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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 397 records · Page 22

Creating Spin-One Fermions in the Presence of Artificial Spin–Orbit Fields: Emergent Spinor Physics and Spectroscopic Properties

We propose the creation and investigation of a system of spin-one fermions in the presence of artificial spin–orbit coupling, via the interaction of three hyperfine states of fermionic atoms to Raman laser fields. We explore the emergence of spinor physics in the Hamiltonian described by the interaction between light and atoms, and analyze spectroscopic properties such as dispersion relation, Fermi surfaces, spectral functions, spin-dependent momentum distributions and density of states. Connections to spin-one bosons and SU(3) systems is made, as well relations to the Lifshitz transition and Pomeranchuk instability are presented.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Differential conductance and defect states in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn 5

We demonstrate that the electronic band structure extracted from quasiparticle interference spectroscopy [Nat. Phys. 9, 468 (2013)] and the theoretically computed form of the superconducting gaps [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 111, 11663 (2014)] can be used to understand the dI/dV line shape measured in the normal and superconducting state of CeCoIn 5 [Nat. Phys. 9, 474 (2013)]. In particular, the dI/dV line shape, and the spatial structure of defect-induced impurity states, reflects the existence of multiple superconducting gaps of d x 2 –y 2 symmetry. As a result, these results strongly support a recently proposed microscopic origin of the unconventional superconducting state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Observation of the anisotropic Dirac cone in the band dispersion of 112-structured iron-based superconductor Ca{sub 0.9}La{sub 0.1}FeAs{sub 2}

CaFeAs{sub 2} is a parent compound of recently discovered 112-type iron-based superconductors. It is predicted to be a staggered intercalation compound that naturally integrates both quantum spin Hall insulating and superconducting layers and an ideal system for the realization of Majorana modes. We performed a systematical angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculation study of the slightly electron-doped CaFeAs{sub 2}. We found that the zigzag As chain of 112-type iron-based superconductors play a considerable role in the low-energy electronic structure, resulting in the characteristic Dirac-cone like band dispersion as the prediction. Our experimental results further confirm that these Dirac cones only exist around the X but not Y points in the Brillouin zone, breaking the S{sub 4} symmetry at iron sites. Our findings present the compelling support to the theoretical prediction that the 112-type iron-based superconductors might host the topological nontrivial edge states. The slightly electron doped CaFeAs{sub 2} would provide us a unique opportunity to realize and explore Majorana fermion physics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Delocalization and occupancy effects of 5f orbitals in plutonium intermetallics using L3-edge resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy

Although actinide (An) L3 -edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy has been very effective in determining An oxidation states in insulating, ionically bonded materials, such as in certain coordination compounds and mineral systems, the technique fails in systems featuring more delocalized 5f orbitals, especially in metals. Recently, actinide L3-edge resonant X-ray emission spec- troscopy (RXES) has been shown to be an effective alternative. This technique is further demonstrated here using a parameterized partial unoccupied density of states method to quantify both occupancy and delocalization of the 5f orbital in ?-Pu, ?-Pu, PuCoGa5 , PuCoIn5 , and PuSb2. These new results, supported by FEFF calculations, highlight the effects of strong correlations on RXES spectra and the technique?s ability to differentiate between f-orbital occupation and delocalization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Topological d -wave superconductivity in two dimensions

Despite intensive searches for topological superconductors, the realization of topological superconductivity remains under debate. Previous proposals for the topological s-wave, p-wave, and chiral d-wave superconductivity have both advantages and disadvantages. In this review, we discuss two-dimensional topological superconductivity based on the non-chiral d-wave superconductors. It is shown that the noncentrosymmetric d-wave superconductors become topological superconductors under an infinitesimal Zeeman field without fine-tuning of parameters. Additionally, Floquet engineering for introducing the Zeeman field in a controllable way is also proposed. When the two-dimensional noncentrosymmetric superconductors are stacked to recover the global inversion symmetry, the field-induced parity transition may occur, and the high-field odd-parity superconducting state realizes various topological phases depending on the stacking structures. Two-dimensional heterostructures of strongly correlated electron systems, which have been developed by recent experiments, are proposed as a platform of the high-temperature topological superconductivity and the interplay of topology and strong correlations in superconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ubiquity of amplitude-modulated magnetic ordering in the H - T phase diagram of the frustrated non-Fermi-liquid YbAgGe

YbAgGe contains a magnetic geometrically frustrated kagome-like lattice that also features significant local single-ion anisotropy. The electronic state is established by hybridization of 4f and conduction electrons leading to heavy electronic masses. The competition between these various interactions leads to nontrivial behavior under external magnetic field, including a sequence of magnetic phase transitions, non-Fermi-liquid states, and possibly a quantum critical point. We present a series of neutron diffraction experiments performed in the mK temperature range and under magnetic fields up to 8 T in the hexagonal plane, revealing the microscopic nature of the first four subsequent magnetic states of this phase diagram. The magnetic phases are associated with the propagation vectors K 1 =($\frac{1}{3}$ 0 $\frac{1}{3}$) for H < 2 T, K 2 = (0 0 0.32) for 2 T < H < 3 T, K 1 = ($\frac{1}{3}$ 0 $\frac{1}{3}$) for 3 T < H < 4.5 T and k 3 = (0.195 0.195 0.38) for 4.5 T < H < 7 T. Our structural refinements reveal a strong modulation of the magnetic moment amplitude in all phases. We observe that the ordered moments of the three magnetically different Yb sites become increasingly different in field, which complies with the principle local anisotropy directions relative to the field direction. While the ordered moments are aligned predominantly in the hexagonal plane, we also find a significant out-of-plane component and a ferromagnetic contribution above 2 T. Here we discuss possible scenarios that may evolve around the phase boundary at 4.5 T, which is associated with putative quantum criticality as identified by various bulk probes. We propose further steps that are required to better understand the microscopic interactions in this material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Crystallization of an exciton superfluid

Indirect excitons--pairs of electrons and holes spatially separated in semiconductor bilayers or quantum wells--are known to undergo Bose-Einstein condensation and to form a quantum fluid. Here we show that this superfluid may crystallize upon compression. However, further compression results in quantum melting back to a superfluid. This unusual behavior is explained by the effective interaction potential between indirect excitons, which strongly deviates from a dipole potential at small distances due to many-particle and quantum effects. Based on first-principles path-integral Monte Carlo simulations, we compute the complete phase diagram of this system and predict the relevant parameters necessary to experimentally observe exciton crystallization in semiconductor quantum wells.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Probing strong correlations with light scattering: Example of the quantum Ising model

In this article we calculate the nonlinear susceptibility and the resonant Raman cross section for the paramagnetic phase of the ferromagnetic quantum Ising model in one dimension. In this region the spectrum of the Ising model has a gap m. The Raman cross section has a strong singularity when the energy of the outgoing photon is at the spectral gap ω f ≈ m and a square root threshold when the frequency difference between the incident and outgoing photons ω i ₋ω f ≈2m. Finally, the latter feature reflects the fermionic nature of the Ising model excitations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Emergent reflection symmetry from nonrelativistic composite fermions

A recent experimental study [Pan et al. , arXiv:1902.10262] has demonstrated that fractional quantum Hall effect gaps are essentially consistent with particle-hole symmetry in the lowest Landau level. Motivated by this result, we consider a clean two-dimensional electron system from the viewpoint of composite fermion mean-field theory. Here, we show that while the experiment is manifestly consistent with a Dirac composite fermion theory proposed recently by Son, it can equally well be explained within the framework of nonrelativistic composite fermions, first put forward by Halperin, Lee, and Read.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Vortex Lattice Studies in CeCoIn5 with H perpendicular c

We present small angle neutron scattering studies of the vortex lattice (VL) in CeCoIn{sub 5} with magnetic fields applied parallel (H) to the antinodal [100] and nodal [110] directions. For H {parallel} [100], a single VL orientation is observed, while a 90{sup o} reorientation transition is found for H {parallel} [110]. For both field orientations and VL configurations we find a distorted hexagonal VL with an anisotropy, {Gamma} = 2.0 {+-} 0.05. The VL form factor shows strong Pauli paramagnetic effects similar to what have previously been reported for H {parallel} [001]. At high fields, above which the upper critical field (H{sub c2}) becomes a first-order transition, an increased disordering of the VL is observed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Photodynamic melting of phase-reversed charge stripes and enhanced condensation

The interplay between charge stripes and pairing has long been a subject of scrutiny in a broad class of unconventional superconductors, as in some cases it is unclear whether this interplay benefits the ensuing superfluidity. Experiments that explore the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of these systems aim to tip the balance toward one phase or the other by selectively coupling to relevant modes. Leveraging the fact that competition between stripes and pairing is not exclusive to fermionic systems, we explore the photoirradiation dynamics of interacting hardcore bosons in which density-wave phase-reversal melting leads to enhanced phase-coherent transport response, as quantified by the dynamic amplification of both the zero-momentum occupancy and the condensate fraction, as well as finite out-of-equilibrium charge stiffness and superfluid weight, for a given system size. Finally, our results, obtained using unbiased methods for an interacting system on a ladder geometry, demonstrate how one can engineer time-dependent perturbations to release suppressed orders, potentially providing insight into the underlying mechanism in related experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Transport signatures of Majorana quantum criticality realized by dissipative resonant tunneling

We consider theoretically the transport properties of a spinless resonant electronic level coupled to strongly dissipative leads, in the regime of circuit impedance near the resistance quantum. Using the Luttinger liquid analogy, one obtains an effective Hamiltonian expressed in terms of interacting Majorana fermions, in which all environmental degrees of freedom (leads and electromagnetic modes) are encapsulated in a single fermionic bath. General transport equations for this system are then derived in terms of the Majorana T-matrix. Perturbative treatment of the Majorana interaction term yields the appearance of a marginal, linear dependence of the conductance on temperature when the system is tuned to its quantum critical point, in agreement with recent experimental observations. Here, we investigate in detail the different crossovers involved in the problem, and analyze the role of the interaction terms in the transport scaling functions. In particular, we show that single barrier scaling applies when the system is slightly tuned away from its Majorana critical point, strengthening the general picture of dynamical Coulomb blockade.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Trapped fermions in a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field

On increasing the coupling strength ({lambda}) of a non-Abelian gauge field that induces a generalized Rashba spin-orbit interaction, the topology of the Fermi surface of a homogeneous gas of noninteracting fermions of density {rho}{approx}k{sub F}{sup 3} undergoes a change at a critical value, {lambda}{sub T}{approx_equal}k{sub F}[Phys. Rev. B 84, 014512 (2011)]. In this paper we analyze how this phenomenon affects the size and shape of a cloud of spin-(1/2) fermions trapped in a harmonic potential such as those used in cold atom experiments. We develop an adiabatic formulation, including the concomitant Pancharatnam-Berry phase effects, for the one-particle states in the presence of a trapping potential and the gauge field, obtaining approximate analytical formulas for the energy levels for some high symmetry gauge field configurations of interest. An analysis based on the local density approximation reveals that, for a given number of particles, the cloud shrinks in a characteristic fashion with increasing {lambda}. We explain the physical origins of this effect by a study of the stress tensor of the system. For an isotropic harmonic trap, the local density approximation predicts a spherical cloud even for anisotropic gauge field configurations. We show, via a calculation of the cloud shape using exact eigenstates, that for certain gauge field configurations there is a systematic and observable anisotropy in the cloud shape that increases with increasing gauge coupling {lambda}. The reasons for this anisotropy are explained using the analytical energy levels obtained via the adiabatic approximation. These results should be useful in the design of cold atom experiments with fermions in non-Abelian gauge fields. An important spin-off of our adiabatic formulation is that it reveals exciting possibilities for the cold-atom realization of interesting condensed matter Hamiltonians by using a non-Abelian gauge field in conjunction with another potential. In particular, we show that the use of a spherical non-Abelian gauge field with a harmonic trapping potential produces a monopole field giving rise to a spherical geometry quantum Hall-like Hamiltonian in the momentum representation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Antiferromagnetism and superfluidity of a dipolar Fermi gas in a two-dimensional optical lattice

In a dipolar Fermi gas, the dipole-dipole interaction between fermions can be turned into a dipolar Ising interaction between pseudospins in the presence of an ac electric field. When trapped in a two-dimensional optical lattice, this dipolar Fermi gas has a very rich phase diagram at zero temperature, due to the competition between antiferromagnetism and superfluidity. At half-filling, the antiferromagnetic state is the favored ground state. The superfluid state appears as the ground state at a smaller filling factor. In between there is a phase-separated region. The order parameter of the superfluid state can display different symmetries depending on the filling factor and interaction strength, including the d-wave (d), the extended s-wave (xs), or their linear combination (xs+id). Implications for the current experiment are discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗