Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO2

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ae4c65

中国物理B ›› 2026, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (6): 67302-067302.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ae4c65

Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO₂

Jing-Zhi Chen(陈景芝)¹, Yu-Jing Ren(任宇靖)¹, Peng-Hao Yuan(袁鹏浩)¹, Li-Li Meng(孟丽丽)¹, Yu Zhu(朱玉)¹, Yi Ou(欧仪)¹, and Yan Zhang(张焱)^1,2,†

1 International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
2 Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China

收稿日期:2025-11-24 修回日期:2026-02-01 接受日期:2026-03-03 出版日期:2026-05-28 发布日期:2026-05-28
通讯作者: Yan Zhang E-mail:yzhang85@pku.edu.cn
基金资助:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12474129) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFA1403502).

Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO₂

Jing-Zhi Chen(陈景芝)¹, Yu-Jing Ren(任宇靖)¹, Peng-Hao Yuan(袁鹏浩)¹, Li-Li Meng(孟丽丽)¹, Yu Zhu(朱玉)¹, Yi Ou(欧仪)¹, and Yan Zhang(张焱)^1,2,†

1 International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
2 Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China

Received:2025-11-24 Revised:2026-02-01 Accepted:2026-03-03 Online:2026-05-28 Published:2026-05-28
Contact: Yan Zhang E-mail:yzhang85@pku.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12474129) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFA1403502).

1. 2026-067302-SI.pdf(1253KB)

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Electron localization is a focal topic in condensed matter physics. In materials where electrons couple with lattice/spin degrees of freedom, an accurate characterization of electron localization would not only advance our understanding of correlated electron systems but also hold potential as a key to unraveling the long-standing puzzle of high-temperature superconductivity. Here, utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we reveal an electron localization that occurs on the surface of a two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO$_2$. Various characteristics of electron localization were observed, including quasiparticle mass renormalization, the “waterfall” feature, high-energy incoherent states, and a pseudogap. We find that the energy scale of band renormalization is highly correlated with the mode coupling energy observed in the metallic state, suggesting that the localization behavior can be explained by polaron localization driven by an enhancement of the coupling between electrons and lattice/spin excitations. Our data highlight phenomena that emerge universally in complex correlated systems where electrons couple with lattice/spin excitations. This provides experimental validation for various theoretical models of delocalized correlated systems. Our results also demonstrate that the coupling strength can be tuned continuously on the surface of PdCrO$_2$, making it a model system for investigating exotic phenomena in complex correlated materials.

关键词: angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, delafossite oxides, electron localization

Abstract: Electron localization is a focal topic in condensed matter physics. In materials where electrons couple with lattice/spin degrees of freedom, an accurate characterization of electron localization would not only advance our understanding of correlated electron systems but also hold potential as a key to unraveling the long-standing puzzle of high-temperature superconductivity. Here, utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we reveal an electron localization that occurs on the surface of a two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO$_2$. Various characteristics of electron localization were observed, including quasiparticle mass renormalization, the “waterfall” feature, high-energy incoherent states, and a pseudogap. We find that the energy scale of band renormalization is highly correlated with the mode coupling energy observed in the metallic state, suggesting that the localization behavior can be explained by polaron localization driven by an enhancement of the coupling between electrons and lattice/spin excitations. Our data highlight phenomena that emerge universally in complex correlated systems where electrons couple with lattice/spin excitations. This provides experimental validation for various theoretical models of delocalized correlated systems. Our results also demonstrate that the coupling strength can be tuned continuously on the surface of PdCrO$_2$, making it a model system for investigating exotic phenomena in complex correlated materials.

Key words: angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, delafossite oxides, electron localization

中图分类号: (Surface states, band structure, electron density of states)

73.20.At

71.30.+h (Metal-insulator transitions and other electronic transitions) 79.60.-i (Photoemission and photoelectron spectra)

Jing-Zhi Chen(陈景芝), Yu-Jing Ren(任宇靖), Peng-Hao Yuan(袁鹏浩), Li-Li Meng(孟丽丽), Yu Zhu(朱玉), Yi Ou(欧仪), and Yan Zhang(张焱). Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO₂[J]. 中国物理B, 2026, 35(6): 67302-067302.

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Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO₂

Distinctive electron localization on the surface of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic metal PdCrO₂

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