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Kapitulnik, Aharon

Publications and source records attributed to Kapitulnik, Aharon.

14 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Spin-glass state in nickelate superconductors

Magneto-optical measurements in La 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 and Nd 0.825 Sr 0.175 NiO 2 reveal an intriguing new facet of infinite-layer nickelate superconductors: the onset of spin-glass behavior at a temperature far exceeding the superconducting critical temperature T c . This discovery sharply contrasts with copper oxide superconductors, where magnetism and superconductivity remain largely exclusive. Moreover, the magnitude and onset temperature of the polar Kerr effect in Nd 0.825 Sr 0.175 NiO 2 fabricated on SrTiO 3 and (LaAlO 3 ) 0.3 (Sr 2 TaAlO 6 ) 0.7 substrates differ dramatically, while T c does not.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optical control of orbital magnetism in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene

Flat bands in graphene-based moiré structures host a wide range of emerging strongly correlated and topological phenomena. Optically probing and controlling them can reveal important information such as symmetry and dynamics, but have so far been challenging due to the small energy gap compared to optical wavelengths. Here, we report near infrared optical control of orbital magnetism and associated anomalous Hall effects (AHE) in a magic angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) on monolayer WSe$_2$ device. We show that the properties of the AHE, such as hysteresis and amplitude, can be controlled by light near integer moiré fillings, where spontaneous ferromagnetism exists. By modulating the light helicity, we observe periodic modulation of the transverse resistance in a wide range of fillings, indicating light induced orbital magnetization through a large inverse Faraday effect. At the transition between metallic and AHE regimes, we also reveal large and random switching of the Hall resistivity, which are attributed to optical control of percolating cluster of magnetic domains. Our results open the door to optical manipulation of correlation and topology in MATBG and related structures.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2024

Emergent tetragonality in a fundamentally orthorhombic material

Symmetry plays a key role in determining the physical properties of materials. By Neumann’s principle, the properties of a material remain invariant under the symmetry operations of the space group to which the material belongs. Continuous phase transitions are associated with a spontaneous reduction in symmetry. Less common are examples where proximity to a continuous phase transition leads to an increase in symmetry. We find signatures of an emergent tetragonal symmetry close to a charge density wave (CDW) bicritical point in a fundamentally orthorhombic material, ErTe 3 , for which the two distinct CDW phase transitions are tuned via anisotropic strain. We first establish that tension along the a axis favors an abrupt rotation of the CDW wave vector from the c to a axis and infer the presence of a bicritical point where the two continuous phase transitions meet. We then observe a divergence of the nematic elastoresistivity approaching this putative bicritical point, indicating an emergent tetragonality in the critical behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Thermal transport measurements through the charge density wave transition in CsV 3 Sb 5

We study thermal transport and thermalization in single crystals of CsV 3 Sb 5 through the CDW transition by directly measuring thermal diffusivity (D), thermal conductivity (κ), specific heat (c), and resistivity (ρ). Commensurate with previous reports, we observe a sharp, narrow anomaly in specific heat associated with a first-order transition that results in a CDW state below ~94 K. While a corresponding sharp anomaly in thermal diffusivity is also observed, resistivity and thermal conductivity only exhibit small steps at the transition, where the feature is sharp for resistivity and broader for thermal conductivity. Scrutinizing the thermal Einstein relation κ = cD, we find that this relation is generally satisfied, except in the narrow two-phase regime of the putative first-order transition. Here, the Wiedemann-Franz law as well seems to work outside the two-phase regime, where strong resemblance between the specific heat and the resistivity derivative below the transition may point to a concurrent emergence of a secondary electronic order parameter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Vortex phase diagram of the kagome superconductor CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5

The screening response of the kagome superconductor CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5 was obtained from high-resolution ac mutual inductance measurements. At zero applied magnetic field and low temperatures, we observe no evidence for gapless quasiparticles, while near T c we find evidence for enhanced fluctuations. A rich vortex state appears above H c⁢1 ≈30 Oe, exhibiting successive emergence of vortex phases. For a fixed magnetic field, lowering the temperature below T c⁡ (H) leads to a wide range of vortex liquid state in a landscape of weak pinning potential, which gives rise to an irreversibility line. Further lowering the temperature, we identify the vortex melting line followed by the peak effect manifested in enhanced vortex pinning strength and critical current. Finally, we suggest that such an unusual behavior, where the peak effect region is fully contained within the vortex lattice state below the irreversibility line, is a consequence of the strong anisotropy and weak bulk pinning in CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

High Resolution Polar Kerr Effect Studies of CsV 3 Sb 5 : Tests for Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking below the Charge-Order Transition

We report high resolution polar Kerr effect measurements on CsV 3 Sb 5 single crystals in search for signatures of spontaneous time reversal symmetry breaking below the charge order transition at T * = 94 K. Utilizing two different versions of zero-area loop Sagnac interferometers operating at 1550 nm wavelength, each with the fundamental attribute that without a time reversal symmetry breaking sample at its path, the interferometer is perfectly reciprocal, we find no observable Kerr effect to within the noise floor limit of the apparatus at 30 nanoradians. Simultaneous coherent reflection ratio measurements confirm the sharpness of the charge order transition in the same optical volume as the Kerr measurements. At finite magnetic field we observe a sharp onset of a diamagnetic shift in the Kerr signal at T *, which persists down to the lowest temperature without change in trend. Since 1550 nm is an energy that was shown to capture all features of the optical properties of the material that interact with the charge order transition, we are led to conclude that it is highly unlikely that time reversal symmetry is broken in the charge ordered state in CsV 3 Sb 5 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Observation of broken inversion and chiral symmetries in the pseudogap phase in single- and double-layer bismuth-based cuprates

We deduce the symmetry of the pseudogap phase in the single- and double-layer bismuth-based cuprate superconductors, where charge and pseudogap order onset concurrently, by measuring and analyzing their circular and linear photogalvanic responses, which are related linearly to the chirality and inversion breaking, respectively, of the order parameter. After separating out the trivial contribution arising from the surface where inversion symmetry is already broken, we show that both responses start below the pseudogap temperature T* and grow below it to a sizable magnitude, revealing the broken symmetries in the bulk of the crystal. Through a detailed analysis of the dependence of the signals on the angle of incidence, the polarization of the light, and the orientation of the crystal, we are able to discover that the point group symmetry below T* is limited to mm2 or mm21– groups. Here, taking into account formation of domains and previous measurements, our results narrow down the possible symmetries of the microscopic origin of the phase transition(s) at T*, which leads to the conclusion that while charge order may affect the observed symmetry it is not the main cause of the pseudogap order parameter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in UTe 2

Time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) in UTe 2 was inferred from observations of a spontaneous Kerr response in the superconducting state after cooling in zero magnetic field, while a finite c-axis magnetic field training was further used to determine the nature of the nonunitary composite order parameter of this material. Here, we present an extensive study of the magnetic-field-trained Kerr effect, which unveils a unique critical state of pinned “ferromagnetic vortices.” We show that a remanent Kerr signal appears following the removal of a training magnetic field, which reflects the response to the TRSB order parameter and the external magnetic field through the paramagnetic susceptibility. Furthermore, this unambiguously demonstrates the importance of the magnetic fluctuations and their intimate relation to the composite order parameter. Focusing the beam on the center of the sample, we are able to accurately determine the maximum field that is screened by the critical state and the respective critical current. Measurements in the presence of magnetic field show the tendency of the superconductor to produce shielding currents that oppose the increase in vortex-induced magnetization due to the diverging paramagnetic susceptibility.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nanoscale Turing patterns in a bismuth monolayer

Turing’s reaction–diffusion theory of morphogenesis has been very successful for understanding macroscopic patterns within complex objects ranging from biological systems to sand dunes. However, Turing patterns on microscopic length scales are extremely rare. Here we show that a strained atomic bismuth monolayer assembled on the surface of NbSe 2 —and subject to interatomic interactions and kinetics—displays Turing patterns. Our reaction–diffusion model produces stripe patterns with a period of five atoms (approximately 2 nm) and domain walls with Y-shaped junctions that bear a striking resemblance to what has been experimentally observed. Our work establishes that Turing patterns can occur at the atomic scale in a hard condensed-matter setting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Universal Bound to the Amplitude of the Vortex Nernst Signal in Superconductors

A liquid of superconducting vortices generates a transverse thermoelectric response. This Nernst signal has a tail deep in the normal state due to superconducting fluctuations. Here, we present a study of the Nernst effect in two-dimensional heterostructures of Nb-doped strontium titanate (STO) and in amorphous MoGe. Additionally, the Nernst signal generated by ephemeral Cooper pairs above the critical temperature has the magnitude expected by theory in STO. On the other hand, the peak amplitude of the vortex Nernst signal below Tc is comparable in both and in numerous other superconductors despite the large distribution of the critical temperature and the critical magnetic fields. In four superconductors belonging to different families, the maximum Nernst signal corresponds to an entropy per vortex per layer of ≈kBln 2 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Robust superconductivity intertwined with charge density wave and disorder in Pd-intercalated ErTe 3

Pd-intercalated ErTe 3 is studied as a model system to explore the effect of "intertwined" superconducting and charge density wave (CDW) orders. Despite the common wisdom that superconductivity emerges only when CDW is suppressed, we present data from STM and AC susceptibility measurements that show no direct competition between CDW order and superconductivity. Both coexist over most of the intercalation range, with uniform superconductivity over length scales that exceed the superconducting coherence length. This is despite persisting short-range CDW order and increased scattering from the Pd intercalation. While superconductivity is insensitive to local defects in either of the bi-directional CDWs, vestiges of the Fermi-level distortions are observed in the properties of the superconducting state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sample shape and boundary dependence of measured transverse thermal properties

In spite of increased interest in thermal Hall measurements for the analysis of insulating quantum materials, there remains large uncertainty in such measurements due to contact misalignment. In this paper, we propose that sample geometry and uncertain boundary conditions provide an additional source of uncertainty in the measurement of $D_{xy}$ or $κ_{xy}$. By running simple simulations in an open source finite-element solver, we demonstrate that measured $D_{xy}$ can be changed by a non-negligible fraction in samples with similar width and length. This geometric corrective factor depends on the distinction between a uniform heat flow and constant temperature boundary couplings to a bath. Sample geometry and boundary conditions can be accounted for through simulation or by using rectangular samples to make thermal Hall measurements more reliable and reproducible. Finally, we detail a contactless optical method for measuring $D_{xy}$ based on an existing photothermal microscope technique. This method is insensitive to the longitudinal diffusivity pollution caused by contact misalignment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗