Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering from electronic excitations in 
<math>
  <mrow>
    <mi>α</mi>
    <mtext>−</mtext>
    <msub>
      <mi>RuCl</mi>
      <mn>3</mn>
    </msub>
  </mrow>
</math>
 nanolayers

Zichen Yang; Lichen Wang; Dong Zhao; Mingdi Luo; Sourav Laha; Achim Güth; Takashi Taniguchi; Kenji Watanabe; Bettina V. Lotsch; Jurgen H. Smet; Matteo Minola; Hlynur Gretarsson; Bernhard Keimer

doi:10.1103/physrevb.108.l041406

Article Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering from electronic excitations in

α − {RuCl}_{3}

nanolayers

Zichen Yang ; Lichen Wang ; Dong Zhao ; Mingdi Luo ; Sourav Laha ; Achim Güth ; Takashi Taniguchi (National Institute for Materials Science) ; Kenji Watanabe (National Institute for Materials Science) ; Bettina V. Lotsch ; Jurgen H. Smet ; Matteo Minola ; Hlynur Gretarsson ; Bernhard Keimer

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Zichen Yang, Lichen Wang, Dong Zhao, Mingdi Luo, Sourav Laha, Achim Güth, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Bettina V. Lotsch, Jurgen H. Smet, Matteo Minola, Hlynur Gretarsson, Bernhard Keimer. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering from electronic excitations in

α − {RuCl}_{3}

nanolayers. Physical Review B. 2023, 108 (4), L041406. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.108.l041406

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Over the past decade, Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) has become an indispensable experimental probe of quantum materials, as energy- and momentum-dependent RIXS data on electronic excitations provide unique insight into the strength and spatial range of electronic interactions. However, one of the most rapidly advancing frontiers in this field – two-dimensional (2D) materials and van-der-Waals heterostruc- tures – has thus far not benefited significantly from RIXS, because the atomic-scale thickness and micron-scale lateral dimensions of typi- cal exfoliated sheets impose severe restrictions on the signal intensity. Here we present Ru L3-edge RIXS measurements of spin-orbit and crystal-field excitations in nanoflakes of the Kitaev spin-liquid candidate RuCl3. Whereas the data on thick flakes are identical to bulk mea- surements, we observe a pronounced red-shift and broadening of the crystal-field excitations in flakes with thickness below about 7 nm. In contrast, the spin-orbit excitations are independent of thickness. Aided by model calculations, we attribute these effects to lattice distortions near the surface. Our study paves the way towards RIXS investigations of electronic excitations in various other 2D materials and heterostructures.

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