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At least 1,585 records · Page 88

Unveiling the medium-range order in glass models and its role in glass formation

The correlation between structure and glass formability in glassy systems is a long-standing puzzle. To solve this puzzle, many descriptors based on the short-range order (SRO) have been proposed. In this paper we show that the SRO, however, offers little help in explaining the glass formability and stability; instead it is the formation of medium-range order that stabilizes the glass against crystallization by suppressing the atomic rearrangement and compositional change. Our results provide a perspective for understanding the correlation between structure and stability in glasses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dopant levels in large nanocrystals using stochastic optimally tuned range-separated hybrid density functional theory

In this work, we apply a stochastic version of an optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functional to provide insight on the electronic properties of P- and B- doped Si nanocrystals of experimentally relevant sizes. We show that we can use the range-separation parameter for undoped systems to calculate accurate results for dopant activation energies. We apply this strategy for tuning functionals to study doped nanocrystals up to 2.5 nm in diameter at the hybrid functional level. In this confinement regime, the P- and B- dopants have large activation energies and have strongly localized states that lie deep within the energy gaps. Structural relaxation plays a greater role for B-substituted dopants and contributes to the increase in activation energy when the B dopant is near the nanocrystal surface.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Disorder broadening of even-denominator fractional quantum Hall states in the presence of a short-range alloy potential

We study energy gaps of the $\textit{ν}$ = 7/2 and $\textit{ν}$ = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall states in a series of two-dimensional electron gases containing alloy disorder. In this work we found that gaps at these two filling factors have the same suppression rate with alloy disorder. The dimensionless intrinsic gaps in our alloy samples obtained from the model proposed by Morf and d'Ambrumenil are consistent with numerical results, but are larger than those obtained from experiments on pristine samples published in the literature. The disorder broadening parameter has large uncertainties. However, a modified analysis relying on shared intrinsic gaps yields consistent results for both the $\textit{ν}$ = 5/2 and 7/2 fractional quantum Hall states and establishes a linear relationship between the disorder broadening parameter and alloy concentration. Furthermore, we find that we can separate contributions to the disorder broadening of the long-range and short-range scattering.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Averaged cluster approach to including chemical short-range order in KKR-CPA

The single-site Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent potential approximation (KKR-CPA) ignores short-range ordering present in disordered metallic systems. Here in this paper, we establish a technique to fix this shortcoming by embedding an averaged cluster that displays chemical short-range order (SRO). The degree of SRO can be tuned by externally defined order parameters. This averaged cluster can be embedded in the single-site CPA medium or a self-consistently obtained effective medium that contains SRO information. The validity of this method is demonstrated by applying it to two alloy systems—the CuZn body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution, and AlCrTiV, a four-element BCC high entropy alloy. A comparison between the non-self-consistent and self-consistent modes is also provided for the two above-mentioned systems. We make the code available on the internet. Planned extensions to this paper are discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Long-range quadrupole electron-phonon interaction from first principles

Lattice vibrations in materials induce perturbations on the electron dynamics in the form of long-range (dipole and quadrupole) and short-range (octopole and higher) potentials. The dipole Fröhlich term can be included in current first-principles electron-phonon (e-ph) calculations and is present only in polar materials. The quadrupole e-ph interaction is present in both polar and nonpolar materials, but currently it cannot be computed from first principles. In this work, we show an approach to compute the quadrupole e-ph interaction and include it in ab initio calculations of e-ph matrix elements. The accuracy of the approach is demonstrated by comparing with direct density functional perturbation theory calculations. We apply our method to silicon as a case of a nonpolar semiconductor and tetragonal PbTiO 3 as a case of a polar piezoelectric material. In both materials we find that the quadrupole term strongly impacts the e-ph matrix elements. Analysis of e-ph interactions for different phonon modes reveals that the quadrupole term mainly affects optical modes in silicon and acoustic modes in PbTiO 3 , although the quadrupole term is needed for all modes to achieve quantitative accuracy. The effect of the quadrupole e-ph interaction on electron scattering processes and transport is shown to be important. Our approach enables accurate studies of e-ph interactions in broad classes of nonpolar, polar, and piezoelectric materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dynamic response functions of two-dimensional Dirac fermions with screened Coulomb and short-range interactions

Here, we consider a screened Coulomb interaction between electrons in graphene and determine their dynamic response functions, such as a longitudinal and a transverse electric conductivity and a polarization function and compare them to the corresponding quantities in the short-range interaction model. The calculations are performed to all orders for short-range interaction by taking into account the self-energy renormalization of the electron velocity and using a ladder approximation to account for the vertex corrections, ensuring that the Ward identity (charge conservation law) is satisfied. Our findings predict a resonant response of interacting electron-hole pairs at a particular frequency below the threshold $\textit{qv = ω}$ and further predict an instability for sufficiently strong interactions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Superconducting state of Sr 2 RuO 4 in the presence of longer-range Coulomb interactions

The symmetry of the superconducting condensate in Sr 2 RuO 4 remains controversial after recent experiments overturned the dominant chiral p-wave paradigm.We perform a theoretical study of pairing by spin- and chargefluctuations in Sr 2 RuO 4 , including the effects of spin-orbit coupling, and both local and longer-range Coulomb repulsion. The latter has important consequences for Sr 2 RuO 4 due to the near-degeneracy of symmetry-distinct pairing states in this material. Here we find leading nodal s', d xy , and helical (p) solutions, while both the g- and d x 2 –y 2 -wave channels remain noncompetitive. This suggests nodal time-reversal symmetry broken s' + id xy or s' + ip phases, promoted by longer-range Coulomb repulsion, as the most favorable candidates for Sr 2 RuO 4 . We analyze the properties of these states and show that the s' + id xy solution agrees with the bulk of available experimental data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nonclassical light from finite-range interactions in a two-dimensional quantum mirror

Excitons in a semiconductor monolayer form a collective resonance that can reflect resonant light with extraordinarily high efficiency. We investigate the nonlinear optical properties of such atomistically thin mirrors and show that finite-range interactions between excitons can lead to the generation of highly nonclassical light. We describe two scenarios, in which optical nonlinearities arise either from direct photon coupling to excitons in excited Rydberg states or from resonant two-photon excitation of Rydberg excitons with finite-range interactions. The latter case yields conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency and thereby provides an efficient mechanism for single-photon switching between high transmission and reflectance of the monolayer, with a tunable dynamical timescale of the emerging photon-photon interactions. Remarkably, it turns out that the resulting high degree of photon correlations remains virtually unaffected by Rydberg-state decoherence, in excess of nonradiative decoherence observed for ground-state excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors. This robustness to imperfections suggests a promising approach to quantum photonics at the level of individual photons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spin-phonon interaction and short-range order in Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6

The vibrational properties of ferrimagnetic Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 single crystals are investigated using Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Eighteen Raman-active modes are identified, 14 of which are assigned according to the trigonal symmetry. Four additional peaks, obeying the A 1g selection rules, are attributed to the overtones. The unconventional temperature evolution of the A$^{5}_{1g}$ mode self-energy suggests a competition between different short-range magnetic correlations that significantly impact the spin-phonon interaction in Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 . This research provides comprehensive insight into the lattice properties, studies their temperature dependence, and shows arguments for the existence of competing short-range magnetic phases in Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Evolution of short-range magnetic correlations in ferromagnetic Ni-V alloys

Here we experimentally study how the magnetic correlations develop in a binary alloy close to the ferromagnetic quantum critical point with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Upon alloying the itinerant ferromagnet nickel with vanadium, the ferromagnetic order is continuously suppressed. The critical temperature T c vanishes when vanadium concentrations reach the critical value of x c =0.116 indicating a quantum critical point separating the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. Earlier magnetization and μ⁢SR data have indicated the presence of magnetic inhomogeneities in Ni 1-x ⁢V x and, in particular, recognize the magnetic clusters close to x c , on the paramagnetic and on the ferromagnetic sides with nontrivial dynamical properties [R. Wang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 267202 (2017)]. We present the results of SANS study with full polarization analysis of polycrystalline Ni 1-x⁢ V x samples with x=0.10 and x=0.11 with low critical temperatures T c <50 K. For both Ni-V samples close to x c we find isotropic magnetic short-range correlations on the nanometer scale persisting at low temperatures. They are suppressed gradually in higher magnetic fields. In addition, signatures of long-range ordered magnetic domains are present below T c . The fraction of these magnetic clusters embedded in the ferromagnetic ordered phase grows toward x c and agrees well with the cluster fraction estimate from the magnetization and μ⁢SR data. Our SANS studies provide new insights into the nature of the inhomogeneities in a ferromagnetic alloy close to a quantum critical point.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ti-6Al-4V to over 1.2 TPa: Shock Hugoniot experiments, ab initio calculations, and a broad-range multiphase equation of state

Titanium alloys are used in a large array of applications. In this work we focus our attention on the most used alloy, Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64), which has excellent mechanical and biocompatibility properties with applications in aerospace, defense, biomedical, and other fields. Here we present high-fidelity experimental shock compression data measured on Sandia’s Z machine. We extend the principal shock Hugoniot for Ti64 to more than threefold compression, up to over 1.2 TPa. We use the data to validate our ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and to develop a highly reliable, multiphase equation of state (EOS) for Ti64, spanning a broad range of temperature and pressures. The first-principles simulations show very good agreement with Z data and with previous three-stage gas gun data from Sandia’s STAR facility. The resulting principal Hugoniot and the broad-range EOS and phase diagram up to 10 TPa and 10 5 K are suitable for use in shock experiments and in hydrodynamic simulations. The high-precision experimental results and high-fidelity simulations demonstrate that the Hugoniot of the Ti64 alloy is stiffer than that of pure Ti and reveal that Ti64 melts on the Hugoniot at a significantly lower pressure and temperature than previously modeled.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Variation of carrier density in semimetals via short-range correlation: A case study with nickelate NdNiO 2

Carrier density is one of the key controlling factors of material properties, particularly in controlling the essential correlations in strongly correlated materials. Typically, carrier density is externally tuned by doping or gating and remains fixed below room temperature. Strangely, the carrier density in correlated semimetals is often found to vary sensitively against weak external controls such as temperature, magnetic field, and pressure. Here, we develop a realistic simulation scheme that incorporates interatomic noncollinear magnetic correlation without a long-range order. Using the recently discovered nickelate superconductor as an example, we demonstrate a rather generic low-energy mechanism that in semimetals short-range correlation can reversely modulate the carrier density as well. Such a mutual influence between correlation and carrier density provides an extra ingredient for sensitive bifurcating behavior. This special feature of correlated semimetals explains their versatile carrier density at low energy and opens up new possibilities of functionalizing these materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Hydrodynamics in long-range interacting systems with center-of-mass conservation

In systems with a conserved density, the additional conservation of the center of mass (dipole moment) has been shown to slow down the associated hydrodynamics. At the same time, long-range interactions generally lead to faster transport and information propagation. Here, we explore the competition of these two effects and develop a hydrodynamic theory for long-range center-of-mass-conserving systems. Here we demonstrate that these systems can exhibit a rich dynamical phase diagram containing subdiffusive, diffusive, and superdiffusive behaviors, with continuously varying dynamical exponents. We corroborate our theory by studying quantum lattice models whose emergent hydrodynamics exhibit these phenomena.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Reconciliation of local and long-range tilt correlations in underdoped La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.155)

A long standing puzzle regarding the disparity of local and long range CuO₆ octahedral tilt correlations in the underdoped regime of La₂₋ x Ba x CuO₄ is addressed by utilizing complementary neutron powder diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) approaches. Long-range and static CuO₆ tilt order with orthogonally inequivalent Cu-O bonds in the CuO₂ planes in the low temperature tetragonal (LTT) phase is succeeded on warming through the low-temperature transition by one with orthogonally equivalent bonds in the low temperature orthorhombic (LTO) phase. In contrast, the signatures of LTT-type tilts in the instantaneous local atomic structure persist on heating throughout the LTO crystallographic phase on the nanoscale, although becoming weaker as temperature increases. Analysis of the INS spectra for the x = 1/8 composition reveals the dynamic nature of the LTT-like tilt fluctuations within the LTO phase and their 3D character. The doping dependence of relevant structural parameters indicates that the magnitude of the Cu-O bond anisotropy has a maximum at x = 1/8 doping where bulk superconductivity is most strongly suppressed, suggesting that the structural anisotropy might be influenced by electron-phonon coupling and the particular stability of the stripe-ordered phase at this composition. The bond-length modulation that pins stripe order is found to be remarkably subtle, with no anomalous bond length disorder at low temperature, placing an upper limit on any in-plane Cu-O bondlength anisotropy. The results further reveal that although appreciable octahedral tilts persist through the high-temperature transition and into the high temperature tetragonal (HTT) phase, there is no significant preference between different tilt directions in the HTT regime. As a result, this study also exemplifies the importance of a systematic approach using complementary techniques when investigating systems exhibiting a large degree of complexity and subtle structural responses.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Long Range Ferromagnetic Order in LaCoO 3-δ epitaxial films due to the interplay of epitaxial strain and oxygen vacancy ordering

We demonstrate that a combination of electronic structure modification and oxygen vacancy ordering can stabilize a long-range ferromagnetic ground state in epitaxial LaCoO 3 thin films. Highest saturation magnetization values are found in the thin films in tension on SrTiO 3 and (La,Sr)(Al,Ta)O 3 substrates and the lowest values are found in thin films in compression on LaAlO 3 . Electron microscopy reveals oxygen vacancy ordering to varying degrees in all samples, although samples with the highest magnetization are the most defective. Element-specific x-ray absorption techniques reveal the presence of high spin Co 2+ and Co 3+ as well as low spin Co 3+ in different proportions depending on the strain state. The interactions among the high spin Co ions and the oxygen vacancy superstructure are correlated with the stabilization of the long-range ferromagnetic order.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Nonempirical range-separated hybrid functionals for solids and molecules

Dielectric-dependent hybrid (DDH) functionals were recently shown to yield accurate energy gaps and dielectric constants for a wide variety of solids, at a computational cost considerably less than that of GW calculations. The fraction of exact exchange included in the definition of DDH functionals depends (self-consistently) on the dielectric constant of the material. Here we introduce a range-separated (RS) version of DDH functionals where short and long-range components are matched using system dependent, non-empirical parameters. We show that RS DDHs yield accurate electronic properties of inorganic and organic solids, including energy gaps and absolute ionization potentials. Moreover, we show that these functionals may be generalized to finite systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Europium mixed-valence, long-range magnetic order, and dynamic magnetic response in EuCu 2 ( Si x Ge 1 - x ) 2

In mixed-valence or heavy-fermion systems, the hybridization between local f orbitals and conduction band states can cause the suppression of long-range magnetic order, which competes with strong spin uctuations. Ce- and Yb-based systems have been found to exhibit fascinating physical properties (heavy-fermion superconductivity, non-Fermi-liquid states, etc.) when tuned to the vicinity of magnetic quantum critical points by use of various external control parameters (temperature, magnetic eld, chemical composition). Recently, similar effects (mixed-valence, Kondo uctuations, heavy Fermi liquid) have been reported to exist in some Eu-based compounds. Unlike Ce (Yb), Eu has a multiple electron (hole) occupancy of its 4f shell, and the magnetic Eu 2+ state (4f 7 ) has no orbital component in the usual LS coupling scheme, which can lead to a quite different and interesting physics. In the EuCu 2 (Si x Ge 1-x ) 2 series, where the valence can be tuned by varying the Si/Ge ratio, it has been reported that a significant valence uctuation can exist even in the magnetic order regime. This paper presents a detailed study of the latter material using different microscopic probes (XANES, Mossbauer spectroscopy, elastic and inelastic neutron scattering), in which the composition dependence of the magnetic order and dynamics across the series is traced back to the change in the Eu valence state. In particular, the results support the persistence of valence uctuations into the antiferromagnetic state over a sizable composition range below the critical Si concentration x c ≈ 0:65. In conclusion, the sequence of magnetic ground states in the series is shown to re ect the evolution of the magnetic spectral response.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Numerical results on the short-range spin correlation functions in the ground state of the two-dimensional Hubbard model

Optical lattice experiments with ultracold fermion atoms and quantum gas microscopy have recently realized direct measurements of magnetic correlations at the site-resolved level. We calculate the short-range spin-correlation functions in the ground state of the two-dimensional repulsive Hubbard model with the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method. The results are numerically exact at half filling where the fermion sign problem is absent. Away from half filling, we employ the constrained path AFQMC approach to eliminate the exponential computational scaling from the sign problem. The constraint employs unrestricted Hartree-Fock trial wave functions with an effective interaction strength U, which is optimized self-consistently within AFQMC. Large supercells are studied, with twist averaged boundary conditions as needed, to reach the thermodynamic limit. We find that the nearest-neighbor spin correlation always increases with the interaction strength U , contrary to the finite-temperature behavior where a maximum is reached at a finite U value. We also observe a change of sign in the next-nearest-neighbor spin correlation with increasing density, which is a consequence of the buildup of the long-range antiferromagnetic correlation. Finally, we expect the results presented in this paper to serve as a benchmark as lower temperatures are reached in ultracold atom experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗