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At least 1,297 records · Page 72

Short-Range Crystalline Order-Tuned Conductivity in Cr 2 Si 2 Te 6 van der Waals Magnetic Crystals

Two-dimensional magnetic materials (2DMMs) are significant not only for studies on the nature of 2D long-range magnetic order but also for future spintronic devices. Of particular interest are 2DMMs where spins can be manipulated by electrical conduction. Whereas Cr 2 Si 2 Te 6 exhibits magnetic order in few-layer crystals, its large band gap inhibits electronic conduction. Here we show that the defect-induced short-range crystal order in Cr 2 Si 2 Te 6 , on the length scale below 0.6 nm, induces a substantially reduced band gap and robust semiconducting behavior down to 2 K that turns to metallic above 10 GPa. Our results in this work will be helpful in designing conducting states in 2DMMs and call for spin-resolved measurement of the electronic structure in exfoliated ultrathin crystals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Tunable Magnon Interactions in a Ferromagnetic Spin-1 Chain

NiNb 2 O 6 is an almost ideal realization of a 1D spin-1 ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain compound with weak unidirectional anisotropy. Using time-domain THz spectroscopy, we measure the low-energy electrodynamic response of NiNb 2 O 6 as a function of temperature and external magnetic field. At low temperatures, we find a magnonlike spin excitation, which corresponds to the lowest energy excitation at q ~ 0. At higher temperatures, we unexpectedly observe a temperature-dependent renormalization of the spin-excitation energy, which has a strong dependence on field direction. Using theoretical arguments, exact diagonalizations, and finite temperature dynamical Lanczos calculations, we construct a picture of magnon-magnon interactions that naturally explains the observed renormalization. In this work, we show how magnetic field strength and direction may be used to directly tune the sign of the magnon-magnon interaction. This unique scenario is a consequence of the spin-1 nature and has no analog in the more widely studied spin-1/2 systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic domain engineering in SrRuO3 thin films

Abstract Magnetic domain engineering in ferromagnetic thin films is a very important route toward the rational design of spintronics and memory devices. Although the magnetic domain formation has been extensively studied, artificial control of magnetic domain remains challenging. Here, we present the control of magnetic domain formation in paradigmatic SrRuO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterostructures via structural domain engineering. The formation of structural twin domains in SrRuO 3 films can be well controlled by breaking the SrTiO 3 substrate symmetry through engineering miscut direction. The combination of x-ray diffraction analysis of structural twin domains and magnetic imaging of reversal process demonstrates a one-to-one correspondence between structural domains and magnetic domains, which results in multi-step magnetization switching and anomalous Hall effect in films with twin domains. Our work sheds light on the control of the magnetic domain formation via structural domain engineering, which will pave a path toward desired properties and devices applications.

Materials Science↗

Revealing Fermi surface evolution and Berry curvature in an ideal type-II Weyl semimetal

Abstract In type-II Weyl semimetals (WSMs), the tilting of the Weyl cones leads to the coexistence of electron and hole pockets that touch at the Weyl nodes. These electrons and holes experience the Berry curvature generated by the Weyl nodes, leading to an anomalous Hall effect that is highly sensitive to the Fermi level position. Here we have identified field-induced ferromagnetic MnBi 2-x Sb x Te 4 as an ideal type-II WSM with a single pair of Weyl nodes. By employing a combination of quantum oscillations and high-field Hall measurements, we have resolved the evolution of Fermi-surface sections as the Fermi level is tuned across the charge neutrality point, precisely matching the band structure of an ideal type-II WSM. Furthermore, the anomalous Hall conductivity exhibits a heartbeat-like behavior as the Fermi level is tuned across the Weyl nodes, a feature of type-II WSMs that was long predicted by theory. Our work uncovers a large free carrier contribution to the anomalous Hall effect resulting from the unique interplay between the Fermi surface and diverging Berry curvature in magnetic type-II WSMs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Antichiral spin order, its soft modes, and their hybridization with phonons in the topological semimetal Mn 3 Ge

Here we report the magnetic structure and spin excitations of Mn 3 Ge , a breathing kagome antiferromagnet with transport anomalies attributed to Weyl nodes. Using polarized neutron diffraction, we show the magnetic order is a k = 0 coplanar state belonging to a Γ 9 irreducible representation, which can be described as a perfect 120 ° antichiral structure with a moment of 2.2(1) μ B /Mn, superimposed with weak collinear ferromagnetism. Inelastic neutron scattering shows three collective Q = 0 excitations at Δ 1 = 2.9 ( 6 ) meV, Δ 2 = 14.6 ( 3 ) meV, and Δ 3 = 17.5 ( 3 ) meV. A field theory of Q ≈ 0 spin waves in triangular antiferromagnets with a 120 ° spin structure was used to classify these modes. The in-plane mode ( α ) is gapless, Δ 1 is the gap to a doublet of out-of-plane spin excitations ( β x , β y ), and Δ 2 , Δ 3 result from hybridization of optical phonons with magnetic excitations. While a phenomenological spin Hamiltonian including exchange interactions, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, and single-ion crystal field terms can describe aspects of the Mn-based magnetism, spin-wave damping [ Γ = 25 ( 8 ) meV] and the extended range of magnetic interactions indicate itinerant magnetism consistent with the transport anomalies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effects of doping, hydrostatic pressure, and thermal quenching on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric properties in Mn 1– x Co x NiGe

The effects of doping, hydrostatic pressure, and thermal quenching on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric properties of the Mn 1–x Co x NiGe system have been investigated. Cobalt doping on the Mn site shifted the martensitic structural transition toward lower temperature until it was ultimately absent, leaving only a magnetic transition from a ferromagnetic (FM) to a paramagnetic (PM) state in the high-temperature hexagonal phase. Co-occurrence of the magnetic and structural transitions to form a first-order magnetostructural transition (MST) from the FM orthorhombic to the PM hexagonal phase was observed in samples with 0.05 < x < 0.20. An additional antiferromagnetic–ferromagnetic-like transition was observed in the martensite phase for 0.05 < x < 0.10, which gradually vanished with increasing Co concentration (x > 0.10) or magnetic field (H > 0.5 T). The application of external hydrostatic pressure shifted the structural transition to lower temperature until an MST was formed in samples with x = 0.03 and 0.05, inducing large magnetic entropy changes up to –80.3 J kg –1 K –1 (x = 0.03) for a 7-T field change under 10.6-kbar pressure. Similar to the effects of the application of hydrostatic pressure, an MST was formed near room temperature in the sample with x = 0.03 by annealing at high temperature (1200 °C) followed by quenching, resulting in a large magnetic entropy change of –56.2 J kg –1 K –1 . Furthermore, these experimental results show that the application of pressure and thermal quenching, in addition to compositional variations, are effective methods to create magnetostructural transitions in the MnNiGe system, resulting in large magnetocaloric effects.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Variation of sign and magnitude of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction of a ferromagnet with an oxide interface

We demonstrate that both the magnitude and sign of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction can be tuned by modifying the type and thickness of an oxide layer adjacent to a ferromagnet. In this work, we focus on Ti/Cu/Co 90 Fe 10 /Ta($d_{\text{Ta}}$)/Oxide/Ta structures, where the Ta interlayer thickness $d_{\text{Ta}}$ ranged from 0 nm to 3 nm, followed by an exposure to oxygen and “Oxide” can mean CoFeO x and/or TaO x . We used Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy to directly determine the volume-averaged Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction from the nonreciprocity of the spin-wave frequency. The magnitude of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, $D_{\text{DMI}}$, ranges from – 0.17 to +0.09(±0.02) mJ/m 2 , clearly showing a change in both sign and magnitude, with an increase of Ta interlayer thickness. The modification of the oxide interface allows us to systematically change the hybridization of the 3$\textit{d}$–CoFe orbitals from 3$\textit{d}$–5$\textit{d}$ to 3$\textit{d}$–2$\textit{p}$ and analyze the influence on the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Importantly, we can vary the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction while maintaining a relatively small value of the damping parameter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Evolution of magnetic interactions in Sb-substituted MnBi 2 Te 4

The Mn(Bi 1–x Sb x ) 2 Te 4 series is purported to span from an antiferromagnetic (AF) topological insulator at x = 0 to a trivial AF insulator at x = 1. Here we report on neutron diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering studies of the magnetic interactions across this series. All compounds measured possess ferromagnetic (FM) triangular layers and we find a crossover from AF to FM interlayer coupling near x = 1 for our samples. The large spin gap at x = 0 closes rapidly and the average FM exchange interactions within the triangular layer increase with Sb substitution. Similar to a previous study of MnBi 2 Te 4 , we find severe spectral broadening which increases dramatically across the compositional series. In addition to broadening, we observe an additional sharp magnetic excitation in MnSb 2 Te 4 that may indicate the development of local magnetic modes originating from antisite disorder between Mn and Sb sublattices. Here, the results suggest that both substitutional and antisite disorder contribute substantially to the magnetism in Mn(Bi 1–x Sb x ) 2 Te 4 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Exact hopfion vortices in a 3D Heisenberg ferromagnet

Here, we find exact static soliton solutions for the unit spin vector field of an inhomogeneous, anisotropic three-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet. Each soliton is labeled by two integers n and m. It is a (modified) skyrmion in the z = 0 plane with winding number n, which twists out of the plane m times in the z-direction to become a 3D soliton. Here m arises due to the periodic boundary condition at the z-boundaries. We use Whitehead’s integral expression to find that the Hopf invariant of the soliton is an integer H = nm. It represents a hopfion vortex. Plots of the preimages of this topological soliton show that they are either unknots or nontrivial knots, depending on n and m. Any pair of preimage curves links H times, corroborating the interpretation of H as a linking number. We also calculate the exact energy of the hopfion vortex, and show that its topological lower bound has a sublinear dependence on H. Using Derrick’s scaling analysis, we demonstrate that the presence of a spatial inhomogeneity in the anisotropic interaction, which in turn introduces a characteristic length scale in the system, leads to the stability of the hopfion vortex.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Transport in helical Luttinger liquids in the fractional quantum Hall regime

Abstract Domain walls in fractional quantum Hall ferromagnets are gapless helical one-dimensional channels formed at the boundaries of topologically distinct quantum Hall (QH) liquids. Naïvely, these helical domain walls (hDWs) constitute two counter-propagating chiral states with opposite spins. Coupled to an s-wave superconductor, helical channels are expected to lead to topological superconductivity with high order non-Abelian excitations 1–3 . Here we investigate transport properties of hDWs in the ν = 2/3 fractional QH regime. Experimentally we found that current carried by hDWs is substantially smaller than the prediction of the naïve model. Luttinger liquid theory of the system reveals redistribution of currents between quasiparticle charge, spin and neutral modes, and predicts the reduction of the hDW current. Inclusion of spin-non-conserving tunneling processes reconciles theory with experiment. The theory confirms emergence of spin modes required for the formation of fractional topological superconductivity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Magnon damping and mode softening in quantum double-exchange ferromagnets

We present a comprehensive analysis of the magnetic excitations and electronic properties of fully quantum double-exchange ferromagnets, i.e. systems where ferromagnetic (FM) ordering emerges from the competition between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom, but without the canonical approximation of using classical localized spins. Specifically, we investigate spin excitations within the Kondo lattice-like model, as well as a two-orbital Hubbard Hamiltonian in proximity to the orbital-selective Mott phase. Computational analysis of the magnon dispersion, damping, and spectral weight within these models reveals unexpected phenomena, such as magnon mode softening and the anomalous decoherence of magnetic excitations as observed in earlier experimental efforts, but explained here without the use of the phononic degrees of freedom. We show that these effects are intrinsically linked to incoherent spectral features near the Fermi level, which arise due to the quantum nature of the local (on-site) triplets. This incoherent spectrum leads to a Stoner-like continuum on which spin excitations scatter, governing magnon lifetime and strongly influencing the dynamical spin structure factor. Our study explores the transition from coherent to incoherent magnon spectra by varying the electron density. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the localized spin mitigates decoherence by suppressing the incoherent spectral contributions near the Fermi level. We also discuss the effective J 1 –J 2 spin Hamiltonian, which can accurately describe the large doping region characterized by the magnon-mode softening. Finally, we show that this behavior is also present in multiorbital models with partially filled orbitals, namely, in systems without localized spin moments, provided that the model is in a strong coupling regime. Our results potentially have far-reaching implications for understanding FM ordering in various multi-band systems. These findings establish a previously unknown direct connection between the electronic correlations of those materials and spin excitations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Confined Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Kagome (Fe 3 Sn 2 /CoSn) Superlattices

We reveal the presence of robust ferromagnetism in topological kagome (Fe 3 Sn 2 /CoSn) ×n superlattices via polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) and magnetization measurements. Using molecular beam epitaxy, we have synthesized superlattices of alternating ferromagnetic Fe 3 Sn 2 and paramagnetic CoSn layers, the interfacial integrity of which is confirmed using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Magnetization depth profiles, obtained by fitting the PNR data, confirm the presence of ferromagnetism in the confined Fe 3 Sn 2 layers at room temperature, with minimal thickness dependence down to 2 nm. A net magnetization is found in the near-surface region of CoSn, which we attribute to surface oxidation. Our results demonstrate that superlattice engineering is a means to confine ferromagnetism in kagome metals, enabling future studies of thickness-dependent anomalous Hall and Nernst effects as well as spin-dependent transport and tunneling in device structures.

kagome metals↗

Dimensional crossover in spin Hall oscillators

Auto-oscillations of magnetization driven by direct spin current have been previously observed in multiple quasi-zero-dimensional (0D) ferromagnetic systems such as nanomagnets and nanocontacts. Recently, it was shown that pure spin Hall current can excite coherent auto-oscillatory dynamics in quasi-one-dimensional (1D) ferromagnetic nanowires but not in quasi-two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic films. Here we study the 1D to 2D dimensional crossover of current-driven magnetization dynamics in wire-based Pt/Ni 80 Fe 20 bilayer spin Hall oscillators via varying the wire width. We find that increasing the wire width results in an increase of the number of excited auto-oscillatory modes accompanied by a decrease of the amplitude and coherence of each mode. We also observe a crossover from a hard to a soft onset of the auto-oscillations with increasing wire width. The amplitude of auto-oscillations rapidly decreases with increasing temperature suggesting that interactions of the phase-coherent auto-oscillatory modes with incoherent thermal magnons play an important role in suppression of the auto-oscillatory dynamics. Our measurements in this work set the upper limit on the dimensions of an individual spin Hall oscillator and elucidate the mechanisms leading to suppression of coherent auto-oscillations with increasing oscillator size.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Low-Temperature Competing Magnetic Energy Scales in the Topological Ferrimagnet TbMn 6 Sn 6

TbMn 6 Sn 6 is a metallic ferrimagnet displaying signatures of both topological electrons and topological magnons arising from ferromagnetism and spin-orbit coupling within its Mn kagome layers. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements find strong ferromagnetic (FM) interactions within the Mn kagome layer and reveal a magnetic bandwidth of ~230 meV. The low-energy magnetic excitations are characterized by strong FM Mn-Mn and antiferromagnetic (AFM) Mn-Tb interlayer magnetic couplings. We observe weaker, competing long-range FM and AFM Mn-Mn interlayer interactions similar to those driving helical magnetism in the YMn 6 Sn 6 system. Combined with density-functional theory calculations, we find that competing Mn-Mn interlayer magnetic interactions occur in all RMn 6 Sn 6 compounds with R=Y, Gd-Lu, resulting in magnetic instabilities and tunability when Mn-R interactions are weak. In the case of TbMn 6 Sn 6 , strong AFM Mn-Tb coupling ensures a highly stable three-dimensional ferrimagnetic network.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dynamical vertex approximation for many-electron systems with spontaneously broken SU(2) symmetry

We generalize the formalism of the dynamical vertex approximation (DΓA)—a diagrammatic extension of the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT)—to treat magnetically ordered phases. To this aim, we start by concisely illustrating the many-electron formalism for performing ladder resummations of Feynman diagrams in systems with broken SU(2) symmetry associated to ferromagnetic (FM) or antiferromagnetic (AF) order. We then analyze the algorithmic simplifications introduced by taking the local approximation of the two-particle irreducible vertex functions in the Bethe-Salpeter equations, which defines the ladder implementation of DΓA for magnetic systems. The relation of this assumption with the DMFT limit of large coordination-number/high dimensions is explicitly discussed. As a last step, we derive the expression for the ladder DΓA self-energy in the FM- and AF-ordered phases of the Hubbard model. The physics emerging in the AF-ordered case is explicitly illustrated by means of approximated calculations based on a static mean-field input for DΓA equations. The results obtained capture fundamental aspects of both metallic and insulating ground states of two-dimensional antiferromagnets, providing a reliable compass for future, more extensive applications of our approach. Furthermore, possible routes to further develop diagrammatic-based treatments of magnetic phases in correlated electron systems are briefly outlined in the Conclusions.

2-dimensional systems↗

Prediction of spin polarized Fermi arcs in quasiparticle interference in CeBi

We predict that CeBi in the ferromagnetic state is a Weyl semimetal. Our calculations within density functional theory show the existence of two pairs of Weyl nodes on the momentum path (0,0,k z ) at 15meV above and 100meV below the Fermi level. Two corresponding Fermi arcs are obtained on surfaces of mirror-symmetric (010)-oriented slabs at E=15meV and both arcs are interrupted into three segments due to hybridization with a set of trivial surface bands. By studying the spin texture of surface states, we find the two Fermi arcs are strongly spin polarized but in opposite directions, which can be detected by spin-polarized ARPES measurements. Here, our theoretical study of quasiparticle interference (QPI) for a nonmagnetic impurity at the Bi site also reveals several features related to the Fermi arcs. Specifically, we predict that the spin polarization of the Fermi arcs leads to a bifurcation-shaped feature only in the spin-dependent QPI spectrum, serving as a fingerprint of the Weyl nodes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A-type antiferromagnetic order in MnBi 4 Te 7 and MnBi 6 Te 10 single crystals

MnBi 4 Te 7 and MnBi 6 Te 10 are two members with n = 2 and 3 in the family of MnBi 2 n Te 3 n + 1 where the n = 1 member, MnBi 2 Te 4 , has been intensively investigated as the first intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator. In this work, we report the A-type antiferromagnetic order in these two compounds by measuring magnetic properties, electrical and thermal transport, specific heat, and single-crystal neutron diffraction. Both compounds order into an A-type antiferromagnetic structure as does MnBi 2 Te 4 with ferromagnetic planes coupled antiferromagnetically along the crystallographic c axis. While no evidence for any in-plane ordered moment is found for MnBi 2 Te 4 or MnBi 6 Te 10 , weak reflections at half- L positions along the [0 0 L ] direction are observed for MnBi 4 Te 7 suggesting an in-plane ordered moment around 0.15 μ B / Mn . The ordering temperature, T N , is 13 K for MnBi 4 Te 7 and 11 K for MnBi 6 Te 10 . The magnetic order is also manifested in the anisotropic magnetic properties. Furthermore, for both compounds, the interlayer coupling is weak and a spin-flip transition occurs when a magnetic field of around 1.6 kOe is applied along the c axis at 2 K. As observed in MnBi 2 Te 4 , when cooling across T N , no anomaly was observed in the temperature dependence of thermopower. On the other hand, critical scattering effects are observed in thermal conductivity although the effect is less pronounced than that in MnBi 2 Te 4 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗