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At least 1,639 records · Page 91

Chiral kinetic theory of anomalous transport induced by torsion

In Weyl semimetals subjected to torsion, there are two different kinds of chirality: (i) The (coordinate-space) shape of the twisted crystal is chiral and (ii) the momentum space contains chiral quasiparticles. Here we construct a general kinetic theory of anomalous transport using the phase space (coordinate and momentum spaces combined) Berry curvature induced by torsion in Weyl systems. We describe how torsion generates the chiral chemical potential and thus leads to the chiral magnetic effect (CME) in the presence of a background magnetic field. We propose to measure the CME current induced by the torsion as a way to detect the anomalous coupling between the coordinate-space and momentum-space chiralities.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Electronic structure and topology across T c in the magnetic Weyl semimetal Co 3 Sn 2 S 2

Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 is a magnetic Weyl semimetal, in which ferromagnetic ordering at 177 K is predicted to stabilize Weyl points. We perform temperature and spatial dependent angle--resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements through the Curie temperature (T c ), which show large band shifts and renormalization concomitant with the onset of magnetism. We argue that Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 evolves from a Mott ferromagnet below T c to a correlated metallic state above T c . To understand the magnetism, we derive a tight-binding model of Co-3d x 2 -y 2 orbitals on the kagome lattice. At the filling obtained by first-principles calculations, this model reproduces the ferromagnetic ground state, and results in the reduction of Coulomb interactions due to cluster effects. Using a disordered local moment simulation, we show how this reduced Hubbard U leads to a collapse of the bands across the magnetic transition, resulting in a correlated state which carries associated characteristic photoemission signatures that are distinct from those of a simple lifting of exchange splitting. Finally, the behavior of topology across T c is discussed in the context of this description of the magnetism.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Phase diagram of CeSb 2 from magnetostriction and magnetization measurements: Evidence for ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic states

Cerium diantimonide (CeSb 2 ) is one of a family of rare-earth-based magnetic materials that exhibit metamagnetism, enabling control of the magnetic ground state through an applied magnetic field. At low temperatures, CeSb 2 hosts a rich phase diagram with multiple magnetically ordered phases for many of which the order parameter is only poorly understood. In this work, we report a study of its metamagnetic properties by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and magnetization measurements. We use STM measurements to characterize the sample magnetostriction with subpicometer resolution from magnetic field and temperature sweeps. This allows us to directly assess the bulk phase diagram as a function of field and temperature and relate spectroscopic features from tunneling spectroscopy to bulk phases. Our magnetostriction and magnetization measurements indicate that the low-temperature ground state at zero field is ferrimagnetic. Quasiparticle interference mapping shows evidence for a reconstruction of the electronic structure close to the Fermi energy upon entering the magnetically ordered phase.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Adiabatic construction of hierarchical quantum Hall states

We propose an exact model of anyon ground states including higher Landau levels, and use it to obtain fractionally quantized Hall states at filling fractions ν = p/(p(m - 1) + 1) with m odd, from integer Hall states at ν = p through adiabatic localization of magnetic flux. For appropriately chosen two-body potential interactions, the energy gap remains intact during the process. The construction hence establishes the existence of incompressible states at these fillings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Pressure-induced changes of valence fluctuation in β - YbAlB 4 probed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Here we report detailed valence fluctuation phenomena in the unique quantum-critical compound β-YbAlB 4 under pressures and at low temperatures. We directly observed the drastic change in the pressure dependence of the mean Yb valence at about 3 GPa with no pressure-induced structural transition. Below 3 GPa, the anomaly in the temperature dependences of the mean Yb valence was observed at about 55 K under ambient pressure, corresponding to a previously observed reduced Kondo coherence temperature, and this temperature rapidly decreases to 22 K at 2.2 GPa, in contrast to the monotonous decrease of the high Kondo temperature (~250K at ambient pressure). The present results reveal that this reduced Kondo coherence temperature is responsible for the unconventional quantum critical behaviors in β-YbAlB 4 . Above 3 GPa, it was found that the temperature dependence of the mean Yb valence exhibits a discontinuous change at low temperature (10.5 and 9 K under 4.8 and 5.5 GPa, respectively).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Pressure dependence of the magnetic ground state in CePtSi 2

CePtSi 2 was reported to exhibit an antiferromagnetic order below T*=1.8 K at ambient pressure, a valence state change at ~1.2 GPa, and superconductivity in the range between 1.4 and 2.1 GPa with a maximum transition temperature of 0.14 K [T. Nakano et al., Phys. Rev. B 79, 172507 (2009)]. We have performed polycrystalline and single-crystal neutron diffraction experiments to determine the magnetic structure under ambient and high pressures. We found incommensurate magnetic peaks with a magnetic propagation vector of (0.32,0,0.11) at ambient pressure below T SDW ~ 1.25 K. Those magnetic peaks originate from a spin-density-wave order with the easy axis along the c axis and an averaged ordered moment of 0.45(5) μB , suggesting that there may be an intermediate phase between T* and T SDW . Applying pressures, the magnetic propagation vector shows no change and the magnetic order disappears around 1.0 GPa, which is much lower than the critical pressure for the superconducting phase. The results suggest that other than magnetic fluctuations may play a primary role in the superconducting pairing mechanism.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Heat capacity of URu 2 - x Os x Si 2 at low temperatures

Here we perform measurements of the heat capacity as a function of temperature on URu 2-x Os x Si 2 alloys. Our experimental results show that the critical temperature of the second-order phase transition increases while the value of the Sommerfeld coefficient in the ordered state decreases with an increase in osmium concentration. We also observe an increase in the values of the heat capacity at the critical temperature as well as a broadening of the critical fluctuation region with an increase in x. We analyze the experimental data using the Haule-Kotliar model which, in particular, identifies the “hidden order” transition in the parent material UR u2 Si 2 as a transition to a state with a nonzero hexadecapole moment. We demonstrate that our experimental results are consistent with the predictions of that model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Gate-defined wires in twisted bilayer graphene: From electrical detection of intervalley coherence to internally engineered Majorana modes

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) realizes a highly tunable, strongly interacting system featuring superconductivity and various correlated insulating states. We establish gate-defined wires in TBG with proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling as (i) a tool for revealing the nature of correlated insulators and (ii) a platform for Majorana-based topological qubits. We show that the band structure of a gate-defined wire immersed in an intervalley coherent correlated insulator inherits electrically detectable fingerprints of symmetry breaking native to the latter. Surrounding the wire by a superconducting TBG region on one side and an intervalley coherent correlated insulator on the other further enables the formation of Majorana zero modes—possibly even at zero magnetic field depending on the precise symmetry-breaking order present. Our proposal not only introduces a highly gate-tunable topological qubit medium relying on internally generated proximity effects but can also shed light on the Cooper-pairing mechanism in TBG.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Observation of nonlinear planar Hall effect in magnetic-insulator–topological-insulator heterostructures

Interfacing topological insulators (TIs) with magnetic insulators (MIs) have been widely used to study the interaction between topological surface states and magnetism. Previous transport studies typically interpret the suppression of weak antilocalization or appearance of the anomalous Hall effect as signatures of the magnetic proximity effect (MPE) imposed to TIs. Here, in this work, we report the observation of the nonlinear planar Hall effect (NPHE) in Bi 2 ⁢Se 3 films grown on MI thulium and yttrium-iron-garnet (TmIG and YIG) substrates, which is an order of magnitude larger than that in Bi 2 ⁢Se 3 grown on nonmagnetic gadolinium-gallium-garnet (GGG) substrate. The nonlinear Hall resistance in TmIG/Bi 2 ⁢Se 3 depends linearly on the external magnetic field, while that in YIG/Bi 2 ⁢Se 3 exhibits an extra hysteresis loop around zero field. The magnitude of the NPHE is found to scale inversely with carrier density. We speculate that the observed NPHE is related to the MPE-induced exchange gap opening and out-of-plane spin textures in the TI surface states, which may be used as an alternative transport signature of the MPE in MI/TI heterostructures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

c -axis transport in UTe 2 : Evidence of three-dimensional conductivity component

Here we study the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity for currents directed along all crystallographic axes of the spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2 . We focus particularly on an accurate determination of the resistivity along the c axis (ρ c ) by using a generalized Montgomery technique that allows extraction of crystallographic resistivity components from a single sample. In contrast to expectations from the observed highly anisotropic band structure, our measurement of the absolute values of resistivities in all current directions reveals a surprisingly nearly isotropic transport behavior at temperatures above Kondo coherence, with ρ c ~ ρ b ~ 2 ρ a , that evolves to reveal qualitatively distinct behaviors on cooling. The temperature dependence of ρ c exhibits a peak at a temperature much lower than the onset of Kondo coherence observed in ρ a and ρ b , consistent with features in magnetotransport and magnetization that point to a magnetic origin. A comparison to the temperature-dependent evolution of the scattering rate observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments provides important insights into the underlying electronic structure necessary for building a microscopic model of superconductivity in UTe 2 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Thermodynamic and electrical transport properties of UTe 2 under uniaxial stress

Despite intense experimental efforts, the nature of the unconventional superconducting order parameter of UTe 2 remains elusive. This puzzle stems from reports of either a single or a double superconducting transition at ambient pressure as well as a complex pressure-temperature phase diagram. To address this issue, we measured the heat capacity and electrical resistivity of UTe 2 under compressive uniaxial stress σ applied along different crystallographic directions. We find that the critical temperature T c of the single observed bulk superconducting transition decreases with σ along [100] and [110] but increases with σ along [001]. Aside from its effect on T c , c-axis stress leads to a significant piezoresistivity. Importantly, an in-plane shear stress σ xy does not induce any observable splitting of the superconducting transition over a stress range of σ xy ≈ 0.17GPa. Furthermore, this result suggests that the superconducting order parameter of UTe 2 may be single component at ambient pressure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Doping as a tuning mechanism for magnetothermoelectric effects to improve z T in polycrystalline NbP

Weyl semimetals combine topological and semimetallic effects, making them candidates for interesting and effective thermoelectric transport properties. Here, we present experimental results on polycrystalline NbP, demonstrating the simultaneous existence of a large Nernst effect and a large magneto-Seebeck effect, which is typically not observed in a single material at the same temperature. We compare transport results from two polycrystalline samples of NbP with previously published work, observing a shift in the temperature at which the maximum Nernst and magneto-Seebeck thermopowers occur, while still maintaining thermopowers of similar magnitude. Theoretical modeling shows how doping strongly alters both the Seebeck and Nernst magneto-thermopowers by shifting the temperature-dependent chemical potential, and the corresponding calculations provide a consistent interpretation of our results. Thus, we offer doping as a tuning mechanism for shifting magneto-thermoelectric effects to temperatures appropriate for device applications, improving zT at desirable operating temperatures. Furthermore, the simultaneous presence of both a large Nernst and magneto-Seebeck thermopower is uncommon and offers unique device advantages if the thermopowers are used additively. Finally, we also propose a unique thermoelectric device which would collectively harness the large Nernst and magneto-Seebeck thermopowers to greatly enhance the output and zT of conventional thermoelectric devices.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Torus geometry eigenfunctions of an interacting multi-Landau-level Hamiltonian

A short-ranged, rotationally symmetric multi-Landau-level model Hamiltonian for strongly interacting electrons in a magnetic field was proposed [A. Anand et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 136601 (2021)] with the key feature that it allows exact many-body eigenfunctions on the disk not just for quasiholes but for all charged and neutral excitations of the entire Jain sequence filling fractions. We extend this to geometries without full rotational symmetry, namely, the torus and cylinder geometries, and present their spectra. Exact diagonalization of the interaction on the torus produces the low-energy spectra at filling fraction v = n/(2⁢pn + 1) that is identical, up to a topological (2⁢pn + 1)-fold multiplicity, to that of the integer quantum Hall spectra at v = n, for the incompressible state as well as all excitations. While the ansatz eigenfunctions in the disk geometry cannot be generalized to closed geometries such as torus or sphere, we show how to extend them to cylinder geometry. Meanwhile, we show eigenfunctions for charged excitations at filling fractions between 1/3 and 2/5 can be written on the torus and the spherical geometries.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Decay rates of almost strong modes in Floquet spin chains beyond Fermi's Golden Rule

The stability and dynamics of almost strong zero and π modes in weakly nonintegrable Floquet spin chains are investigated. Such modes can also be viewed as localized Majorana modes at the edge of a topological superconductor. Perturbation theory in the strength of integrability breaking interaction J z is employed to estimate the decay rates of these modes, and compared to decay rates obtained from exact diagonalization. Here, the structure of the perturbation theory and thus the lifetime of the modes is governed by the conservation of quasienergy modulo 2π/T, where T is the period of the Floquet system. If there are 4n – 1 bulk excitations whose quasienergies add up to zero (or π/T for a π mode), one obtains a decay channel of the Majorana mode with a decay rate proportional to $J$$^{2n}_{z}$. Thus the lifetime is sensitively controlled by the width of the single-particle Floquet bands. For regimes where the decay rates are quadratic in J z , an analytic expression for the decay rate in terms of an infinite temperature autocorrelation function of the integrable model is derived, and shown to agree well with exact diagonalization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Electrical control of two-dimensional electron-hole fluids in the quantum Hall regime

We study the influence of quantizing perpendicular magnetic fields on the ground state of a bilayer with electron and hole fluids separated by an opaque tunnel barrier. In the absence of a field, the ground state at low carrier densities is a condensate of s-wave excitons that has spontaneous interlayer phase coherence. We find that a series of phase transitions emerge at strong perpendicular fields between condensed states and incompressible incoherent states with full electron and hole Landau levels. When the electron and hole densities are unequal, condensation can occur in higher angular momentum electron-hole pair states and, at weak fields, break rotational symmetry. Here, we explain how this physics is expressed in dual-gate phase diagrams, and predict transport and capacitively probed thermodynamic signatures that distinguish different states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Disorder-induced topological phase transition in a driven Majorana chain

Here, we study a periodically driven one-dimensional Kitaev model in the presence of disorder. In the clean limit our model exhibits four topological phases corresponding to the existence or nonexistence of edge modes at zero and π quasienergy. When potential disorder is added, the system parameters get renormalized and the system may exhibit a topological phase transition. When starting from the Majorana π mode (MPM) phase, which hosts only edge Majoranas with quasienergy π, disorder induces a transition into a neighboring phase with both π and zero modes on the edges. We characterize the disordered system using (i) exact diagonalization, (ii) Arnoldi mapping onto an effective tight-binding chain, and (iii) topological entanglement entropy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Interference effects for 0 ν β β decay in the left-right symmetric model

Various mechanisms may contribute to neutrinoless double beta decay in the left-right symmetric model. The interference between these mechanisms also contribute to the overall decay rate. The analysis of the contributions of these interference terms is important for disentangling different mechanisms. Here, we study interference effects contributing to the decay rate for neutrinoless double-β decay in the left-right symmetric model. The numerical values for maximum interference for several nuclides are calculated. It is observed that, for most of the interference terms, the contribution is smaller than 20% for all the nuclei considered in the study. However, the interference between the mass mechanisms (light and heavy) and η mechanism is observed to be in the range 30%–50%. The variation of the interference effect with the Q values is also studied.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗