Interplay of Dirac electrons and magnetism in CaMnBi<sub>2</sub> and SrMnBi<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27982036.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms13833 and PMC identifier 5172363.
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Abstract
Dirac materials exhibit intriguing low-energy carrier dynamics that offer a fertile ground for novel physics discovery. Of particular interest is the interplay of Dirac carriers with other quantum phenomena such as magnetism. Here we report on a two-magnon Raman scattering study of AMnBi<sub>2</sub> (A=Ca, Sr), a prototypical magnetic Dirac system comprising alternating Dirac carrier and magnetic layers. We present the first accurate determination of the exchange energies in these compounds and, by comparison with the reference compound BaMn<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>, we show that the Dirac carrier layers in AMnBi<sub>2</sub> significantly enhance the exchange coupling between the magnetic layers, which in turn drives a charge-gap opening along the Dirac locus. Our findings break new grounds in unveiling the fundamental physics of magnetic Dirac materials, which offer a novel platform for probing a distinct type of spin-Fermion interaction. The results also hold great promise for applications in magnetic Dirac devices.