Electronic Origin of Ferromagnetic Excitations in the Candidate Spin-Triplet Superconductor CeSb2

Abstract

The origin of quasi-one-dimensional (q1D) ferromagnetic (FM) excitations in the candidate spin-triplet superconductor CeSb${}_2$ has remained unclear. Here we report an electronic mechanism for emergent q1D magnetism in the quasi-two-dimensional lattice of CeSb${}_2$, revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). High-resolution ARPES resolves no spin-density-wave gap on the dispersive Fermi pockets, disfavoring a nesting-driven mechanism for the q1D FM excitations. Instead, resonant ARPES reveals a pronounced selective enhancement of Ce 4$f$ spectral weight on the $C_2$-distributed Fermi pockets aligned with the Ce ladder. This observation signifies band-selective Kondo coupling that generates strongly anisotropic magnetic exchange interactions, which can naturally account for both the q1D ferromagnetic excitations and the competing magnetic orders. Our results identify a band-selective Kondo coupling mechanism for emergent low-dimensional magnetism in correlated $f$-electron systems.