Dilute Paramagnetism and Non-Trivial Topology in Quasicrystal Approximant Fe₄Al₁₃

A very fundamental property of both weakly and strongly interacting materials is the nature of their magnetic response. In this work, we detail the growth of crystals of the quasicrystal approximant Fe₄Al₁₃ with an Al flux solvent method. We characterize our samples using electrical transport and heat capacity, yielding results consistent with a simple non-magnetic metal. However, magnetization measurements portray an extremely unusual response for a dilute paramagnet and do not exhibit the characteristic Curie behavior expected for a weakly interacting material at high temperature. Electronic structure calculations confirm metallic behavior but also indicate that each isolated band near the Fermi energy hosts non-trivial topologies, including strong, weak, and nodal components, with resultant topological surface states distinguishable from bulk states on the (001) surface. With half-filled flat bands apparent in the calculation, but an absence of long-range magnetic order, the unusual quasi-paramagnetic response suggests the dilute paramagnetic behavior in this quasicrystal approximant is surprising and may serve as a test of the fundamental assumptions that are taken for granted for the magnetic response of weakly interacting systems.