The kagome lattice Co3Sn2S2 exhibits the quintessential topological phenomena of a magnetic Weyl semimetal such as the chiral anomaly and Fermi-arc surface states. Probing its magnetic properties is crucial for understanding this correlated topological state. Here, using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S), we report the discovery of localized spin-orbit polarons (SOPs) with three-fold rotation symmetry nucleated around single-S vacancies in Co3Sn2S2. The SOPs carry a spin-polarized magnetic moment and a large orbital magnetization of a topological origin associated with the Berry phase and the persistent circulating current. Appreciable magneto-elastic coupling of the SOP is detected by atomic force microscope and STM. Our findings suggest that the SOPs can enhance magnetism and stability of the magnetic Weyl nodes for more robust time-reversal-symmetry-breaking topological phenomena. Controlled engineering of the SOPs may pave the way toward practical applications in functional quantum devices.
@article{arxiv.2001.11295,
title = {Localized spin-orbit polaron in magnetic Weyl semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$},
author = {Yuqing Xing and Jianlei Shen and Hui Chen and Li Huang and Yuxiang Gao and Qi Zheng and Yu-Yang Zhang and Geng Li and Bin Hu and Guojian Qian and Xianli Zhang and Peng Fan and Ruisong Ma and Qi Wang and Qiangwei Yin and Hechang Lei and Wei Ji and Shixuan Du and Haitao Yang and Chengmin Shen and Xiao Lin and Enke Liu and Baogen Shen and Ziqiang Wang and Hong-Jun Gao},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2001.11295},
year = {2020}
}