Probing spin correlations using angle resolved photoemission in the coupled metallic/Mott insulator system PdCrO₂

A nearly free electron metal and a Mott insulating state can be thought of as opposite ends of the range of possibilities for the motion of electrons in a solid. In the magnetic oxide metal PdCrO₂, these two coexist as alternating layers. Using angle resolved photoemission, we surprisingly find sharp band-like features in the one-electron removal spectral function of the correlated subsystem. We show that these arise because a hole created in the Mott layer moves to and propagates in the metallic layer while retaining memory of the Mott layer’s magnetism. This picture is quantitatively supported by a strong coupling analysis capturing the physics of PdCrO₂ in terms of a Kondo lattice Hamiltonian. Our findings open new routes to use the non-magnetic probe of photoemission to gain insights into the spin-susceptibility of correlated electron systems.