Giant periodic pseudo-magnetic fields in strained kagome magnet FeSn epitaxial films on SrTiO$_3$(111) substrate

Abstract

Quantum materials, particularly Dirac materials with linearly dispersing bands, can be effectively tuned by strain-induced lattice distortions leading to a pseudo-magnetic field that strongly modulates their electronic properties. Here, we grow kagome magnet FeSn films, consisting of alternatingly stacked Sn$_2$ honeycomb (stanene) and Fe$_3$Sn kagome layers, on SrTiO$_3$(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we show that the Sn honeycomb layer can be periodically deformed by epitaxial strain for film thickness below 10 nm, resulting in differential conductance peaks consistent with Landau levels generated by a pseudo-magnetic field greater than 1000 T. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of strain engineering the electronic properties of topological magnets at the nanoscale.