近日，以色列魏茨曼科学研究所Haim Beidenkopf团队研究了d轨道kagome金属中奇异金属丰度的起源。该研究于2026年3月17日发表在《自然—物理学》杂志上。
强电子关联常催生奇异现象，例如出现在多种量子材料平台中的奇异金属性。理解这种普适性背后的机制仍是一个突出挑战，尤其是因为其背后的微观自由度可能极其复杂多样。平带系统——特别是kagome金属——为研究这些特性提供了理想平台。
研究组发现kagome金属Ni3In中存在显著的零偏压峰-谷结构，其中kagome平带位于费米能级附近。扫描隧道谱显示，这些谱学特征随磁场和温度的演变与奇异金属态的行为密切相关。研究组确认零偏压峰源于通过kagome晶格位点间相消量子干涉形成的紧束分子轨道。
该机制在基于d电子的kagome金属中产生了涌现的类f壳层局域矩，这是轨道驱动局域化的具体体现。谱学成像进一步揭示了这些准粒子在整个布里渊区的坍缩现象。因此，该研究揭示了不同量子材料家族中微观结构单元如何相互关联，为理解奇异金属性及关联电子行为的普适本质提供了新见解。
附：英文原文
Title: Origin of strange metallicity in a d-orbital kagome metal
Author: Souza, Jean C., Haim, Moshe, Gupta, Ambikesh, Mahankali, Mounica, Xie, Fang, Fang, Yuan, Chen, Lei, Fang, Shiang, Tan, Hengxin, Han, Minyong, John, Caolan, Zheng, Jingxu, Liu, Yiwen, Yan, Binghai, Checkelsky, Joseph G., Si, Qimiao, Avraham, Nurit, Beidenkopf, Haim
Issue&Volume: 2026-03-17
Abstract: Strong electronic correlations often give rise to singular phenomena, such as strange metallicity, which appears in various quantum materials platforms. Understanding the mechanisms behind this universality remains an outstanding challenge, especially because the underlying degrees of freedom can be highly complex and varied. Flat-band systems—especially kagome metals—provide an ideal setting for investigating these properties. Here we demonstrate a pronounced zero-bias peak–dip structure in the kagome metal Ni3In, in which the kagome flat band lies close to the Fermi energy. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy reveals that the magnetic field and temperature evolution of these spectral features closely tracks the behaviour of the strange-metal state. We identify the origin of the zero-bias peak arising from compact molecular orbitals formed through destructive quantum interference across the kagome sites. This mechanism gives rise to emergent, f-shell-like localized moments within a d electron-based kagome metal, a manifestation of orbital-driven localization. Spectroscopic imaging further unveils the collapse of these quasiparticles across the Brillouin zone. Therefore, our findings provide insight into how different microscopic building blocks can become interconnected across seemingly disparate families of quantum materials and shed light on the universal nature of strange metallicity and correlated electron behaviour.
DOI: 10.1038/s41567-026-03216-4
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-026-03216-4