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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2010

A momentum-dependent perspective on quasiparticleinterference in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O_8+delta

Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) probes the momentum-space electronic structure of materials, and provides invaluable information about the high-temperature superconducting cuprates. Likewise, cuprates real-space, inhomogeneous electronic structure is elucidated by Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS). Recently, STS has exploited quasiparticle interference (QPI) - wave-like electrons scattering off impurities to produce periodic interference patterns - to infer properties of the QP in momentum-space. Surprisingly, some interference peaks in Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} (Bi-2212) are absent beyond the antiferromagnetic (AF) zone boundary, implying the dominance of particular scattering process. Here, we show that ARPES sees no evidence of quasiparticle (QP) extinction: QP-like peaks are measured everywhere on the Fermi surface, evolving smoothly across the AF zone boundary. This apparent contradiction stems from different natures of single-particle (ARPES) and two-particle (STS) processes underlying these probes. Using a simple model, we demonstrate extinction of QPI without implying the loss of QP beyond the AF zone boundary.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Finite temperature spin-dynamics and phase transitions in spin-orbital models

We study finite temperature properties of a generic spin-orbital model relevant to transition metal compounds, having coupled quantum Heisenberg-spin and Ising-orbital degrees of freedom. The model system undergoes a phase transition, consistent with that of a 2D Ising model, to an orbitally ordered state at a temperature set by short-range magnetic order. At low temperatures the orbital degrees of freedom freeze-out and the model maps onto a quantum Heisenberg model. The onset of orbital excitations causes a rapid scrambling of the spin spectral weight away from coherent spin-waves, which leads to a sharp increase in uniform magnetic susceptibility just below the phase transition, reminiscent of the observed behavior in the Fe-pnictide materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Tunneling density of states as a function of thickness in superconductor/ strong ferromagnet bilayers

We have made an experimental study of the tunneling density of states (DOS) in strong ferromagnetic thin films (CoFe) in proximity with a thick superconducting film (Nb) as a function of d{sub F}, the ferromagnetic thickness. Remarkably, we find that as d{sub F} increases, the superconducting DOS exhibits a scaling behavior in which the deviations from the normal-state conductance have a universal shape that decreases exponentially in amplitude with characteristic length d* {approx} 0.4 nm. We do not see oscillations in the DOS as a function of d{sub F}, as expected from predictions based on the Usadel equations, although an oscillation in T{sub c}(d{sub F}) has been seen in the same materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Origin of charge density at LaAlO3-on-SrTiO3 heterointerfacespossibility of intrinsic doping

As discovered by Ohtomo et al., a large sheet charge density with high mobility exists at the interface between SrTiO{sub 3} and LaAlO{sub 3}. Based on transport, spectroscopic and oxygen-annealing experiments, we conclude that extrinsic defects in the form of oxygen vacancies introduced by the pulsed laser deposition process used by all researchers to date to make these samples is the source of the large carrier densities. Annealing experiments show a limiting carrier density. We also present a model that explains the high mobility based on carrier redistribution due to an increased dielectric constant.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions

The ultimate miniaturization of electronic devices will likely require local and coherent control of single electronic wavefunctions. Wavefunctions exist within both physical real space and an abstract state space with a simple geometric interpretation: this state space - or Hilbert space - is spanned by mutually orthogonal state vectors corresponding to the quantized degrees of freedom of the real-space system. Measurement of superpositions is akin to accessing the direction of a vector in Hilbert space, determining an angle of rotation equivalent to quantum phase. Here we show that an individual atom inside a designed quantum corral1 can control this angle, producing arbitrary coherent superpositions of spatial quantum states. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and nanostructures assembled atom-by-atom we demonstrate how single spins and quantum mirages can be harnessed to image the superposition of two electronic states. We also present a straightforward method to determine the atom path enacting phase rotations between any desired state vectors. A single atom thus becomes a real-space handle for an abstract Hilbert space, providing a simple technique for coherent quantum state manipulation at the spatial limit of condensed matter.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Quantum Phase Extraction in Isospectral Electronic Nanostructures

Quantum phase is not a direct observable and is usually determined by interferometric methods. We present a method to map complete electron wave functions, including internal quantum phase information, from measured single-state probability densities. We harness the mathematical discovery of drum-like manifolds bearing different shapes but identical resonances, and construct quantum isospectral nanostructures possessing matching electronic structure but divergent physical structure. Quantum measurement (scanning tunneling microscopy) of these 'quantum drums' [degenerate two-dimensional electron states on the Cu(111) surface confined by individually positioned CO molecules] reveals that isospectrality provides an extra topological degree of freedom enabling robust quantum state transplantation and phase extraction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Quantum Detection and Invisibility in Coherent Nanostructures

We address quantum invisibility in the context of electronics in nanoscale quantum structures. In analogy with metamaterials, we use the freedom of design that quantum corrals provide and show that quantum mechanical objects can be hidden inside the corral, with respect to inelastic electron scattering spectroscopy in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy, and we propose a design strategy. A simple illustration of the invisibility is given in terms of an elliptic quantum corral containing a molecule, with a local vibrational mode, at one of the foci. Our work has implications to quantum information technology and presents new tools for nonlocal quantum detection and distinguishing between different molecules.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Non-diffusive spin dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas

We describe measurements of spin dynamics in the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. Optical techniques, including transient spin-grating spectroscopy, are used to probe the relaxation rates of spin polarization waves in the wavevector range from zero to 6 x 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1}. We find that the spin polarization lifetime is maximal at nonzero wavevector, in contrast with expectation based on ordinary spin diffusion, but in quantitative agreement with recent theories that treat diffusion in the presence of spin-orbit coupling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Quantum holographic encoding in a two-dimensional electron gas

The advent of bottom-up atomic manipulation heralded a new horizon for attainable information density, as it allowed a bit of information to be represented by a single atom. The discrete spacing between atoms in condensed matter has thus set a rigid limit on the maximum possible information density. While modern technologies are still far from this scale, all theoretical downscaling of devices terminates at this spatial limit. Here, however, we break this barrier with electronic quantum encoding scaled to subatomic densities. We use atomic manipulation to first construct open nanostructures - 'molecular holograms' - which in turn concentrate information into a medium free of lattice constraints: the quantum states of a two-dimensional degenerate Fermi gas of electrons. The information embedded in the holograms is transcoded at even smaller length scales into an atomically uniform area of a copper surface, where it is densely projected into both two spatial degrees of freedom and a third holographic dimension mapped to energy. In analogy to optical volume holography, this requires precise amplitude and phase engineering of electron wavefunctions to assemble pages of information volumetrically. This data is read out by mapping the energy-resolved electron density of states with a scanning tunnelling microscope. As the projection and readout are both extremely near-field, and because we use native quantum states rather than an external beam, we are not limited by lensing or collimation and can create electronically projected objects with features as small as {approx}0.3 nm. These techniques reach unprecedented densities exceeding 20 bits/nm{sup 2} and place tens of bits into a single fermionic state.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2010

Nonlocal edge state transport in the quantum spin Hall state

We present direct experimental evidence for nonlocal transport in HgTe quantum wells in the quantum spin Hall regime, in the absence of any external magnetic field. The data conclusively show that the non-dissipative quantum transport occurs through edge channels, while the contacts lead to equilibration between the counter-propagating spin states at the edge. We show that the experimental data agree quantitatively with the theory of the quantum spin Hall effect.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Mechanics of Individual, Isolated Vortices in a Cuprate Superconductor

Superconductors often contain quantized microscopic whirlpools of electrons, called vortices, that can be modeled as one-dimensional elastic objects. Vortices are a diverse playground for condensed matter because of the interplay between thermal fluctuations, vortex-vortex interactions, and the interaction of the vortex core with the three-dimensional disorder landscape. While vortex matter has been studied extensively, the static and dynamic properties of an individual vortex have not. Here we employ magnetic force microscopy (MFM) to image and manipulate individual vortices in detwinned, single crystal YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6.991} (YBCO), directly measuring the interaction of a moving vortex with the local disorder potential. We find an unexpected and dramatic enhancement of the response of a vortex to pulling when we wiggle it transversely. In addition, we find enhanced vortex pinning anisotropy that suggests clustering of oxygen vacancies in our sample and demonstrates the power of MFM to probe vortex structure and microscopic defects that cause pinning.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2010

Universal versus Material-Dependent Two-Gap Behaviors in the High-Tc Cuprates: Angle-Resolved Photoemission Study of La_2-xSr_xCuO_4

We have investigated the doping and temperature dependences of the pseudogap/superconducting gap in the single-layer cuprate La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4} by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The results clearly exhibit two distinct energy and temperature scales, namely, the gap around ({pi}, 0) of magnitude {Delta}{asterisk} and the gap around the node characterized by the d-wave order parameter {delta}{sub 0}, like the double-layer cuprate Bi2212. In comparison with Bi2212 having higher T{sub c}'s, {delta}{sub 0} is smaller, while {delta}{asterisk} and T{ampersand} are similar. This result suggests that {delta}{asterisk} and T{asterisk} are approximately material-independent properties of a single Cu0{sub 2} plane, in contrast the material-dependent {delta}{sub 0}, representing the pairing strength.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2010

Doping dependence of the coupling of electrons to bosonic modes in the single-layer high-temperature Bi2Sr2CuO6 superconductor

A recent highlight in the study of high-Tc superconductors is the observation of band renormalization or self-energy effects on the quasiparticles. This is seen in the form of kinks in the quasiparticle dispersions as measured by photoemission and interpreted as signatures of collective bosonic modes coupling to the electrons. Here we compare for the first time the self-energies in an optimally doped and strongly overdoped, nonsuperconducting single-layer Bi-cuprate (Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CuO{sub 6}). In addition to the appearance of a strong overall weakening, we also find that the weight of the self-energy in the overdoped system shifts to higher energies. We present evidence that this is related to a change in the coupling to c-axis phonons due to the rapid change of the c-axis screening in this doping range.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Nodal Quasiparticle in Pseudogapped Colossal Magnetoresistive Manganites

A characteristic feature of the copper oxide high-temperature superconductors is the dichotomy between the electronic excitations along the nodal (diagonal) and antinodal (parallel to the Cu-O bonds) directions in momentum space, generally assumed to be linked to the d-wave symmetry of the superconducting state. Angle-resolved photoemission measurements in the superconducting state have revealed a quasiparticle spectrum with a d-wave gap structure that exhibits a maximum along the antinodal direction and vanishes along the nodal direction. Subsequent measurements have shown that, at low doping levels, this gap structure persists even in the high-temperature metallic state, although the nodal points of the superconducting state spread out in finite Fermi arcs. This is the so-called pseudogap phase, and it has been assumed that it is closely linked to the superconducting state, either by assigning it to fluctuating superconductivity or by invoking orders which are natural competitors of d-wave superconductors. Here we report experimental evidence that a very similar pseudogap state with a nodal-antinodal dichotomous character exists in a system that is markedly different from a superconductor: the ferromagnetic metallic groundstate of the colossal magnetoresistive bilayer manganite La{sub 1.2}Sr{sub 1.8}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7}. Our findings therefore cast doubt on the assumption that the pseudogap state in the copper oxides and the nodal-antinodal dichotomy are hallmarks of the superconductivity state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Multiple Bosonic Mode Coupling in Electron Self-Energy of (La_2-xSr_x)CuO_4

High resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data with significantly improved statistics reveal tne structure in the electron self-energy of the underdoped (La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}) CuO{sub 4} (x=0.03, 0.036 and 0.07) samples in the normal state. Four fine structure have been identified near 27, 45, 61 and 75 meV. These features show good correspondence to the structure in the phonon density of states as measured from neutron scattering.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Dependence of Band Renormalization Effect on the Number of Copper-oxide Layers in Tl-based Copper-oxide Superconductor using Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

Here we report the first angle-resolved photoemission measurement on nearly optimally doped multilayer Tl-based superconducting cuprates (Tl-2212 and Tl-1223) and a comparison study to single-layer (Tl-2201) compound. A kink in the band dispersion is found in all three compounds but exhibits different momentum dependence for the single-layer and multilayer compounds, reminiscent to that of Bi-based cuprates. This layer number dependent renormalization effect strongly implies that the spin-resonance mode is unlikely to be responsible for the dramatic renormalization effect near the antinodal region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2010

A neutron scattering study of the interplay between structure and magnetism in Ba(Fe1&#8722xCox)2As2

Single crystal neutron diffraction is used to investigate the magnetic and structural phase diagram of the electron doped superconductor Ba(Fe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}){sub 2}As{sub 2}. Heat capacity and resistivity measurements have demonstrated that Co doping this system splits the combined antiferromagnetic and structural transition present in BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} into two distinct transitions. For x=0.025, we find that the upper transition is between the high-temperature tetragonal and low-temperature orthorhombic structures with (T{sub TO} = 99 {+-} 0.5 K) and the antiferromagnetic transition occurs at T{sub AF} = 93 {+-} 0.5 K. We find that doping rapidly suppresses the antiferromagnetism, with antiferromagnetic order disappearing at x {approx} 0.055. However, there is a region of co-existence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity. The effect of the antiferromagnetic transition can be seen in the temperature dependence of the structural Bragg peaks from both neutron scattering and x-ray diffraction. We infer from this that there is strong coupling between the antiferromagnetism and the crystal lattice.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Nanoscale Electronic Inhomogeneity in In_2Se_3 Nanoribbons Revealed by Microwave Impedance Microscopy

Driven by interactions due to the charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom, nanoscale inhomogeneity has emerged as a new theme for materials with novel properties near multiphase boundaries. As vividly demonstrated in complex metal oxides and chalcogenides, these microscopic phases are of great scientific and technological importance for research in hightemperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance effect, phase-change memories, and domain switching operations. Direct imaging on dielectric properties of these local phases,however, presents a big challenge for existing scanning probe techniques. Here, we report the observation of electronic inhomogeneity in indium selenide (In{sub 2}Se{sub 3}) nanoribbons by near-field scanning microwave impedance microscopy. Multiple phases with local resistivity spanning six orders of magnitude are identified as the coexistence of superlattice, simple hexagonal lattice and amorphous structures with {approx}100nm inhomogeneous length scale, consistent with high-resolution transmission electron microscope studies. The atomic-force-microscope-compatible microwave probe is able to perform quantitative sub-surface electronic study in a noninvasive manner. Finally, the phase change memory function in In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} nanoribbon devices can be locally recorded with big signal of opposite signs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗