Engineering topics

Cao, Gang [University of Colorado, Boulder]

Publications and source records attributed to Cao, Gang [University of Colorado, Boulder].

2 records

DOE OSTI2026

Coexisting paramagnetic spins and long-range magnetic order in Ba4⁢(Ru0.92⁢Ir0.08)3⁢O10

We investigate the effect of dilute Ir substitution on the magnetism of the trimer-based ruthenate Ba4⁢Ru3⁢O10 using neutron diffraction, magnetic susceptibility measurements, first-principles calculations, and atomistic simulations. Neutron diffraction shows that Ir doping preserves the zigzag antiferromagnetic structure and the ordered-moment magnitude of the parent compound, in which the moments reside exclusively on the two outer Ru(2) sites of each Ru3⁢O12 trimer, while the central Ru(1) site remains nonmagnetic. The Néel temperature is reduced from ∼105 to 84.0(1) K upon 8% Ir substitution, while magnetic susceptibility reveals a pronounced low-temperature Curie-like upturn, indicating the coexistence of paramagnetic spins with long-range antiferromagnetic order. Density-functional calculations show that Ir preferentially occupies the central Ru(1) site, which disrupts the exchange pathways of the affected Ru3⁢O12 trimer state. Atomistic simulations incorporating this paramagnetic dilution reproduce the suppressed ordering temperature and the coexistence of ordered and paramagnetic components.

Islam, Farhan [Ames Laboratory]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Inductance meets memory in a quantum magnet

Orbital degrees of freedom offer a largely untapped route to emergent dynamical phenomena in correlated quantum materials. However, it remains unclear whether collective orbital states can intrinsically generate both reactive and memory functionalities in a bulk system. Here we show that in the ferrimagnet Mn₃Si₂Te₆, nonequilibrium reconfiguration of chiral orbital currents produces both emergent inductance and nonvolatile memristance as intrinsic properties of a single crystal. At low frequency and under a magnetic field along the c axis, coherent orbital-current domains generate robust clockwise inductive I-V loops. At higher frequency and low field, current-driven first-order reconfiguration leads to incomplete reversal and metastable trapping, producing an intrinsic electromotive force and a finite remanent voltage at zero current. These results establish orbital currents as a class of quantum state variables that encode both reactive and memory functionalities, opening routes toward intrinsically reconfigurable and energy-efficient electronic systems.

Cao, Tristan [University of Colorado, Boulder]↗