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Optical observation of flat-band charge dynamics in kagome metal
Phys. Rev. Research 8, 033183 – Published 14 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tw5d-d9fh
Abstract
Flat-band systems, where electron kinetic energy is quenched over large regions of momentum space, are predicted to host exotic strongly correlated phenomena. Kagome metals have emerged as a prominent platform for exploring intriguing flat-band physics. Yet, their intrinsic charge dynamics have remained obscured because flat bands in most kagome materials either are located far from the Fermi level or coexist with other dispersive bands near the . Here, we report infrared spectroscopy measurements of the kagome metal , which features isolated Cr-derived flat bands near the . The optical conductivity spectra exhibit a striking power-law behavior proportional to with α ≈ 0.26, significantly deviating from conventional metallic response, where the conductivity falls like . Above the frustrated magnetic state temperature , the low-energy displays incoherent charge dynamics without a well-defined Drude response. Below , the low-energy is further suppressed, indicating electron scattering due to the magnetic frustration. Moreover, the spectral weight of is redistributed with varying temperature over broad energy scales (∼4 eV), reflecting strong correlation effects. These findings demonstrate that belongs to the correlated bad metallic systems, which have not been witnessed among other kagome metals.
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References (85)
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