Magnetic-fluctuation-driven suppression of spin-orbit hybridization in the surface ferromagnet GdAg$_2$/Ag(111)

Abstract

Magnetic materials hosting topological band structures have attracted intense interest due to the interplay between magnetism and spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Here, using temperature- and polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigate the surface ferromagnet GdAg$_2$/Ag(111), a two-dimensional system with Weyl-nodal-line-like band crossings. We find that spin fluctuations preserve the nodal-line-derived band crossings even above the Curie temperature, while SOC-induced hybridization develops only at low temperatures, as evidenced by spectral-weight redistribution. The suppression of the hybridization at high temperature is attributed to spin decoherence and band-dependent scattering, captured by an effective non-Hermitian framework. Our results establish magnetic fluctuations as a control knob for SOC-induced hybridization and associated Berry curvature, and highlight magnetic systems as a platform for exploring non-Hermitian band physics.