Polar charge density wave in a superconductor with crystallographic chirality
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Cheong, Sang-Wook (ORCID:0000000199056175).
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Abstract Lead-free SrBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 (SBT) has been a promising ferroelectric material for various applications such as electronics and data storage due to its outstanding ferroelectric properties including high fatigue endurance and low leakage current. However, the atomic-scale domain structure and switching dynamics of ferroelectric SBT remain elusive. This study reveals that spontaneous polarization arises from canted bismuth-cation displacements, forming 90° and Ising-type 180° domain walls. Interestingly, topological pairs of ferroelectric vortex and antivortex connect ferroelectric boundaries where three domain walls converge. In situ electrical biasing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the dominance of 180° switching over 90°, where oxygen octahedral connectivity is protected by ferroelastic energy in the 90° domain wall. Consequently, all 180° domain walls and (anti)vortices are removed, leaving only 90° domain walls in the electrically poled states. Chemical deterioration along domain walls highlights vulnerability of SBT to ferroelectric fatigue. This study provides insight into crucial aspects for practical applications of SBT.
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Abstract Directional non-reciprocity refers to the phenomenon where the motion in one direction differs from the motion in the opposite direction. This behavior is observed across various systems, such as one-way traffic and materials displaying electronic/optical directional dichroism, characterized by the symmetry of velocity vectors. Magnetic toroidal moments (MTMs), which typically arise from rotational spin arrangements, also possess the symmetry of velocity vectors, making them inherently directionally non-reciprocal. In this paper, we examine magnetic point groups (MPGs) that exhibit MTMs, subsequently leading to off-diagonal linear magnetoelectricity. Our focus is on the induction of MTMs through electric fields, magnetic fields, or shear stress, while enumerating the relevant MPGs. The findings of our study will serve as valuable guidance for future investigations on directional non-reciprocity, MTMs, and off-diagonal linear magnetoelectric effects.
Abstract Altermagnetism is introduced as a category of magnetic states with ‘collinear’ antiferromagnetic spins and alternating variations of local structures around spins in such a way that the symmetry allows typical ferromagnetic behaviors. Altermagnets exhibiting ferromagnetic behaviors without any external perturbations (type-I) turn out to belong to the ferromagnetic point group. Other altermagnets (type-II and type-III) can have ferromagnetic behaviors only with external perturbations such as electric current or stress, which conserve parity-time-reversal (PT) symmetry. All types of altermagnets themselves have broken PT symmetry. The concept of altermagnetism can be extended to accommodate non-collinear spins and multiple local-structure variations.
Abstract The strong correlations between electrons in Mott insulator materials may produce highly entangled many-body states with unconventional emergent excitations. The signatures of such excitations, if any, are commonly believed to be observable only at low temperatures. Here, we challenge this common belief and show using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy that exotic carriers exist even at room temperature in TbInO 3 , a candidate material for realizing a low-temperature quantum spin-liquid phase. In particular, over the entire temperature range of 1.5–300 K, we observe a quadratic frequency dependence in the real part of the in-plane optical conductivity as well as Fano asymmetry of an optical phonon mode strongly interacting with the excitation continuum. These features are robust even under external magnetic fields of up to 7 T. Our data confirm the presence of emergent charge carriers within the Mott charge gap of TbInO 3 , suggesting that it is possible to probe and manipulate highly entangled quantum many-body states at room temperature.
Abstract The layered perovskite Ca 3 Mn 2 O 7 (CMO) is a hybrid improper ferroelectric candidate proposed for room temperature multiferroicity, which also displays negative thermal expansion behavior due to a competition between coexisting polar and nonpolar phases. However, little is known about the atomic-scale structure of the polar/nonpolar phase coexistence or the underlying physics of its formation and transition. In this work, we report the direct observation of double bilayer polar nanoregions (db-PNRs) in Ca 2.9 Sr 0.1 Mn 2 O 7 using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM). In-situ TEM heating experiments show that the db-PNRs can exist up to 650 °C. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) studies coupled with first-principles calculations demonstrate that the stabilization mechanism of the db-PNRs is directly related to an Mn oxidation state change (from 4+ to 2+), which is linked to the presence of Mn antisite defects. These findings open the door to manipulating phase coexistence and achieving exotic properties in hybrid improper ferroelectric.
Abstract Chirality with all broken mirror symmetries matters ubiquitously from DNA functionality, vine climbing, to the piezoelectricity of quartz crystals. Magnetic chirality means chirality in spin-ordered states or (atomic-scale or mesoscopic) spin textures. Magnetic chirality does not change with time-reversal operation, and chirality prime ( $${\mathcal{C}}^\prime$$ C ′ ) means that time-reversal symmetry in addition to all mirror symmetries is broken with free spatial rotations. We will discuss a few examples of magnetic chirality and $${\mathcal{C}}^\prime$$ C ′ , and their emergent physical properties. Some of these exotic properties have been recently observed, and many of them need to be experimentally confirmed.
Abstract An ongoing challenge in the study of quantum materials, is to reveal and explain collective quantum effects in spin systems where interactions between different modes types are important. Here we approach this problem through a combined experimental and theoretical study of interacting transverse and longitudinal modes in an easy-plane quantum magnet near a continuous quantum phase transition. Our inelastic neutron scattering measurements of Ba 2 FeSi 2 O 7 reveal the emergence, decay, and renormalization of a longitudinal mode throughout the Brillouin zone. The decay of the longitudinal mode is particularly pronounced at the zone center. To account for the many-body effects of the interacting low-energy modes in anisotropic magnets, we generalize the standard spin-wave theory. The measured mode decay and renormalization is reproduced by including all one-loop corrections. The theoretical framework developed here is broadly applicable to quantum magnets with more than one type of low energy mode.
Abstract Ferrotoroidal order, which represents a spontaneous arrangement of toroidal moments, has recently been found in a few linear magnetoelectric materials. However, tuning toroidal moments in these materials is challenging. Here, we report switching between ferritoroidal and ferrotoroidal phases by a small magnetic field, in a chiral triangular-lattice magnet BaCoSiO 4 with tri-spin vortices. Upon applying a magnetic field, we observe multi-stair metamagnetic transitions, characterized by equidistant steps in the net magnetic and toroidal moments. This highly unusual ferri-ferroic order appears to come as a result of an unusual hierarchy of frustrated isotropic exchange couplings revealed by first principle calculations, and the antisymmetric exchange interactions driven by the structural chirality. In contrast to the previously known toroidal materials identified via a linear magnetoelectric effect, BaCoSiO 4 is a qualitatively new multiferroic with an unusual coupling between several different orders, and opens up new avenues for realizing easily tunable toroidal orders.
Abstract Based on symmetry consideration, quasi-one-dimensional (1D) objects, relevant to numerous observables or phenomena, can be classified into eight different types. We provide various examples of each 1D type and discuss their symmetry operational similarity (SOS) relationships, which are often permutable. A number of recent experimental observations, including current-induced magnetization in polar or chiral conductors, non-linear Hall effect in polar conductors, spin-polarization of tunneling current to chiral conductors, and ferro-rotational domain imaging with linear gyration are discussed in terms of (permutable) SOS. In addition, based on (permutable) SOS, we predict a large number of new phenomena in low symmetry materials that can be experimentally verified in the future.