Local Probes for Charge-Neutral Edge States in Two-Dimensional Quantum Magnets

Abstract

The bulk-boundary correspondence is a defining feature of topological states of matter. However, for quantum magnets such as spin liquids or topological magnon insulators a direct observation of topological surface states has proven challenging because of the charge-neutral character of the excitations. Here we propose spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy as a spin-sensitive local probe to provide direct information about charge neutral topological edge states. We show how their signatures, imprinted in the local structure factor, can be extracted by specifically employing the strengths of existing technologies. As our main example, we determine the dynamical spin correlations of the Kitaev honeycomb model with open boundaries. We show that by contrasting conductance measurements of bulk and edge locations, one can extract direct signatures of the existence of fractionalized excitations and non-trivial topology. The broad applicability of this approach is corroborated by a second example of a kagome topological magnon insulator.

arXiv comment5+6 pages; 3+3 figures

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• Hole Spectral Function of a Chiral Spin Liquid in the Triangular Lattice Hubbard Model
• Kitaev Quantum Spin Liquids
• Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of Majorana zero modes in a Kitaev spin liquid
• Anderson-Kitaev spin liquid
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• Non-local spin correlation as a signature of Ising anyons trapped in vacancies of the Kitaev spin liquid
• Realizing Topological Superconductivity in Tunable Bose-Fermi Mixtures with Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Heterostructures
• Identifying, and constructing, complex magnon band topology
• Probing quantum spin liquids with a quantum twisting microscope
• Magnetoelectric generation of a Majorana-Fermi surface in Kitaev's honeycomb model
• Thermal anyon interferometry in phonon-coupled Kitaev spin liquids
• Dynamical anyon generation in Kitaev honeycomb non-Abelian spin liquids
• Topological Hybrids of Magnons and Magnon Bound Pairs
• Probing magnetism in moiré heterostructures with quantum twisting microscopes
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• Magnon Interference Tunneling Spectroscopy as a Probe of 2D Magnetism
• Probing Majorana wavefunctions in Kitaev honeycomb spin liquids with second-order two-dimensional spectroscopy
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• Tunable moire spinons in magnetically encapsulated twisted van der Waals quantum spin-liquids
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• $Z_2$ flux binding to higher-spin impurities in the Kitaev spin liquid
• Spin Seebeck Effect as a Probe for Majorana Fermions in Kitaev Spin Liquids
• Local spin-flip transitions induced by magnetic quantum impurities in two-dimensional magnets
• Theory of quasiparticle interference in Kitaev quantum spin liquids
• Drag resistance mediated by quantum spin liquids
• Emergent Hyper-Magic Manifold in Twisted Kitaev Bilayers
• Quantum computation at the edge of a disordered Kitaev honeycomb lattice
• Possible Realization of Kitaev Spin Liquids in van der Waals Heterostructures of $\alpha$-RuCl${}_3$ and Cr$X_3$ ($X$=Cl and I)
• Electric polarization near vortices in the extended Kitaev model
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• Long-distance coupling of spin qubits via topological magnons