Localized Magnetic States in Three Dimensional Dirac Solids

Abstract

Formation of localized magnetic states in a metallic host is a classic problem ofcondensed matter physics formalized by P. W. Anderson within the so called single impurity Anderson model (SIAM). The general picture in a host of a simple one-band metal is that a large Hubbard $U$ in the impurity orbital is pre-requisite for the formation of localized magnetic states. In recent years three dimensional (3D) Dirac solids have emerged the hallmark of which is strong spin-orbit interaction. In this work we show that such a strong spin-orbit interaction allows to form localized magnetic states even with small values of Hubbard $U$. This opens up the fascinating possibility of forming magnetic states with $s$ or $p$ orbital impurities -- different from traditional paradigms of $d$ or $f$ orbital based magnetic moments.