to uncover new quantum states of matter arising from the intertwined effects of strong electron correlations, magnetism, and band topology.

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Abstract

A central goal of modern condensed matter physics is to uncover new quantum states of matter arising from the intertwined effects of strong electron correlations, magnetism, and band topology. Heavy-fermion phases, generated by Kondo interactions, represent one of the most remarkable manifestations of electronic correlations, and topological heavy-fermion states have been identified in several non-magnetic materials. Yet, the consequences of their competition with magnetic order have remained largely unexplored. Here, we reveal a new phenomenon: the spontaneous spatial separation of correlated quantum phases. By showing that magnetism can drive distinct strongly correlated electronic states to coexist in different regions of a single material, our work establishes a previously unknown mechanism for organizing quantum matter and opens a new direction in the study of correlated topological systems. Using bulk-sensitive probes, we show that UAsS crystals are, in the bulk, metallic ferromagnets with only moderate correlation-driven band renormalizations. First-principles calculations reveal a topological electronic structure hosting both nodal lines and Weyl points, pointing to a rich underlying topology. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements are consistent with these predictions, resolving the nodal lines and Weyl crossings. In striking contrast, surface-sensitive ARPES and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements reveal a pronounced flat band pinned at the Fermi level, accompanied by a sharp resonance -- hallmarks of an emergent, strongly correlated Kondo state not captured by first-principles calculations.

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