Long-lifetime spin excitations near domain walls in 1T-TaS2

Aishwarya A, Raghavan A, Howard S, Cai Z, Thakur GS, Won C, Cheong SW, Felser C, Madhavan V (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America National Academy of Sciences

Book Volume: 119

Article Number: e2121740119

Journal Issue: 22

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121740119

Abstract

Spin chains in solid state materials are quintessential quantum systems with potential applications in spin-based logic, memory, quantum communication, and computation. A critical challenge is the experimental determination of spin lifetimes with the ultimate goal of increasing it. Local measurements by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have demonstrated the importance of decoupling spins from their environment, with markedly improved lifetimes in spin chains on the surfaces of band insulators. In this work we use low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to reveal long-lifetime excitations in a chain of spin-1/2 electrons embedded in a charge density wave Mott insulator, 1T-TaS2. Naturally occurring domain walls trap chains of localized spin-1/2 electrons in nearby sites, whose energies lie inside the Mott gap. Spin-polarized measurements on these sites show distinct two-level switching noise, as well as negative differential resistance in the dI/dV spectra, typically associated with spin fluctuations. The excitations show exceptionally long lifetimes of a few seconds at 300 mK. Our work suggests that layered Mott insulators in the chalcogenide family, which are amenable to exfoliation and lithography, may provide a viable platform for quantum applications.

Involved external institutions

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign US United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI CPfS) / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids DE Germany (DE) Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) KR Korea, Republic of (KR)

How to cite

APA:

Aishwarya, A., Raghavan, A., Howard, S., Cai, Z., Thakur, G.S., Won, C.,... Madhavan, V. (2022). Long-lifetime spin excitations near domain walls in 1T-TaS2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(22). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121740119

MLA:

Aishwarya, Anuva, et al. "Long-lifetime spin excitations near domain walls in 1T-TaS2." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 119.22 (2022).

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