Yaobo Huang

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in bilayer and trilayer nickelates has spurred intense interest in the Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates, yet the fundamental properties of the NiO 2 layer remain obscured by interlayer coupling. It is therefore imperative to investigate the electronic properties of their single-layer counterpart—though not superconducting—to isolate the intrinsic physics of the Ni-O layer. In this work, we present a systematic study of the single-layer nickelate La 1.4 Sr 0.6 NiO 4 using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. We reveal strong electron correlation effects manifested by high-energy kinks in band dispersions and a pronounced orbital-dependent band renormalization. Interestingly, we observe a quasi-one-dimensional electronic structure characterized by straight Fermi surface sheets along the diagonal momentum directions. Such a squarelike Fermi surface topology facilitates non-Fermi-liquid behavior consistent with the Luttinger liquid model, as evidenced by the power-law spectral function, robust temperature scaling, and spectroscopic features reminiscent of spin-charge separation. Our results therefore not only point toward an exotic Luttinger liquid phase emerging from the unexpected dimensional reduction in an intrinsically quasi-two-dimensional nickelate but also provide a new perspective for understanding the intriguing physics in multilayer nickelates.

Correlated kagome metals host unique electronic states that enable exotic quantum phenomena. In the recently emerged CsCr_{6}Sb_{6}, these manifest through Kondo behavior from localized Cr-3d electrons and unprecedented band flattening near the Fermi level. Yet the intricate interplay among Kondo screening, magnetic frustration, and electronic correlations remains poorly understood-a fundamental gap we address through multifaceted experimental and theoretical approaches. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal electronic correlation-renormalized flat bands, and our muon spin relaxation study detects short-range magnetic order at T_{N}∼80 K. Complementing these findings, density-functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory calculations identify a coherent-incoherent crossover at T_{N}, with a remarkable restoration of coherence accompanying local moment suppression-an anomalous hallmark of Kondo behavior. Intriguingly, despite strong interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling, the system evades long-range magnetic order due to competing magnetic configurations separated by sub-meV energy differences. These insights establish CsCr_{6}Sb_{6} as a prototypical platform for investigating dynamical Kondo screening in correlated flat-band systems, opening new avenues to study flat-band physics and frustrated magnetism in correlated kagome lattices.

The interplay between local and itinerant electrons underpins many correlated and topological quantum states. Kagome lattices provide an ideal platform by hosting both flat (localized states) and dispersive bands (itinerant states), yet direct spectroscopic evidence of their dynamical coupling has remained elusive. Here we report the long-sought flat band resonance in the quasi-two-dimensional kagome bilayer material CsCr₆Sb₆. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, transport measurements, and combined density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory, we identify coexisting flat band doublets and dispersive bands near the Fermi energy. Upon cooling, the flat and dispersive bands exhibit a pronounced enhancement of spectral weight and hybridization, directly evidencing flat band resonance. Crucially, this emergence coincides with the onset of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations, contrasting sharply with conventional Kondo lattice behavior. Our findings demonstrate not only the long-sought flat band resonance in kagome materials, but also its unconventional correlation with magnetism.

The interplay among quantum degrees of freedom-spin, orbital and momentum-has emerged as a fertile ground for realizing magnetic quantum states with transformative potential for electronic and spintronic technologies. Prominent examples include ferromagnetic Weyl semimetals and antiferromagnetic axion insulators. Recently, altermagnets(AMs) have been identified as a distinct spin-splitting class of collinear antiferromagnets(AFMs), characterized by crystal symmetry that connects magnetic sublattices in real space and enforces C-paired spin-momentum locking in reciprocal space. These materials combine the advantages of nonrelativistic spin-polarization akin to FMs and vanished net-magnetization as AFMs, making them highly promising for spintronic applications. Furthermore, they introduce nontrivial spin-momentum locking spin texture as an additional degree of freedom for realizing novel quantum phases. In this work, we report the discovery of a new type of spin-valley-locked nodal line phase in the layered AM Rb-intercalated V{_2}Te{_2}O. By combining high-resolution spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with first-principles calculations, we observe the coexistence of both spinless and spinful nodal lines near the Fermi level. Remarkably, the spinful nodal lines exhibit uniform spin polarization within each valley, while displaying opposite spin polarizations across symmetry-paired valleys-a unique feature we term spin-valley-locked nodal lines, which is exclusive to AMs. Direct measurements of out-of-plane band dispersion using a side-cleaving technique reveal the two-dimensional nature of these nodal lines. Our findings not only unveil a previously unexplored topological phase in AMs where valley-locked spin as an additional quantum character but also establish RbV{_2}Te{_2}O as a promising platform for spintronics, valleytronics, and moire-engineered quantum devices.

This study develops an integrated X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) platform on beamline BL09U at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), enabling nanoscale characterization of complex materials through energy-resolved imaging and local-area XAS. By using the wide range of energy tunability, full access to different polarizations and PEEM's surface sensitivity, we have established a gap–monochromator control system under the EPICS framework to synchronize the elliptically polarized undulator (EPU) gap and monochromator energy dynamically, optimizing photon flux stability for absorption fine structure analysis. Combining X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) with PEEM and local-area XAS, this platform achieves concurrent mapping of electronic structures and magnetic domains in ferromagnetic nano-patterns, as demonstrated through our studies of Ni ₈₀ Fe ₂₀ Permalloy using this system. The dual-modal approach bridges synchrotron radiation technology and surface science, offering nanometre-scale spatial resolution in XAS with magnetic domain sensitivity through linearly and circularly polarized X-ray excitation, providing researchers with advanced tools for functional materials analysis through synergistic XAS-PEEM techniques and dynamic control systems.

Orbital selectivity is pivotal in dictating the phase diagrams of multiorbital systems, with prominent examples including the orbital-selective Mott phase and superconductivity. The intercalation of anisotropic layers represents an effective method for enhancing orbital selectivity and thereby shaping the low-energy physics of multiorbital systems. Despite its potential, related experimental studies, especially those elucidating the correlation between orbital selectivity and magnetism, remain limited. In this work, we systematically examine the interplay between orbital selectivity and magnetism in the newly discovered anisotropic kagome TbTi 3 Bi 4 single crystal, and report the coexistence of orbital-selective dual-band modulations ( q 1 ∼ 1 / 3 a * , q 2 ∼ 0.28 b * ) within the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state. By combining soft x-ray and vacuum ultraviolet angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements, neutron powder diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, and density-functional-theory calculations, we identify these dual-band reconstructions as manifestations of the AFM order driven by a (approximately 1 / 3 , 0.28, 0) nesting instability of the intercalated Tb 5 d x z orbitals. These orbital-selective modulations induce unusual momentum-dependent band folding and lead to the emergence of Dirac cones only at the M ¯ 1 point, signaling a topological phase transition in the AFM state. Importantly, the discovery of orbital-selective (approximately 1 / 3 , 0.28, 0) AFM order offers crucial insights into the mechanism underlying the fractional magnetization plateau in this kagome AFM metal. Our findings not only underscore the essential role of both conducting and localized electrons in determining the magnetic orders of Ln Ti 3 Bi 4 ( Ln = lanthanide ) kagome metals but also offer a pathway for manipulating magnetism through selective control of anisotropic electronic structures.