title: Atomic-scale observation of structural and electronic orders in the layered compound α-RuCl3.
abstract: A pseudospin-1/2 Mott phase on a honeycomb lattice is proposed to host the celebrated two-dimensional Kitaev model which has an elusive quantum spin liquid ground state, and fascinating physics relevant to the development of future templates towards topological quantum bits. Here we report a comprehensive, atomically resolved real-space study by scanning transmission electron and scanning tunnelling microscopies on a novel layered material displaying Kitaev physics, α-RuCl3. Our local crystallography analysis reveals considerable variations in the geometry of the ligand sublattice in thin films of α-RuCl3that opens a way to realization of a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic ground state at the nanometre length scale. Using scanning tunnelling techniques, we observe the electronic energy gap of ≈0.25 eV and intra-unit cell symmetry breaking of charge distribution in individual α-RuCl3surface layer. The corresponding charge-ordered pattern has a fine structure associated with two different types of charge disproportionation at Cl-terminated surface.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziatdinov
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maksov
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berlijn
authors.affiliation: Material Science &Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Material Science &Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: J-Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bridges
authors.affiliation: Material Science &Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mandrus
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Nagler
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Baddorf
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kalinin