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At least 253 records · Page 14

Interwoven magnetic kagome metal overcomes geometric frustration

Magnetic kagome materials provide a platform for exploring magneto-transport phenomena, symmetry breaking and charge ordering driven by the intricate interplay among electronic structure, topology and magnetism. Yet geometric frustration in conventional kagome magnets limits their tunability. Here we propose a design strategy for interweaving quasi-one-dimensional magnetic Tb zigzag chains with non-magnetic Ti-based kagome bilayers in TbTi 3 Bi 4 . Comprehensive spectroscopic analyses reveal coexisting elliptical-spiral magnetic and spin-density-wave orders accompanied by a large ~90 meV band-folding gap. The combined magnetic and electronic state leads to a giant anomalous Hall conductivity of 10 5 Ω −1 cm −1 , which exceeds that observed in frustrated kagome analogues. These results establish TbTi 3 Bi 4 as a model system of magnetic kagome metals with strong electron–magnetism interactions and underscore the necessity of interweaving designed magnetic and charge layers separately to achieve tunable transport properties. This design strategy will enable the discovery of emergent quantum states and next-generation electronic materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Transport properties of epitaxial lift off films

Transport properties of epitaxially lifted-off (ELO) films were characterized using conductivity, Hall, and Shubnikov-de Haas measurements. A 10-15 percent increase in the 2D electron gas concentration was observed in these films as compared with adjacent conventional samples. We believe this result to be caused by a backgating effect produced by a charge build up at the interface of the ELO film and the quartz substrate. This increase results in a substantial decrease in the quantum lifetime in the ELO samples, by 17-30 percent, but without a degradation in carrier mobility. Under persistent photoconductivity, only one subband was populated in the conventional structure, while in the ELO films the population of the second subband was clearly visible. However, the increase of the second subband concentration with increasing excitation is substantially smaller than anticipated due to screening of the backgating effect.

Mena, R. A.↗

A Measurement of the Eta Meson Radiative Decay Width via the Primakoff Effect

The ? meson is an interesting tool to study fundamental symmetries in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In particular, its radiative decay width, ? p? Ñ ??q, is an important quantity that can be predicted in the framework of Chiral Perturbation Theory. A precision measurement of this quantity would provide critical inputs to understanding the mixing of the ? and ?1 mesons and extracting constants with wide-ranging applications in low-energy QCD. This decay width has been measured in the past using two different experimental techniques. The more popular technique utilized e`e´ collisions to produce ? mesons through electromagnetic interactions. Today, the Particle Data Group (PDG) averages the results of five such experiments to obtain their currently-accepted value of the decay width as: 0.515?0.018 keV. However the first measurement of this quantity was obtained from a fixed-target experiment that measured the cross section for photoproduction of ? mesons on a nuclear target via the Primakoff effect. Their result of 0.324?0.046 keV shows strong tension with the average of the collider measurements, motivating a new, high precision measurement using the Primakoff method. For this purpose, the PrimEx-eta experiment was conducted in Hall D of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab or JLab). The data is currently being analyzed to measure the differential cross section for the photoproduction of ? mesons on a liquid, 4He target. Preliminary results obtained from the analysis of the first phase of the PrimEx-eta experiment show reasonable agreement with the currently-accepted PDG value of the radiative decay width. However, as will be discussed, there are many challenges to this precision measurement which must be studied before any results can be finalized and compared with previous measurements. In parallel to the ? decay width measurement, the PrimEx-eta experiment measured the total cross section for the fundamental, Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) process of Compton scattering from the atomic electrons inside the target. The results obtained from this measurement are in strong agreement with the next-to-leading order QED calculations, and the total combined uncertainties are below 3% for incident photon energies between 7-10 GeV. In addition to providing the first precision measurement of the total Compton scattering cross section within this beam energy range, this measurement verifies the capability of the PrimEx-eta experimental setup to perform absolute cross section measurements at forward angles, and serves as a reference process for the calibration of systematic uncertainties.

Smith, Andrew↗

Topological Magneto-optics in the Noncoplanar Antiferromagnet Co 1/3 ⁢NbS 2 : Imaging and Writing Chiral Magnetic Domains

Despite its tiny net magnetization, the antiferromagnetic (AFM) van der Waals material Co 1/3 ⁢NbS 2 exhibits a large transverse Hall conductivity 𝜎 𝑥⁢𝑦 even at zero applied magnetic field, which arises, as recently shown, from the topological nature of its noncoplanar “tetrahedral” AFM order. Here, this triple-𝐪 magnetic order can be regarded as the short-length-scale limit of a magnetic skyrmion lattice and has an intrinsic spin chirality. Here, we show, using optical wavelengths spanning the ultraviolet to infrared (400–1000 nm), that magnetic circular dichroism provides an incisive optical probe of the topological AFM order in Co 1/3 ⁢NbS 2 . Measurements as a continuous function of photon energy are directly compared with first-principles calculations, revealing the influence of the underlying quantum geometry on optical conductivity. Leveraging the power and flexibility of optical methods, we use scanning magnetic circular dichroism microscopy to directly image chiral AFM domains and demonstrate writing of chiral AFM domains.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

The Infrared Sensor Suite for SnowEx 2017

SnowEx is a winter airborne and field campaign designed to measure snow-water equivalent in forested landscapes. A major focus of Year 1 (2016-17) of NASA's SnowEx campaign will be an extensive field program involving dozens of participants from U.S. government agencies and from many universities and institutions, both domestic and foreign. Along with other instruments, two infrared (IR) sensors will be flown on a Naval Research Laboratory P-3 aircraft. Surface temperature is a critical input to hydrologic models and will be measured during the SnowEx mission. A Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) IR imaging camera system will be flown along with a KT-15 remote thermometer to aid in the calibration of the IR image data. Together, these instruments will measure surface temperature of snow and ice targets to an expected accuracy of less than 1C.

SnowEx↗

Investigation of magnetic and electrical transport properties of YMB 4 (M = Cr, Fe, and Co) compounds

We have studied the structural, magnetic, and electrical transport properties of the YMB 4 series of compounds (M= Cr, Fe, and Co). These materials exhibit high stability and possess notable refractory and thermoelectric properties. Furthermore, recent theoretical predictions suggest that some of these compounds may display quantum magnetism and dimer formation among the magnetic ions. We have synthesized almost single phase YMB 4 compounds in the orthorhombic crystal structure (space group Pbam) using arc-melting and annealing. The Rietveld analysis of the room-temperature X-ray diffraction patterns reveals a clear change in the lattice parameter c, which correlates with the atomic radii of Cr, Fe, and Co. The temperature variation of resistivity measured between 2 K and 300 K reveals a metallic electron transport in all three YMB 4 compounds. However, no abrupt change in resistivity due to structural or magnetic phase transitions is observed. Additionally, a weak positive magnetoresistance of 1%–2% has been measured at 2.5 K, the contribution from the metallic impurity cannot be ruled out. The carrier concentration, on the order of 10 21 cm −3 , has been determined using conventional Hall measurements. The thermomagnetic curves recorded between 2 K and 350 K reveal the non-magnetic behavior of all these compounds. However, a small magnetic moment from paramagnetic/ferromagnetic impurity phases is detected at low temperatures. Above room temperature, no magnetic transition associated with the breaking of a dimer is observed.

borides↗

Evidence of antiferromagnetism in ultrathin metallic (111)-oriented LaNiO 3 films

Antiferromagnets with exotic spin textures promise low-power spintronic devices with extremely high operating frequencies and resistance to external perturbations. In particular, the combination of highly tunable correlated electron physics, as in complex oxides, with metallicity and antiferromagnetism is desirable but exceedingly rare. LaNiO 3 , the lone example of a perovskite nickelate which is metallic across all temperatures, has long been a promising candidate, but the antiferromagnetic metallic state has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate the emergence of this state in ultrathin films of (111)-oriented LaNiO 3 using a combination of polarized neutron reflectometry, low-energy muon spectroscopy and anomalous Hall effect measurements, and density functional theory calculations with a Hubbard U term. Further, we find a highly strained symmetry-breaking interfacial region which may support canting of the AFM moments leading to a vanishingly small net magnetization at the film-substrate interface, providing a convenient route toward control of the Néel order. Evidence of antiferromagnetic metallic behavior in (111)LNO films highlights the role of crystal symmetry in tuning the novel quantum states in complex oxides.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Steady motion of 80-nm-size skyrmions in a 100-nm-wide track

The current-driven movement of magnetic skyrmions along a nanostripe is essential for the advancement and functionality of a new category of spintronic devices resembling racetracks. Despite extensive research into skyrmion dynamics, experimental verification of current-induced motion of ultra-small skyrmions within an ultrathin nanostripe is still pending. Here, we unveil the motion of individual 80 nm-size skyrmions in an FeGe track with an ultrathin width of 100 nm. The skyrmions can move steadily along the track over a broad range of current densities by using controlled pulse durations of as low as 2 ns. The potential landscape, arising from the magnetic edge twists in such a geometrically confined system, introduces skyrmion inertia and ensures efficient motion with a vanishing skyrmion Hall angle. Our results showcase the steady motion of skyrmions in an ultrathin track, offering a practical pathway for implementing skyrmion-based spintronic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Initial Test Results for NASA Goddard’s Low-Cost Optical Terminal Adaptive Optics System

This presentation presents the testing approach and initial laboratory test results of the Adaptive Optics (AO) Subassembly (AOS) for the Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT), a low-cost and flexible optical communications ground terminal. Leveraging commercial components and subassemblies wherever possible, LCOT is being developed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Advanced Communications Capabilities for Exploration and Science Systems (ACCESS) project. An economical ground terminal allows NASA to create a global optical terminal network and enables the expansion of direct-to-Earth (DTE) optical communications. Located at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO), LCOT is in the development phase and will receive first light during initial testing beginning in 2023. This new optical terminal includes a 700 mm Ritchey-Chretien commercial telescope, able to track Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft, receive instruments specified from 1500 - 1600 nm, and an uplink transmit optical system. Demodulation of optical coherent modulation formats requires downlink signal coupling into single-mode fiber. Due to atmospheric turbulence, signals experience wavefront distortions creating speckle patterns larger than the fiber core and high jitter requiring precise beam steering. AO is necessary to correct atmospheric turbulence effects and allow efficient coupling of received signals. In 2020, GSFC contracted with General Atomics to provide the LCOT AO system. This system has been delivered to GSFC in September 2021 and has been tested in laboratory to evaluate performance. This paper describes the laboratory testing approach, turbulence phase plate design, test results, and the AO field testing plan when installed on the LCOT telescope.

Adaptive Optics↗

Non-Altermagnetic Origin of Exchange Bias Behaviors in Incoherent RuO 2 /Fe Bilayer Heterostructures

Initially identified as a promising altermagnetic (AM) candidate, rutile RuO 2 has since become embroiled in controversy due to contradictory findings of modeling and measurements of the magnetic properties of bulk crystals and thin films. For example, despite observations of a bulk nonmagnetic state using density functional theory, neutron scattering, and muon spin resonance measurements, patterned RuO 2 Hall bars and film heterostructures display magnetotransport signatures of magnetic ordering. Among the characteristics routinely cited as evidence for AM is the observation of exchange bias (EB) in an intimately contacted Fe-based ferromagnetic (FM) layer, which can arise due to interfacial coupling with a compensated antiferromagnet. Here, within this work, the origins of this EB coupling in Ru-capped RuO 2 /Fe bilayers are investigated using polarized neutron diffraction, polarized neutron reflectometry, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and super conducting quantum interference device measurements. These experiments reveal that the EB behavior is driven by the formation of an iron oxide interlayer containing Fe 3 O 4 that undergoes a magnetic transition and pins interfacial moments within Fe at low temperature. These findings are confirmed by comparable measurements of Ni-based heterostructures, which do not display EB coupling, as well as magnetometry of additional Fe/Ru bilayers that display oxide-driven EB coupling despite the absence of the epitaxial RuO 2 layer. While these results do not directly refute the possibility of AM ordering in RuO 2 thin films, they reveal that EB, and related magnetotransport phenomena, cannot alone be considered evidence of this characteristic in the rutile structure due to interfacial chemical disorder.

RuO2↗

Tunable atomically enhanced moiré Berry curvatures in twisted triple bilayer graphene

We report a twisted triple bilayer graphene platform consisting of three units of Bernal bilayer graphene consecutively twisted at 1.49° and 1.68°. We demonstrate the atomic reconstruction between the two competing moiré superlattices strongly enhances the Berry curvature of each moiré band insulator state, characterized by measured strong nonlocal valley Hall effect that sensitively depends on the intermoiré competition strength, tunable by manipulating the out-of-plane carrier distribution. Our study sheds light on the microscopic mechanism of atomic and electronic reconstruction in twisted multilayer systems, by systematically investigating transport signatures of moiré Berry curvature and its enhancement from moiré-of-moiré lattice reconstruction. In conclusion, we show that the reconstructed electronic band can be versatilely tuned by electrostatics, providing an approach toward engineering the band structure and its topology for a quantum material platform with designer electrical and optical properties.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Momentum space AC Josephson effect and intervalley coherence in multilayer graphene

Electron transport driven by the phase coherence and interference of quantum many-body wavefunctions is a fascinating phenomenon with potential technological significance. Superconductivity, for example, enables dissipationless transport through macroscopic phase twisting, while charge-density waves show broadband noise and AC-DC interference once their phase is depinned. We identify an analogous phase-coherent dynamics in the intervalley-coherent (IVC) state frequently observed in rhombohedral multilayer graphene. We show that a static magnetic field drives an oscillating intervalley current, which produces an oscillating orbital magnetization and thereby a detectable AC Hall response. This mechanism is similar to the Josephson effect observed in superconductors but now happening in momentum space. In this analogy, the static magnetic field acts as the DC voltage, while the oscillating intervalley current is the AC Josephson current. We provide microscopic calculations of all the phase-number free-energy parameters in rhombohedral trilayer graphene, establishing this effect as an experimental signature of IVC order.

electronic properties and materials↗

Anomalous Electrical Transport in the Kagome Magnet YbFe 6 ⁢Ge 6

Two-dimensional (2D) kagome metals offer a unique platform for exploring electron correlation phenomena derived from quantum many-body effects. Here, in this study, we report a combined study of electrical magnetotransport and neutron scattering on YbFe 6 ⁢Ge 6 , where the Fe moments in the 2D kagome layers exhibit an 𝐴-type collinear antiferromagnetic order below 𝑇 N ≈ 500 K. Interactions between the Fe ions in the layers and the localized Yb magnetic ions in between reorient the 𝑐-axis-aligned Fe moments to the kagome plane below 𝑇 SR ≈ 63 K. Our magnetotransport measurements show an intriguing anomalous Hall effect (AHE) that emerges in the spin-reorientated collinear state, accompanied by the closing of the spin anisotropy gap as revealed from inelastic neutron scattering. The gapless spin excitations and the Yb-Fe interaction are able to support a dynamic scalar spin chirality, which explains the observed AHE. Therefore, our Letter demonstrates that spin fluctuations may provide an additional scattering channel for the conduction electrons and give rise to AHE even in a collinear antiferromagnet.

Yao, Weiliang [Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United Sta↗

Spin-Transfer Torque in Altermagnets with Magnetic Textures

We predict the existence of anisotropic spin-transfer torque effect in textured altermagnets. To this end, we generalize the Zhang-Li torque to incorporate the symmetry associated with prototypical 𝑑-wave altermagnets and identify the spin-splitter adiabatic and nonadiabatic torques. Applying our results to domain wall dynamics induced by spin-transfer torque, we find that, in certain regimes, the spin-splitter adiabatic torque can induce domain wall precession, significantly slowing down domain wall motion. The response of the domain wall also becomes anisotropic, reflecting the 𝑑-wave symmetry of the altermagnet. Furthermore, we observe that the spin-splitter adiabatic torque modifies skyrmion dynamics, inducing anisotropic skyrmion Hall effect. Furthermore, the above phenomena can serve as a hallmark of altermagnetism in textured magnets, distinguishing it from the behavior of ordinary antiferromagnets.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Operation of the University of Hawaii 2.2M telescope on Mauna Kea

NASA's planetary astronomy program provides part of the funding for the 2.2 meter telescope. The parameters for time on the telescope are laid out. A major instrumental highlight has been the commissioning of a 256 x 256 near infrared camera which uses a Rockwell NICMOS-3 array. At the f/10 focus, image scales of 0.37 and 0.75 arcsec/pixel are available. A new, high quantum efficiency Tektronix 1024 x 1024 CCD saw first light on the telescope in 1991, and was available regularly from April 1991. Data from both of these detectors are transmitted directly to the Sun workstation for immediate analysis by the observers. The autoguider software was enhanced to permit guided tracking on objects have nonsideral motions (i.e., solar system objects).

Hall, Donald N. B.↗

Manipulating chiral spin transport with ferroelectric polarization

A magnon is a collective excitation of the spin structure in a magnetic insulator and can transmit spin angular momentum with negligible dissipation. This quantum of a spin wave has always been manipulated through magnetic dipoles (that is, by breaking time-reversal symmetry). Here we report the experimental observation of chiral spin transport in multiferroic BiFeO 3 and its control by reversing the ferroelectric polarization (that is, by breaking spatial inversion symmetry). The ferroelectrically controlled magnons show up to 18% modulation at room temperature. The spin torque that the magnons in BiFeO 3 carry can be used to efficiently switch the magnetization of adjacent magnets, with a spin-torque efficiency comparable to the spin Hall effect in heavy metals. Utilizing such controllable magnon generation and transmission in BiFeO 3 , an all-oxide, energy-scalable logic is demonstrated composed of spin-orbit injection, detection and magnetoelectric control. In conclusion, our observations open a new chapter of multiferroic magnons and pave another path towards low-dissipation nanoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of non-stoichiometry and pressure on superconductivity in topological semimetal PdTe

Research into topological superconductivity has been at the forefront of condensed matter physics due to both fundamental interest and potential applications in quantum computing. PdTe, is such a superconductor with a transition temperature T c ∼ 4.5 K and exhibits a nontrivial topological electronic structure, thus receiving significant attention. We report an experimental and theoretical investigation of the pressure effect on superconductivity by applying chemical non-stoichiometry and hydrostatic pressure. While T c decreases with increasing pressure through electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements, chemical pressure has a distinct impact from hydrostatic pressure, which could increase T c by creating negative pressure via non-stoichiometric Pd x Te with x > 1. Accompanied with this is a sign change of the Hall coefficient from negative at x < 1 to positive at x > 1. This indicates extreme sensitivity of the electronic structure to chemical non-stoichiometry, which occurs as a Pd vacancy for x < 1 and Pd interstitial for x > 1.

nonstoichiometry↗

Magnon-mediated exciton–exciton interaction in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

Excitons are fundamental excitations that govern the optical properties of semiconductors. Interactions between excitons can lead to various emergent phases of matter and large nonlinear optical responses. In most semiconductors, excitons interact via exchange interactions or phase-space filling. Correlated materials that host excitons coupled to other degrees of freedom could offer pathways for controlling these interactions. Here, in this study, we demonstrate magnon-mediated interactions between excitons in CrSBr, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor. These interactions manifest as the dependence of the exciton energy on the exciton density via a magnonic adjustment of the spin canting angle. Our study demonstrates the emergence of quasiparticle-mediated interactions in correlated quantum materials, leading to large nonlinear optical responses and potential device concepts such as magnon-mediated quantum transducers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗