Charge-Spin Correlation in van der Waals Antiferromagnet NiPS3

Abstract

Strong charge-spin coupling is found in a layered transition-metal trichalcogenide NiPS3, a van der Waals antiferromagnet, from studies of the electronic structure using several experimental and theoretical tools: spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray absorption, photoemission spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. NiPS3 displays an anomalous shift in the optical spectral weight at the magnetic ordering temperature, reflecting strong coupling between the electronic and magnetic structures. X-ray absorption, photoemission, and optical spectra support a self-doped ground state in NiPS3. Our work demonstrates that layered transition-metal trichalcogenide magnets are useful candidates for the study of correlated-electron physics in two-dimensional magnetic materials.