Microscopic origin of the zero-bias STM/S conductance feature in UPS

Determine the microscopic origin of the unusual zero-bias conductance feature observed in scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of the cleaved surface of the uranium ferromagnet UPS at 11 K.

Background

The paper reports preliminary scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements on cleaved UPS surfaces at 11 K. These measurements reveal an unusual zero-bias conductance feature, providing independent evidence for unconventional low-energy electronic states in the material.

Although the paper establishes through ARPES that UPS possesses a complex, temperature-dependent low-energy uranium-5f electronic structure, it does not identify the microscopic mechanism responsible for the zero-bias STM/S feature. Resolving its origin could clarify how the surface electronic structure relates to the correlated bulk states and the anomalous Hall response.

References

Although the microscopic origin of the observed zero-bias conductance feature remains to be established, the STM/S results are consistent with the presence of a complex low-energy electronic structure inferred from the ARPES measurements.

— Staged emergence of anomalous Hall transport in a correlated uranium Weyl semimetal  (2609.24897 - Regmi et al., 21 Sep 2026) in Electronic properties, paragraph beginning “Finally, we note that preliminary scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy”