State-resolved magnetopolar oxygen-vacancy unit and connectivity-aware supercell magnetic response in monolayer
Phys. Rev. B 114, 074424 – Published 19 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ndwr-s3ht
Abstract
Point defects in two-dimensional (2D) oxides can simultaneously generate magnetic and polar responses, but the microscopic origin and periodic supercell effects remain elusive. Herein, we take monolayer as a prototypical 2D oxide to investigate terminal oxygen vacancies via first-principles calculations to elucidate these puzzles. In this system, a neutral terminal oxygen vacancy forms a magnetopolar defect unit with a local moment, an out-of-plane dipole, and easy-axis anisotropy. The defect induces two in-gap states: a deep Mo-centered state hosting the magnetic core, and a shallower, bridge-active state extending toward ligands. For vacancy pairs, the supercell energy splitting is governed by the retained Mo-O-Zr-O-Mo connectivity rather than nominal separation and becomes numerically unresolved only after all candidate pathways are removed within the tested supercell family. These results demonstrate that a single vacancy-driven reconstruction accounts for both magnetic and polar features, remains robust over the tested vacancy-concentration range, and highlights the critical role of connectivity in interpreting defect-pair interactions. This state-resolved and connectivity-aware framework provides microscopic insight for analyzing magnetopolar defects in low-dimensional oxides with material-specific vacancy chemistry.