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At least 1,513 records · Page 84

Magnetic-field-driven surface electromagnetic states in the graphene-antiferromagnetic photonic crystal system

The surface electromagnetic states (SEMSs) on graphene, which has a linear carrier dispersion law and is placed in an antiferromagnetic photonic crystal, are theoretically studied in the terahertz frequency range. The unit cell of such a crystal consists of layers of a nonmagnetic insulator and a uniaxial antiferromagnet, the easy axis of which is parallel to the crystal layers. A dc magnetic field is parallel to the easy axis of the antiferromagnet. An expression that relates the SEMS frequencies to the structure parameters is obtained. The problem of SEMS excitation by an external TE-polarized electromagnetic wave is solved, and the dependences of the transmission coefficient on the dc magnetic field and the carrier concentration are constructed. These dependences are shown to differ substantially from the case of a conventional two-dimensional electron gas with a quadratic electron dispersion law. Thus, the positions of the transmission coefficient peaks related to resonance SEMS excitation can be used to determine the character of carrier dispersion law in a two-dimensional electron gas.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Development of automatic through-insulation welding for microelectric interconnections

The capability to automatically route, remove insulation from, and weld small-diameter solid conductor wire is presented. This would facilitate the economical small-quantity production of complex miniature electronic assemblies. An engineering model of equipment having this capability was developed and evaluated. Whereas early work in the use of welded magnet wire interconnections was concentrated on opposed electrode systems, and generally used heat to melt the wire insulation, the present method is based on a concentric electrode system and a wire feed system which splits the insulation by application of pressure prior to welding. The work deals with the design, fabrication, and evaluation testing of an improved version of this concentric electrode system. Two different approaches to feeding the wire to the concentric electrodes were investigated. It was concluded that the process is feasible for the interconnection of complex miniature electronic assemblies.

Arnett, J. C.↗

Possible Origin of Ferromagnetism in Transition Metal Doped Zirconia

We have studied the electronic structure and magnetic properties of cubic zirconia (c-ZrO{sub 2}) with cobalt (Co) or nickel (Ni) doping using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The pure c-ZrO{sub 2} is a nonmagnetic insulator with a wide bandgap. The calculated results reveal that isolated Co or Ni atom can both produce the local magnetic moment in c-ZrO{sub 2}. And the isolated Co atom can introduce a magnetic moment of about 0.98 μ{sub B}, while the Ni atom is 2.85 μ{sub B}. The impurity peaks can be formed in the bandgap. Our studies show that the magnetic moments mainly result from d orbitals of the impurity atoms. And the spin-up electrons will be arranged in t{sub 2g} orbitals under the ligand field of O{sub h} group in Co- or Ni-doped c-ZrO{sub 2}. Obviously, this will lead to a high-spin state (S = 1/2 or 1). The studies of magnetic coupling reveal that the two Co atoms in c-ZrO{sub 2} are not always coupled ferromagnetically at different distances. And the system will be in a spin singlet state (S = 0) when the distance is 6.209 or 7.170 Å between two Co atoms. However, the two Ni atoms in c-ZrO{sub 2} are always coupled ferromagnetically at all distances. So we can conclude that the Ni-doped c-ZrO{sub 2} is more suitable for spintronic material than Co doping. These results are significant for spintronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Metamagnetism of few-layer topological antiferromagnets

MnBi 2 Te 4 (MBT) materials are a promising class of antiferromagnetic topological insulators whose films provide access to novel and technologically important topological phases, including quantum anomalous Hall states and axion insulators. MBT device behavior is expected to be sensitive to the various collinear and noncollinear magnetic phases that are accessible in applied magnetic fields. Here, we use classical Monte Carlo simulations and electronic structure models to calculate the ground state magnetic phase diagram as well as topological and optical properties for few-layer films with up to six septuple layers. Using magnetic interaction parameters appropriate for MBT, we find that it is possible to prepare a variety of different magnetic stacking sequences, some of which have sufficient symmetry to disallow nonreciprocal optical response and Hall transport coefficients. Other stacking arrangements do yield large Faraday and Kerr signals, even when the ground state Chern number vanishes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Perfect Coulomb drag and exciton transport in an excitonic insulator

Strongly coupled electron-hole bilayers can host quantum states of interlayer excitons, such as high-temperature exciton condensates at zero magnetic field. This state is predicted to feature perfect Coulomb drag, where a current in one layer is accompanied by an equal but opposite current in the other. We used an optical technique to probe the electrical transport of correlated electron-hole bilayers based on MoSe2/hBN/WSe2 heterostructures. We observed perfect Coulomb drag in the excitonic insulator phase at low temperatures; the counterflow resistance of interlayer excitons remained finite. These results indicate the formation of an exciton gas that does not condense into a superfluid. Our work demonstrates that dynamic optical spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for probing exciton transport behavior in correlated electron-hole fluids.

Qi, Ruishi↗

Magnetic freeze-out and anomalous Hall effect in ZrTe 5

The ultra-quantum limit is achieved when a magnetic field confines an electron gas in its lowest spin-polarised Landau level. Here we show that in this limit, electron doped ZrTe 5 shows a metal-insulator transition followed by a sign change of the Hall and Seebeck effects at low temperature. We attribute this transition to a magnetic freeze-out of charge carriers on the ionized impurities. The reduction of the charge carrier density gives way to an anomalous Hall response of the spin-polarised electrons. This behavior, at odds with the usual magnetic freeze-out scenario, occurs in this Dirac metal because of its tiny Fermi energy, extremely narrow band gap and a large g-factor. We discuss the different possible sources (intrinsic or extrinsic) for this anomalous Hall contribution.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Unexpected Intermediate State Photoinduced in the Metal-Insulator Transition of Submicrometer Phase-Separated Manganites

At ultrafast timescales, the initial and final states of a first-order metal-insulator transition often coexist forming clusters of the two phases. In this work, we report an unexpected third long-lived intermediate state emerging at the photoinduced first-order metal-insulator transition of La 0.325 Pr 0.3 Ca 0.375 MnO 3 , known to display submicrometer length-scale phase separation. Using magnetic force microscopy and time-dependent magneto-optical Kerr effect, we determined that the third state is a nanoscale mixture of the competing ferromagnetic metallic and charge-ordered insulating phases, with its own physical properties. This discovery bridges the two different families of colossal magnetoresistant manganites known experimentally and shows for the first time that the associated states predicted by theory can coexist in a single sample.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Pressure driven spin crossover and isostructural phase transition in LaFeO{sub 3}

We have studied the behavior of LaFeO{sub 3} under pressure (P) using density functional theory (DFT) and atomistic simulations. Ground state structural properties of LaFeO{sub 3} are correctly described by atomistic simulations. The effect of high pressure shows that there is an isotropic compression up to 100 GPa. However, DFT calculations show that within pressure range 0 < P < 32.4 GPa, LaFeO{sub 3} retains its ground state electronic structure. On the other hand, at P ∼32.4 GPa high to low spin magnetic phase transition is observed, which is accompanied by 6.9% volume collapse of LaFeO{sub 3} unit cell, while retaining the ground state orthorhombic crystal structure, i.e., isostructural phase transition. Furthermore, the band gap is closed leading insulator to metal transition. This differing behavior observed by the two techniques can be attributed to the omission of magnetic effects in static simulations. The simultaneous magnetic, electrical, and structural (volume collapse) phase transitions of LaFeO{sub 3} under compression as revealed by DFT calculations corroborate experimental findings. From these results, we can elaborate the mechanism of phase transition in LaFeO{sub 3}: increasing crystal field induces a high spin to low spin transition, which in turn drives the electrical transitions and volume collapse.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Fractional quantization in insulators from Hall to Chern

The discovery of the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects naturally prompted the question of whether these effects can be realized without a magnetic field. Answering this is fundamentally important and requires a synthesis of the concepts of band topology, quantum geometry and electronic correlations. Here we summarize the basic concepts of both fractional Chern and fractional topological insulators and illustrate them with the theoretical lattice models that support the flat Chern bands in which the states were first predicted. We then examine their experimental realizations in twisted bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides and moiré rhombohedral few-layer graphene. Here, we also discuss the future challenges and opportunities in this research field.

Quantum Hall↗

Spin scattering and noncollinear spin structure-induced intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnB i 2 T e 4

MnB i 2 T e 4 has recently been established as an intrinsic antiferromagnetic (AFM) topological insulator—an ideal platform to create quantum anomalous Hall insulator and axion insulator states. We performed comprehensive studies on the structure, nontrivial surface state, and magnetotransport properties of this material. Our results reveal an intrinsic anomalous Hall effect arising from a noncollinear spin structure for the magnetic field parallel to the c axis. We observed negative magnetoresistance under arbitrary field orientation below and above the Néel temperature (T N ) , providing clear evidence for strong spin fluctuation-driven spin scattering in both the AFM and paramagnetic states. Furthermore, we found that the nontrivial surface state opens a large gap (~85 meV) even far above TN. Our findings demonstrate that the bulk band structure of MnB i 2 T e 4 is strongly coupled with the magnetic property and that a net Berry curvature in momentum space can be created in the canted AFM state. In addition, our results imply that the gap opening in the surface states is intrinsic, likely caused by the strong spin fluctuations in this material.

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy↗

Extremely large nonsaturating magnetoresistance and ultrahigh mobility due to topological surface states in the metallic Bi 2 Te 3 topological insulator

Here, weak antilocalization (WAL) effects in Bi 2 Te 3 single crystals have been investigated at high and low bulk charge carrier concentrations. At low charge carrier density the WAL curves scale with the normal component of the magnetic field, demonstrating the dominance of topological surface states in magnetoconductivity. At high charge carrier density the WAL curves scale with neither the applied field nor its normal component, implying a mixture of bulk and surface conduction. WAL due to topological surface states shows no dependence on the nature (electrons or holes) of the bulk charge carriers. The observations of an extremely large, non-saturating magnetoresistance, and ultrahigh mobility in the samples with lower carrier density further support the presence of surface states. The physical parameters characterizing the WAL effects are calculated using the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka formula. At high charge carrier concentrations, there is a greater number of conduction channels and a decrease in the phase coherence length compared to low charge carrier concentrations. The extremely large magnetoresistance and high mobility of topological insulators have great technological value and can be exploited in magneto-electric sensors and memory devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase transitions and magnetic domain coexistence in Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 thin films

We present a study of the physical properties of perovskite oxide Nd 0.5 Sr 0.5 MnO 3 (NSMO) thin films grown on (110)-oriented SrTiO 3 substrates. In bulk form, NSMO displays coupled magnetic and electronic transitions from paramagnetic/insulator to ferromagnetic (FM)/metal and then to antiferromagnetic (AFM)/charge-ordered insulator with decreasing temperature. In thin films, the AFM ordering only occurs when the films exist in an anisotropic strain state such as those obtained on (110)-oriented cubic substrates. In this work, resonant X-ray reflectivity, soft X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM), and magnetometry measurements showed that the NSMO film displays both vertical and lateral magnetic phase separation. Specifically, the film consists of three layers with different density and magnetic properties. The FM and AFM properties of the main NSMO layer were probed as a function of temperature using soft X-ray magnetic spectroscopy, and the coexistence of lateral FM and AFM domains was demonstrated at 110 K using X-PEEM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Probes for investigating the effect of magnetic field, field orientation, temperature and strain on the critical current density of anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes in a split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet

We present the designs of probes for making critical current density (J{sub c}) measurements on anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes as a function of field, field orientation, temperature and strain in our 40 mm bore, split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet. Emphasis is placed on the design of three components: the vapour-cooled current leads, the variable temperature enclosure, and the springboard-shaped bending beam sample holder. The vapour-cooled brass critical-current leads used superconducting tapes and in operation ran hot with a duty cycle (D) of ∼0.2. This work provides formulae for optimising cryogenic consumption and calculating cryogenic boil-off, associated with current leads used to make J{sub c} measurements, made by uniformly ramping the current up to a maximum current (I{sub max}) and then reducing the current very quickly to zero. They include consideration of the effects of duty cycle, static helium boil-off from the magnet and Dewar (b{sup ′}), and the maximum safe temperature for the critical-current leads (T{sub max}). Our optimized critical-current leads have a boil-off that is about 30% less than leads optimized for magnet operation at the same maximum current. Numerical calculations show that the optimum cross-sectional area (A) for each current lead can be parameterized by LI{sub max}/A=[1.46D{sup −0.18}L{sup 0.4}(T{sub max}−300){sup 0.25D{sup −{sup 0{sup .{sup 0{sup 9}}}}}}+750(b{sup ′}/I{sub max})D{sup 10{sup −{sup 3I{sub m}{sub a}{sub x}−2.87b{sup ′}}}}]× 10{sup 6}A m{sup −1} where L is the current lead's length and the current lead is operated in liquid helium. An optimum A of 132 mm{sup 2} is obtained when I{sub max} = 1000 A, T{sub max} = 400 K, D = 0.2, b{sup ′} = 0.3 l h{sup −1} and L = 1.0 m. The optimized helium consumption was found to be 0.7 l h{sup −1}. When the static boil-off is small, optimized leads have a boil-off that can be roughly parameterized by: b/I{sub max } ≈ (1.35 × 10{sup −3})D{sup 0.41} l h{sup ‑1} A{sup −1}. A split-current-lead design is employed to minimize the rotation of the probes during the high current measurements in our high-field horizontal magnet. The variable-temperature system is based on the use of an inverted insulating cup that operates above 4.2 K in liquid helium and above 77.4 K in liquid nitrogen, with a stability of ±80 mK to ±150 mK. Uniaxial strains of −1.4% to 1.0% can be applied to the sample, with a total uncertainty of better than ±0.02%, using a modified bending beam apparatus which includes a copper beryllium springboard-shaped sample holder.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Emergent behavior of LaNiO 3 in short-periodic nickelate superlattices

Heterostructure engineering provides an efficient way to obtain several emergent phases of LaNiO 3 , as demonstrated in recent works. In this work, a new class of short periodic superlattices, consisting of LaNiO 3 and EuNiO 3 have been grown by pulsed laser interval deposition to investigate the effect of structural symmetry mismatch on the electronic and magnetic behaviors. Using synchrotron based soft and hard x-ray resonant scattering experiments, we have found that these heterostructures undergo simultaneous electronic and magnetic transitions. Most importantly, LaNiO 3 within these artificial structures exhibits a new antiferromagnetic, charge ordered insulating phase, which may be a potential candidate to achieve high temperature superconductivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fiber optic quench detection via optimized Rayleigh Scattering in high-field YBCO accelerator magnets

Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) coated conductors are known for their ability to operate in the superconducting state at relatively high temperatures, even above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K). When these same conductors are operated at lower temperatures, they are able to operate in much higher magnetic fields than traditional superconductors like NiTi or Nb 3 Sn. Thus, YBCO superconducting magnets are one of the primary options for generating the high magnetic fields needed for future high energy physics devices. Due to slow quench propagation, quench detection remains one of the primary limitations to YBCO magnets. Fiber optic sensing, based upon Rayleigh scattering, has the potential for spatial resolution approaching the wavelength of light, or very fast temporal resolution at low spatial resolution, and a continuum of combinations in between. This project has studied, theoretically and experimentally, YBCO magnets and Rayleigh scattering quench detection systems to demonstrate feasibility of the systems for YBCO quench protection systems. Under this grant an experimentally validated 3D quench propagation model was used to accurately define the acceptable range of spatial and temporal resolutions for effective quench detection in YBCO magnets and to evaluate present-day and potentially improved YBCO conductors. The data volume and speed requirements for quench detection via Rayleigh scattering required the development of a high performance fiber optic based quench detection/data acquisition system and its integration with an existing voltage tap/thermo-couple based system. In this project, optical fibers are tightly co-wound into YBCO magnet coils, with the fiber on top of the conductor as turn-to-turn insulation. Local changes in the temperature or strain of the conductor are sensed by the optical fiber, which is in close thermal and mechanical contact with the conductor. Intrinsic imperfections in the fiber reflect Rayleigh backscattered laser signals that are shifted by the changes in the fiber that are induced by a local change in the YBCO temperature or strain. One goal of this project was to show that modern technology can be used to interrogate the signals from a (very expensive) YBCO magnet to detect an impending quench in time to protect it from self-destruction. The results show that Rayleigh-backscattering interrogated optical fibers (RIOF) have significant advantages over traditional techniques, including very high spatial resolution and the ability to detect a hot-spot well before the peak local temperature becomes so high that the conductor can be damaged. RIOF quench detection is intrinsically faster than voltage taps, and this intrinsic advantage is greater as the coil size and/or current margin increases. We describe the development and testing program performed under the grant.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Half metal in two-dimensional hexagonal organometallic framework

Two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal organometallic framework (HOMF) made of triphenyl-metal molecules bridged by metal atoms has been recently shown to exhibit exotic electronic properties, such as half-metallic and topological insulating states. Here, using first-principles calculations, we investigate systematically the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of such HOMFs containing 3d transition metal (TM) series (Sc to Cu). Two types of structures are found for these HOMFs: a buckled structure for those made of TMs with less half-filled 3d band and a twisted structure otherwise. The HOMFs show both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic properties, as well as nonmagnetic properties, due to the electronic configuration of the TM atoms. The V, Mn, and Fe lattices are ferromagnetic half metals with a large band gap of more than 1.5 eV in the insulating spin channel, making them potential 2D materials for spintronics application.

2D hexagonal organometallic framework↗

Magnetic field, frequency and temperature dependence of complex conductance of ultrathin La1.65Sr0.45CuO4/La2CuO4 films and the organic superconductors κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br

We used atomic-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) to synthesize bilayer films of a cuprate metal (La1.65Sr0.45CuO4La1.65Sr0.45CuO4, LSCO) and a cuprate insulator (La2CuO4La2CuO4, LCO), in which interface superconductivity occurs in a layer that is just one-half unit cell thick. We have studied the magnetic field and temperature dependence of the complex sheet conductance, σ(ω)σ(ω), of these films, and compared them to κκ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br2Cu[N(CN)2]Br single crystals. The magnetic field HH was applied both parallel and perpendicular to the 2D conducting layers. Experiments have been carried out at frequencies between 23 kHz and 50 MHz using either two-coil mutual inductance technique, or the LC resonators with spiral or rectangular coils. The real and the imaginary parts of the mutual-inductance M(T,ω)M(T,ω) between the coil and the sample were measured and converted to complex conductivity. For HH perpendicular to the conducting layers, we observed almost identical behavior in both films and κκ-Br single crystals: (i) the transition onset in the inductive response, L-1kLk-1(T) occurs at a temperature lower by 2 K than in Reσ(T)Reσ(T), (ii) this shift is almost constant with magnetic field up to 8 T; (iii) the vortex diffusion constant D(T)D(T) is exponential due to pinning of vortex cores. These results can be described by the extended dynamic theory of the Berezinski–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) transition and dynamics of bound vortex–antivortex pairs with short separation lengths.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗