Symmetry progression and possible polar metallicity in NiPS3 under pressure
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We describe the design, construction, and performance of an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) capable of imaging at dilution-refrigerator temperatures and equipped with a vector magnet. The primary objective of our design is to achieve a high level of modularity by partitioning the STM system into a set of easily separable, interchangeable components. This naturally segregates the UHV needs of STM instrumentation from the typically non-UHV construction of a dilution refrigerator, facilitating the usage of non-UHV materials while maintaining a fully bakeable UHV chamber that houses the STM. Here, the modular design also permits speedy removal of the microscope head from the rest of the system, allowing for repairs, modifications, and even replacement of the entire microscope head to be made at any time without warming the cryostat or compromising the vacuum. Without using cryogenic filters, we measured an electron temperature of 184 mK on a superconducting Al(100) single crystal.
Thermal transport in proton irradiated thorium-dioxide (ThO 2 ) is investigated. Using a combination of experiments and first-principles computational framework, the role of lattice defects on thermal conductivity is analyzed. A resonant-phonon scattering mechanism beyond the traditionally considered Rayleigh scattering is found to significantly influence low-temperature thermal transport in the presence of irradiation-induced point defects. The existence of localized phonon modes associated with irradiation-induced defects is suggested by the inability of the first-principles based thermal conductivity model—which considers only three-phonon interactions and phonon-defects scattering using the Tamura formalism—to predict the experimental results, unless a resonant scattering mechanism is included. The emergence of additional peaks in the Raman spectra in the proximity of phonon-resonant frequency provides further evidence for the existence of localized modes. Coupled with a microstructure evolution model, this analysis enables more accurate analysis for contrasting the contributions of different phonon scattering mechanisms across all irradiation doses and temperatures.
In this work, we study the effect of engineered disorder on the local magnetic response of proximity-coupled superconducting island arrays by comparing scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) susceptibility measurements to a model in which we treat the system as a network of one-dimensional (1D) superconductor-normal-metal-superconductor Josephson junctions, each with a Josephson coupling energy E-J determined by the junction length or distance between islands. We find that the disordered arrays exhibit a spatially inhomogeneous diamagnetic response which, for low local applied magnetic fields, is well described by this junction network model, and we discuss these results as they relate to inhomogeneous 2D superconductors. Our model of the static magnetic response of the arrays does not fully capture the onset of nonlinearity and dissipation with increasing applied field, as these effects are associated with vortex motion due to the dynamic nature of the scanning SQUID susceptometry measurement. This work demonstrates a model 2D superconducting system with engineered disorder, and it highlights the impact of dissipation on the local magnetic properties of 2D superconductors and Josephson junction arrays.
The band structure of β–LiGaO 2 is calculated using the quasiparticle self-consistent QSGWˆ method where the screened Coulomb interaction Wˆ is evaluated including electron-hole interaction ladder diagrams and G is the one-electron Green's function. Improved convergence compared to previous calculations leads to a significantly larger band gap of about 7.0 eV. However, exciton binding energies are found to be large and lead to an exciton gap of about 6.0 eV if also a zero-point-motion correction of about –0.4 eV is included. Furthermore, these results are in excellent agreement with recent experimental results on the onset of absorption. Besides the excitons observed thus far, the calculations indicate the existence of a Rydberg-like series of exciton excited states, which is however modified from the classical Wannier exciton model by the anisotropies of the material and the more complex mixing of Bloch states in the excitons resulting from the Bethe-Salpeter equation. The exciton fine structure and the exciton wave functions are visualized and analyzed in various ways.
In this work, we measured the local magnetic response of a niobium thin film by applying a millitesla-scale AC magnetic field using a micron-scale field coil and detecting the response with a micron-scale pickup loop in a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) susceptometry measurement. Near the film's critical temperature, we observed a steplike nonlinear and dissipative magnetic response due to the dynamics of a small number of vortex-antivortex pairs induced in the film by the local applied AC field. We modeled the dynamics of the measurement using a combined two-dimensional London-Maxwell and time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau approach, allowing us to construct a detailed real-space picture of the vortex motion causing the observed dissipative response. This work pushes scanning SQUID susceptometry of two-dimensional superconductors beyond the regime of linear response and lays the foundation for microscopic studies of vortex dynamics and pinning in superconducting devices and more exotic materials systems.
The magnetotropic susceptibility is the thermodynamic coefficient associated with the rotational anisotropy of the free energy in an external magnetic field and is closely related to the magnetic susceptibility. It emerges naturally in frequency-shift measurements of oscillating mechanical cantilevers, which are becoming an increasingly important tool in the quantitative study of the thermodynamics of modern condensed-matter systems. Here, in this work, we discuss the basic properties of the magnetotropic susceptibility as they relate to the experimental aspects of frequency-shift measurements, as well as to the interpretation of those experiments in terms of the intrinsic properties of the system under study.
The Mott insulator ..alpha..-RuCl3 has generated great interest in the community due to its possible field-induced Kitaev quantum spin liquid state. Despite enormous effort spent trying to obtain the form of the low-energy Hamiltonian, there is currently no agreed upon set of parameters which is able to explain all of the data. A key piece of missing information lies in the determination of the magnetic form factor of Ru3+, particularly for a true quantitative treatment of inelastic neutron scattering data. Here we present the experimentally derived magnetic form factor of Ru3+ in the low spin 4d5 state using polarized neutron diffraction within the paramagnetic regime on high-quality single crystals of ..alpha..-RuCl3. We observe strong evidence of an anisotropic form factor, expected of the spin-orbit coupled jeff=12 ground state. We model the static magnetization density in increasing complexity from simple isotropic cases, to a multipolar expansion, and, finally, ab initio calculations of the generalized jeff=12 ground state. Comparison of both single ion models and inclusion of Cl- anions support the presence of hybridization of Ru3+ with the surrounding Cl- ligands.
When rotating classical fluid drops merge together, angular momentum can be advected from one to another due to the viscous shear flow at the drop interface. It remains elusive what the corresponding mechanism is in inviscid quantum fluids such as Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). In this work, we report our theoretical study of an initially static BEC merging with a rotating BECin three-dimensional space along the rotational axis. We show that a solitonlike sheet, resembling a corkscrew, spontaneously emerges at the interface. Furthermore, rapid angular momentum transfer at a constant rate universally proportional to the initial angular-momentum density is observed. Strikingly, this transfer does not necessarily involve fluid advection or drifting of the quantized vortices. We reveal that the corkscrew structure can exert a torque that directly creates angular momentum in the static BEC and annihilates angular momentum in the rotating BEC. Uncovering this intriguing angular momentum transport mechanism may benefit our understanding of various coherent matter-wave systems, spanning from atomtronics on chips to dark matter BECs at cosmic scales.
We explain the strong interlayer drag resistance observed at low temperatures in bilayer electron-hole systems in terms of an interplay between local electron-hole-pair condensation and disorder-induced carrier density variations. Smooth disorder drives the condensate into a granulated phase in which interlayer coherence is established only in well-separated and disconnected regions, or grains, within which the densities of electrons and holes accidentally match. The drag resistance is then dominated by Andreev-like scattering of charge carriers between layers at the grains that transfers momentum between layers. We show that this scenario can account for the observed dependence of the drag resistivity on temperature and, on average, charge imbalance between layers.
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Electronic thermal transport and thermoelectric measurements are pursued in this project to obtain unique insights into the unusual collective energy transport behaviors in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures. Electronic thermal transport and thermoelectric measurements are essential techniques for characterizing bulk superconductors by probing the heat-carrying quasi-particles. Thermoelectric and electronic thermal transport measurements are expanded in this work beyond bulk systems to probe interactions among electrons, holes, and phonons in 2D heterostructures. In one experiment, a microbridge platform is advanced to demonstrate field-effect resistive-thermometry measurements of the electronic thermal conductivity of graphene heterostructures. Together with first principles theoretical calculations and analytical models, the experimental results suggest that tunable electron coupling with flexural phonons provides a knob to control quantum matters in graphene heterostructures with broken reflection symmetry. In another experiment, the Seebeck coefficient (S) is measured to probe interlayer interactions in electron-hole bilayers that are predicted to give rise to the emergence of a variety of correlated states. As a measure of the entropy, the measured S reveals the signature of electric injection of interlayer excitons in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) structures.
Ferroelectric domain walls, topological entities separating domains of uniform polarization, are promising candidates as active elements for nanoscale memories. In such applications, controlled nucleation and stabilization of domain walls are critical. In this work, using in situ transmission electron microscopy and phase-field simulations, a controlled nucleation of vertically oriented 109° domain walls in (110)-oriented BiFeO 3 (BFO) thin films is reported. In the switching experiment, reversed domains that are nucleated preferentially at the nanoscale edges of the “crest and sag” pattern-like electrode under external bias subsequently grow into a stable stripe configuration. In addition, when triangular pockets (with an in-plane polarization component) are present, these domain walls are pinned to form stable flux-closure domains. Phase field simulations show that i) field enhancement at the edges of the electrode causes site-specific domain nucleation, and ii) the local electrostatics at the domain walls drives the formation of flux closure domains, thus stabilizing the striped pattern, irrespective of the initial configuration. The results demonstrate how flux closure pinning can be exploited in conjunction with electrode patterning and substrate orientation to achieve a desired topological defect configuration. These insights constitute critical advancements in exploiting domain walls in next generation ferroelectronic devices.
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We report that intrinsic 2D ferromagnetic semiconductors are an important class of materials for spin-charge conversion applications. Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 retains long-range magnetic order in the bilayer at cryogenic temperatures and shows complex magnetic interactions with considerable magnetic anisotropy. Here, a series of structural, magnetic, X-ray scattering, electronic, thermal transport and first-principles calculation studies are performed, which reveal that localized electronic charge carriers in Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 are dressed by the surrounding lattice and are involved in polaronic transport via hopping that is observed via magnetocrystalline anisotropy. This opens the possibility for manipulation of charge transport in Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 —based devices by electron–phonon- and spin–orbit coupling-based tailoring of polaron properties.
Abstract In Mott materials strong electron correlation yields a spectrum of complex electronic structures. Recent synthesis advancements open realistic opportunities for harnessing Mott physics to design transformative devices. However, a major bottleneck in realizing such devices remains the lack of control over the electron correlation strength. This stems from the complexity of the electronic structure, which often veils the basic mechanisms underlying the correlation strength. This study presents control of the correlation strength by tuning the degree of orbital overlap using picometer‐scale lattice engineering. This study illustrates how bandwidth control and concurrent symmetry breaking can govern the electronic structure of a correlated SrVO 3 model system. This study shows how tensile and compressive biaxial strain oppositely affect the SrVO 3 in‐plane and out‐of‐plane orbital occupancy, resulting in the partial alleviation of the orbital degeneracy. The spectral weight redistribution under strain is derived and explained, which illustrates how high tensile strain drives the system toward a Mott insulating state. Implementation of such concepts can push correlated electron phenomena closer toward new solid‐state devices and circuits. These findings therefore pave the way for understanding and controlling electron correlation in a broad range of functional materials, driving this powerful resource for novel electronics closer toward practical realization.
Abstract Magnetic and electronic properties of quantum materials heavily rely on the crystal structure even in the same chemical compositions. In this study, it is demonstrated that a layered tetragonal EuCd 2 Sb 2 structure can be obtained by treating bulk trigonal EuCd 2 Sb 2 under high pressure (6 GPa) and high temperature (600 °C). Magnetization measurements of the newly formed layered tetragonal EuCd 2 Sb 2 confirm an antiferromagnetic ordering with Neel temperature ( T N ) around 16 K, which is significantly higher than that ( T N ≈ 7 K) of trigonal EuCd 2 Sb 2 , consistent with heat capacity measurements. Moreover, bad metal behavior is observed in the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity and the resistivity shows a dramatic increase around the Neel temperature. Electronic structure calculations with local density approximation dynamic mean–field theory (LDA+DMFT) show that this material is strongly correlated with well‐formed large magnetic moments, due to Hund's coupling, which is known to dramatically suppress the Kondo scale.