Anisotropic response of defect bound states to magnetic field in epitaxial FeSn films

Abstract

Crystal defects, whether intrinsic or engineered, drive many fundamental phenomena and novel functionalities of quantum materials. Here, we report symmetry-breaking phenomena induced by Sn-vacancy defects on the surface of epitaxial Kagome antiferromagnet FeSn films using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Near the Sn-vacancy defects, anisotropic quasiparticle interference patterns are observed in the differential conductance dI/dV maps, indicating two-fold electronic states that break the 6-fold rotational symmetry of the Kagome layer. Furthermore, the Sn-vacancy defects induce bound states that exhibit anomalous Zeeman shifts under an out-of-plane magnetic field, where their energy shifts linearly towards higher energy independent of the direction of the magnetic field. Under an in-plane magnetic field, the shift of the bound state energy also shows a two-fold oscillating behavior as a function of the azimuth angle. These findings demonstrate defect-enabled new functionalities in Kagome antiferromagnets for potential applications in nanoscale spintronic devices.