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At least 73 records · Page 4

Janus skyrmion: Interfacial quasiparticle with two-faced helicity

Janus particles are functional particles with at least two surfaces showing asymmetric properties. Here, we show at the interface between two magnetic regions with different antisymmetric exchange interactions, an alternative species of two-dimensional topological quasiparticles can emerge, in which different helicity structures can coexist. We name such an interfacial quasiparticle a “Janus skyrmion,” in analogy to the Janus particle. As the Janus skyrmion shows helicity asymmetry, its size could vary with both the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields. A vertical spin current could drive the Janus skyrmion into one-dimensional motion along the interface without showing the skyrmion Hall effect, at a speed which depends on both the in-plane spin-polarization direction and current density. Thermal fluctuations could also lead to one-dimensional random walk of a Brownian Janus skyrmion. This work uncovers unique dynamics intrinsic to interfacial quasiparticles with exotic helicity, which may be realized in interface-engineered magnetic layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Temperature evolution of the phonon dynamics in the Kitaev spin liquid

In this work, we present a study of the phonon dynamics in the honeycomb Kitaev spin model at finite temperatures. We show that the fractionalized spin excitations of the Kitaev spin liquid, the itinerant Majorana fermions, and static Z 2 fluxes have distinct effects on the phonon dynamics, which makes the phonon dynamics a promising tool for exploring the Kitaev spin liquid candidate materials. In particular, we focus on the signature of the fractionalized excitations in the thermodynamic behavior of the sound attenuation and the phonon Hall viscosity: the former describes the phonon decay into the fractionalized excitations, and the latter is the leading order time-reversal symmetry breaking effect on the acoustic phonon. We find that the angular dependence of the attenuation coefficient and its magnitude is modified by the thermal excitation of the Z 2 fluxes. The strength of this effect strongly depends on the relative magnitude of the sound velocity and the Fermi velocity characterizing the low-energy Majorana fermions. We also show that the Hall viscosity is strongly suppressed by the increase of the density of the Z 2 fluxes at finite temperatures. All these observations reflect the effects of the emergent disorder on the Majorana fermions introduced by the Z 2 fluxes. Our analysis is based on the complementary analytical calculations in the low-temperature zero-flux sector, and numerical calculations in the inhomogeneous flux sectors at intermediate and high temperatures with stratified Monte Carlo (strMC) method.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Chiral edge state control of thermoelectric effects

Thermoelectric responses in two-dimensional electron gases subjected to magnetic fields have the potential to provide unique information about quasiparticle statistics. In this study, we show that chiral edge states play a key role in thermoelectric Hall bar measurements by completely controlling the direction of the internal thermal gradient. To this end, we perform measurements of the magnetothermoelectric responses of cadmium arsenide quantum wells. The magnetothermoelectric responses in the quantum Hall regime agree with theoretical predictions if one considers the role of chiral edge states, which flow in opposite directions on either side of the Hall bar and establish an internal temperature gradient that is perpendicular to the externally applied thermal gradient. We show that the results are self-consistent within this picture under different measurement conditions. We discuss potential applications of the findings, such as in nanoscale control of local temperature gradients and thermoelectric effects along with the characterization of other topological systems with chiral edges states.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Magnetic field transport in propagating thermonuclear burn

High energy gain in inertial fusion schemes requires the propagation of a thermonuclear burn wave from hot to cold fuel. We consider the problem of burn propagation when a magnetic field is orthogonal to the burn wave. Using an extended-MHD model with a magnetized α energy transport equation, we find that the magnetic field can reduce the rate of burn propagation by suppressing electron thermal conduction and α particle flux. Magnetic field transport during burn propagation is subject to competing effects: the field can be advected from cold to hot regions by ablation of cold fuel, while the Nernst and α particle flux effects transport the field from hot to cold fuel. These effects, combined with the temperature increase due to burn, can cause the electron Hall parameter to grow rapidly at the burn front. This results in the formation of a self-insulating layer between hot and cold fuel, which reduces electron thermal conductivity and α transport, increases the temperature gradient, and reduces the rate of burn propagation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The Effect of Dopant Concentration and Annealing Treatments on N-Type Iodine Doped CdTe

We report properties of highly conducting n-type cadmium telluride single crystals doped with iodine (CdTe:I). These crystals were grown with dopant concentrations in the range of 10^17 cm-3 to 10^19 cm-3 by Modified Vertical Bridgman (MVB) melt growth. Post-growth dopant activation, including Cd annealing, Te annealing, and rapid thermal annealing (RTA), was applied to improve free carrier density. The structural, optical, and electrical properties were analyzed by Glow Discharge Mass Spectroscopy (GDMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL), optical absorption, Hall measurements, Capacitance-Voltage (CV) measurements, and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL). The results indicate that Cd annealing is the most effective activation method to get 100% donor activation (n is approximately 2 x 10^18 cm-3), which is close to the room temperature solubility limit of iodine. This leads to the lowest resistivity and the highest mobility. Moreover, this data suggests a potential role of Cd vacancy-related defects on electrical self-compensation.

annealing↗

Nernst and Ettingshausen effects in gapped quantum materials

Here, we investigate whether there could exist topological invariants of gapped two-dimensional materials related to dissipationless thermoelectric transport at low temperatures. We give both macroscopic and microscopic arguments showing that thermoelectric transport coefficients vanish in the limit of zero temperature, and thus topological invariants arise only from the electric Hall conductance and the thermal Hall conductance. Our arguments apply to systems with arbitrarily strong interactions. We also show that there is no analog of the Thouless pump for entropy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ultra-low-level measurements of airborne fission products from the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident using high volume collection systems at Savannah River National Laboratory

For this study, ultra-low-level measurements of radionuclides in air have been conducted at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to determine the atmospheric concentration of fission products released following the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident on March 11, 2011. Air filter samples were acquired from two high-volume collection systems (a traditional filter-based system and an electrostatic precipitator-based system) to monitor airborne radionuclide concentrations in the period covering from 2 weeks to 3 years after the disaster. The world-wide spread of low-level concentrations of airborne fission products from the Fukushima event provided a unique opportunity to demonstrate SRNL's electrostatic particle collection technology and other improvements in environmental monitoring developed at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Detecting and analyzing the release allowed a comprehensive test of SRS systems for monitoring environmental radioactivity. Gamma-ray-emitting fission products ( 131,132 I, 134,136,137 Cs, and 129,132 Te) and cosmogenic isotopes ( 7 Be and 22 Na) in air were detected and quantified by high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy at concentrations as low as 0.07 μBq per standard cubic meter (SCM) (50 mBq total 137 Cs), while plutonium content was quantified by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) at concentrations as low as 6.5 × 10 –21 g/SCM (3.0 fg 239+240 Pu). Isotope concentrations measured at SRNL from gamma-ray spectroscopy were compared to independent measurements from Chapel Hill, NC, located approximately 370 km (230 mi) NE of SRNL. Meteorological modeling was also used to predict radionuclide transport from the location of release to both measurement locations.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

Spin spiral and topological Hall effect in Fe 3 Ga 4

A new mechanism for the topological Hall effect (THE) was recently proposed for the spiral magnet YMn 6 Sn 6 , which requires transverse conical spiral magnetism, induced by external magnetic field, combined with thermally excited helical spiral magnons. In principle, this mechanism should be applicable to other itinerant spiral magnets as well. Here, we show that another magnetic compound, Fe 3 Ga 4 , in which THE was observed experimentally before, in one of its phases satisfies this condition, and the proposed theory of thermal-fluctuation-driven THE is quantitatively consistent with the experiment. This finding suggests that this mechanism is indeed rather universal, and the effect may have been observed in other compounds before but overlooked.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Intrinsic Berry curvature driven anomalous Nernst thermopower in the semimetallic Heusler alloy CoFeVSb

Understanding of spin-heat coupling mechanisms and magnetothermoelectric phenomena, including the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE), in emergent quaternary Heusler alloys is of practical importance for applications in thermal management and energy harvesting. Here, we demonstrate an intrinsic Berry curvature mediated anomalous Nernst thermopower in CoFeVSb, which orders magnetically at high temperature ( T C ≈ 850 K ) with a large saturation magnetization of ≈ 2.2 μ B / f . u . at room temperature. We show that the electron-electron elastic and electron-magnon inelastic scattering dominate longitudinal electrical transport at low temperatures ( T ≤ 50 K ), whereas the electron-phonon and electron-magnon scatterings govern it at higher T . The longitudinal thermopower is resulted mainly from the diffusive contribution with a very large longitudinal Seebeck coefficient ( 42 μ V K - 1 at 395 K). The value of the anomalous Nernst coefficient ( S ANE ) for CoFeVSb at room temperature is 0.039 μ V K - 1 which is higher than the compressively strained SrRu O 3 film ( 0.03 μ V K - 1 ) as well as the spin gapless semiconductor CoFeCrGa ( 0.018 μ V K - 1 ). On lowering T , both the ordinary Nernst coefficient and carrier mobility increase but an opposite trend is found for S ANE . Our ab initio simulations reveal the topological semimetallic nature of CoFeVSb with a pair of Weyl points. These Weyl crossings result in a significant contribution to the Berry curvature, leading to an intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity ( σ x y AHE ) of ≈ 85 S/cm, which matches well with experiment (77 S/cm at 2 K). Our experimental findings and ab initio calculations support the dominance of the intrinsic Berry curvature in the observed ANE. The ratio of σ x y AHE to the transverse anomalous thermoelectric conductivity ( α x y ANE ) shows an increasing trend with T attaining a sizable fraction of k B e ( ≈ 0.35 k B e ) at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Plumbene: a comprehensive review of theoretical and experimental advances

Plumbene, a two-dimensional (2D) material consisting of a single layer of lead (Pb) atoms in a honeycomb lattice, stands as a pioneering addition to the elemental 2D material family. Here, this comprehensive review encapsulates the theoretical predictions and experimental advancements that underscore its potential. With properties shaped by significant spin-orbit coupling and structural buckling, plumbene offers a playground for phenomena like the quantum spin Hall effect, superconductivity, and topological phase transitions. Despite promising theoretical insights, experimental realization has encountered challenges, primarily due to high reactivity of Pb and the need for precise fabrication conditions. This paper critically examines the electronic, thermal, mechanical, and topological attributes of plumbene, alongside synthesis methods, functionalization techniques, and substrate effects. It further proposes directions for addressing synthesis challenges and integrating plumbene into advanced technologies, particularly in electronic, spintronic, and quantum computing applications. This review aims to bridge the gap between theoretical potential and experimental progress, fostering a deeper understanding of this intriguing material.

2D materials↗

Ruthenium speciation and distribution in the environment: A review

Here, the review focuses on speciation and migration of anthropogenic ruthenium (Ru) originated from nuclear industry releases and presents updated information regarding Ru in the environment. It provides analysis of the main pathways of Ru species distribution in the aqueous and terrestrial environment, starting from its natural occurrence, generation and release from anthropogenic sources, predominant speciation, and ending with bioaccumulation, which can be directly or indirectly related to human health. Literature sources belonging to the post-Chernobyl time frame were preferentially considered, in which Ru-103 and Ru-106 are the major fission isotopes studied due to their traceability in the environment and their relatively long half-lives.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗

Pressure-Induced Metal-like Transport and Magnetoresistance in a Au 2+ –Au 3+ Halide Perovskite

The Cs 4 Au II Au III 2 Cl 12 perovskite (1), featuring AuCl 4 trimers separated by vacancies, enables the first high-pressure study of Au 2+/3+ mixed-valence. Our computational analysis of the gold frontier orbitals suggests that the Au 2+ →Au 3+ intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) occurs across the vacancies. Computational structures indicate that these vacancies rapidly shrink with pressure and the Au 2+ and Au 3+ coordination spheres become very similar at the phase transition to nearly cubic symmetry at ca. 15 GPa─enabling facile IVCT. Although the activation energy of conductivity of 0.73(4) meV and far-infrared absorption indicate a small but nonzero bandgap, ambient thermal energy drives the IVCT, affording metallic properties: prominent infrared reflectivity and transport values of 10 2 S·cm –1 . This prompted us to perform the first high-pressure studies of magnetoresistance (MR) and Hall effect in halide perovskites. At 16 GPa, the MR increases by 9.3% at 2 K and 9 T; this value is maintained up to 27 GPa, when a local distortion drives electronic localization. By globally fitting the MR and Hall resistance to a two-carrier model we quantify how the carrier densities and mobilities evolve with pressure. Thus, metal-like transport and MR in 1 is driven by a pressure-induced transition from localized to partially delocalized mixed-valence.

Deschene, Christina R. [Stanford University, CA (U↗

Anisotropy, frustration, and saddle point in the twisted kagome compound ErPdPb

The kagome lattice, with its inherent geometric frustration, provides a rich platform for exploring intriguing magnetic phenomena and topological electronic structures. In reduced-symmetry structures, such as twisted kagome systems involving rare earth elements, additional anisotropy can arise, enabling intriguing properties including spin-ice states, magnetocaloric effects, noncollinear magnetic ordering, and the anomalous Hall effect. Here, we report the synthesis of single crystals of ErPdPb, which features a twisted kagome lattice net of Er atoms within the hexagonal ZrNiAl-type structure, and we investigate its magnetic, electronic, and thermal properties. The material exhibits a highly anisotropic, correlated magnetic state below 2.7 K, as evidenced by magnetic, transport, and heat capacity measurements. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate strong easy-axis anisotropy, consistent with experiment and crystal-field expectations, as well as quasi-one-dimensional bands and a spin-split saddle point at the zone center. Here, the coexistence of competing magnetic interactions along different crystallographic directions suggests an inherent degree of frustration. ErPdPb thus provides a promising platform for exploring the interplay of frustration, anisotropy, and electronic structure in a twisted kagome lattice.

Antiferromagnets↗

Conversion of (NH 4 ) 2 [ReF 6 ] into ReO 2 mixed phases: A thermal analysis study

We report the thermal behavior of (NH 4 ) 2 [ReF 6 ] was evaluated in an alumina crucible using simultaneous thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in an argon atmosphere. The TGA of (NH 4 ) 2 [ReF 6 ] is characterized by a single step decomposition while the DSC exhibits two exothermic peaks. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analyses of the decomposition products show the presence of a mixed ReO 2 phase. The formation of ReO2 is driven by the reaction of (NH 4 ) 2 [ReF 6 ] with Al 2 O 3 at the grain boundary of the alumina crucible. XRD peak broadenings due to the combined effect of crystallite size and lattice strain were evaluated using both Scherrer and Williamson-Hall methods.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Geometric origin of the intrinsic transverse spin transport in a canted-antiferromagnet/heavy-metal heterostructure

We theoretically study the conditions under which an intrinsic spin Nernst effect–a transverse spin current induced by an applied temperature gradient–can occur in a canted-antiferromagnet insulator, such as LaFeO 3 and other materials of the same family. The spin Nernst effect may provide a microscopic mechanism for an experimentally observed anomalous thermovoltage in LaFeO 3 /Pt heterostructures, where spin is transferred across the insulator/metal interface when a temperature gradient is applied to LaFeO 3 parallel to the interface. We find that LaFeO 3 exhibits an intrinsic spin Nernst effect when inversion symmetry is broken on the axes parallel to both the applied temperature gradient and the direction of spin transport, which can result in a spin injection across the insulator/metal interface. Furthermore, our paper provides a general derivation of a symmetry-breaking-induced spin Nernst effect, which may open a path to engineering a finite spin Nernst effect in systems where it would otherwise not arise.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

From ammonium Hexahalorhenates(IV) to nanocrystalline rhenium metal: A combined thermal, diffraction and microscopic analysis

Rhenium metal powder is a material of industrial importance. Several industrial and laboratory methods have been developed for the preparation of ultrafine Re metal powder and nanoparticles. The present study provides a better understanding of the characteristic and formation of Re metal powder from the decomposition of (NH4)2ReX6 salt (X = F, Cl, Br, I) at high temperature in inert atmosphere. Such analysis resulted in the formation of nanocrystalline Re metal as characterized by powder XRD. Williamson-Hall, Scherrer, and Williamson-Smallman methods were employed to study the effect of crystallize size, lattice strain, and dislocation density as analyzed from powder XRD peak broadening. Here, the morphology and composition of the metal were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Interplay of superconducting, metallic, and crystalline states of composite fermions at 𝜈 = $\frac{1}{6}$ in wide quantum wells

Evidence for developing fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) at filling fraction 𝜈 = 1/6 and 1/8 was recently reported in wide GaAs quantum wells [Wang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 046502 (2025)]. In this article, we theoretically investigate the nature of the state at 𝜈 = 1/6 as a function of the quantum well width and the density by considering composite-fermion (CF) crystals, CF Fermi sea, and various kinds of paired CF states. The 𝑓-wave paired state has the lowest energy among the paired CF states. However, for parameters of interest, the energies of the CF crystal, the CF Fermi liquid, and the 𝑓-wave paired CF state are too close to distinguish. We, therefore, predict that 𝑖𝑓 the FQHE at 𝜈 = 1/6 is experimentally confirmed, this state would be an 𝑓-wave paired state of CFs, which can be verified by measurement of its thermal Hall conductance. Exact diagonalization studies on clean systems with up to eight electrons show that the ground states at 𝜈 = 𝑛/(6⁢𝑛 ± 1) are incompressible for all widths and densities we have considered, and are well described by the corresponding Laughlin and Jain states. We propose a phase diagram for large quantum well widths and densities in which at zero disorder, incompressible FQHE states are stabilized at 𝜈 = 𝑛/(6⁢𝑛 ± 1) and 𝜈 = 1/6, but in between these fillings the CF crystal is stabilized. We also present a qualitative discussion on the effects of disorder and propose a schematic phase diagram based on it. With disorder, which creates a spatial variation in the filling factor, two regimes are identified: (i) for small disorder, when the incompressible states percolate at the special fillings, FQHE with quantized Hall plateaus and vanishing longitudinal resistance should occur; and (ii) for larger disorder, when the CF crystal percolates, the longitudinal resistance rises with decreasing temperature but the domains of FQHE liquid produce minima at the special filling factors. Here, experiments are consistent with the latter scenario. We also mention a possible connection of the phase diagram presented here to a puzzling behavior observed for the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in pentalayer graphene.

Composite fermions↗

Large Nernst Effect and Thermodynamics Properties in Weyl Antiferromagnet

The noncollinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn exhibits a large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) driven by a large Berry curvature despite the vanishingly small magnetization. Theoretically, the large Berry curvature in antiferromagnets is predicted to be induced by the time-reversal breaking Weyl state in momentum space. Here, we comprehensively study the thermal conductivity, specific heat, thermoelectric power S(T), and thermomagnetic power S ji (T) in single crystals of Mn 3 Sn. Mn 3 Sn exhibited a large spontaneous anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) at room temperature; in particular, the signal magnitude of Mn 3 Sn exceeded 0.6 µV/K, which is comparable to that of ordinary ferromagnets. The large ANE results from the magnetic Weyl states near the Fermi level E F and likely shares its origin with the AHE. Moreover, the possibility of Nernst-type thermoelectric modules was evaluated by analyzing the basic thermal and electric physical properties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗