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$C_{3}$-Symmetry-induced Antisymmetric Planar Hall effect and Magnetoresistance in Single-Crystalline Ferromagnets
Authors:
W. J. Qin,
B. Yang,
Y. Z. Tian,
B. W. Zheng,
K. Y. Wang,
B. Y. Huang,
Y. B. Yang,
W. Q. Zou,
D. Wu,
P. Wang
Abstract:
The planar Hall effect (PHE) is typically symmetric under magnetic field reversal, as required by the Onsager reciprocity relations. Recent advances have identified the antisymmetric PHE (under magnetic field reversal) as an intriguing extension in magnetic systems. While new mechanisms have been proposed, the role of conventional anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in this phenomenon remains uncl…
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The planar Hall effect (PHE) is typically symmetric under magnetic field reversal, as required by the Onsager reciprocity relations. Recent advances have identified the antisymmetric PHE (under magnetic field reversal) as an intriguing extension in magnetic systems. While new mechanisms have been proposed, the role of conventional anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we report the experimental discovery of an antisymmetric (with respect to both magnetic field and magnetization) PHE and magnetoresistance in single-crystal $Co_{30}Pt_{70}$ (111) thin films with $C_{3}$ rotational symmetry and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). We demonstrate that both antisymmetric effects arise naturally from the intrinsic fourth-rank AMR tensor inherent to C3-symmetric planes, assisted by PMA. Our findings link conventional AMR to antisymmetric galvanomagnetic responses, offering new insights into symmetry-governed transport in crystalline ferromagnets.
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Submitted 26 November, 2025; v1 submitted 4 November, 2025;
originally announced November 2025.
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Signature of chiral superconducting order parameter evidenced in mesoscopic superconductors
Authors:
Xiaoying Xu,
Wei Qin,
Yuelin Shen,
Zixuan Huang,
Zhuoya Zhou,
Zirao Wang,
Yufan Li
Abstract:
Chiral superconductivity is a novel superconducting phase characterized by order parameters that break the time-reversal symmetry, endowing the state with a definite handedness. Unlike conventional superconductors, the Cooper pairs in a chiral superconductor carry nonzero orbital angular momentum. Through coupling with an external magnetic field, the finite angular momentum of the Cooper pair modu…
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Chiral superconductivity is a novel superconducting phase characterized by order parameters that break the time-reversal symmetry, endowing the state with a definite handedness. Unlike conventional superconductors, the Cooper pairs in a chiral superconductor carry nonzero orbital angular momentum. Through coupling with an external magnetic field, the finite angular momentum of the Cooper pair modulates the temperature-magnetic field phase boundary in a distinctive way, which could serve as an experimental signature of the chiral superconducting state. Here we demonstrate that the chiral signature can be detected in mesoscopic superconducting rings of $β$-Bi$_2$Pd, manifesting as a linear-in-field modulation of the critical temperature in the Little-Parks effect. Our findings establish a new experimental method for detecting the chiral superconductivity.
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Submitted 23 September, 2025;
originally announced September 2025.
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Probing the Linewidth of the 12.4-keV Solid-State $^{45}$Sc Isomeric Resonance
Authors:
Peifan Liu,
Miriam Gerharz,
Berit Marx-Glowna,
Willi Hippler,
Jan-Etienne Pudell,
Alexey Zozulya,
Brandon Stone,
Deming Shu,
Robert Loetzsch,
Sakshath Sadashivaiah,
Lars Bocklage,
Christina Boemer,
Shan Liu,
Vitaly Kocharyan,
Dietrich Krebs,
Tianyun Long,
Weilun Qin,
Matthias Scholz,
Kai Schlage,
Ilya Sergeev,
Hans-Christian Wille,
Ulrike Boesenberg,
Gianluca Aldo Geloni,
Jörg Hallmann,
Wonhyuk Jo
, et al. (15 additional authors not shown)
Abstract:
The $^{45}$Sc nuclear transition from the ground to the isomeric state at 12.389~keV, with a lifetime of 0.46~s, exhibits an extraordinarily narrow natural width of 1.4~feV and a quality factor $\simeq 10^{19}$ -- surpassing those of the most precise atomic clocks -- making $^{45}$Sc a compelling platform for advanced metrology and nuclear clocks. Here we investigate how closely the spectral width…
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The $^{45}$Sc nuclear transition from the ground to the isomeric state at 12.389~keV, with a lifetime of 0.46~s, exhibits an extraordinarily narrow natural width of 1.4~feV and a quality factor $\simeq 10^{19}$ -- surpassing those of the most precise atomic clocks -- making $^{45}$Sc a compelling platform for advanced metrology and nuclear clocks. Here we investigate how closely the spectral width and quality factor of the solid-state $^{45}$Sc resonance can approach these natural limits. Using the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser, we confirm the isomer's lifetime via time-delayed incoherent $K_{α,β}$ fluorescence and observe previously unreported elastic fluorescence, yielding a partial internal conversion coefficient of 390(60). The absence of a clear nuclear forward scattering signal beyond a 2-ms delay implies environmental broadening of at least $500~Γ_{0}$ under experimental conditions, placing bounds on solid-state decoherence mechanisms. These findings set new experimental benchmarks for solid-state nuclear clock development.
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Submitted 26 August, 2025; v1 submitted 24 August, 2025;
originally announced August 2025.
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Pressure-Driven Moiré Potential Enhancement and Tertiary Gap Opening in Graphene/h-BN Heterostructure
Authors:
Yupeng Wang,
Jiaqi An,
Chunhui Ye,
Xiangqi Wang,
Di Mai,
Hongze Zhao,
Yang Zhang,
Chiyu Peng,
Kenji Watanabe,
Takashi Taniguchi,
Xiaoyu Sun,
Rucheng Dai,
Zhongping Wang,
Wei Qin,
Zhenhua Qiao,
Zengming Zhang
Abstract:
Moiré superlattices enable engineering of correlated quantum states through tunable periodic potentials, where twist angle controls periodicity but dynamic potential strength modulation remains challenging. Here, we develop a high-pressure quantum transport technique for van der Waals heterostructures, achieving the ultimate pressure limit (~9 GPa) in encapsulated moiré devices. In aligned graphen…
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Moiré superlattices enable engineering of correlated quantum states through tunable periodic potentials, where twist angle controls periodicity but dynamic potential strength modulation remains challenging. Here, we develop a high-pressure quantum transport technique for van der Waals heterostructures, achieving the ultimate pressure limit (~9 GPa) in encapsulated moiré devices. In aligned graphene/h-BN, we demonstrate that pressure induces a substantial enhancement of the moiré potential strength, evidenced by the suppression of the first valence bandwidth and the near-doubling of the primary band gap. Moreover, we report the first observation of a tertiary gap emerging above 6.4 GPa, verifying theoretical predictions. Our results establish hydrostatic pressure as a universal parameter to reshape moiré band structures. By enabling quantum transport studies at previously inaccessible pressure regimes, this Letter expands the accessible parameter space for exploring correlated phases in moiré systems.
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Submitted 28 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
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Quantum phase transition driven by competing intralayer and interlayer hopping of Ni-$d_{3z^2-r^2}$ orbitals in bilayer nickelates
Authors:
Xiaoyu Zhu,
Wei Qin,
Ping Cui,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
Bilayer nickelates exhibit high-temperature superconductivity under proper hydrostatic pressure or epitaxial strain, signifying the emergence of quantum phase transitions whose physical mechanisms remain unclear. Using a minimal bilayer Hubbard model incorporating only the essential Ni-$d_{3z^2-r^2}$ orbitals, we demonstrate that a phase transition naturally arises from tuning the ratio of intrala…
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Bilayer nickelates exhibit high-temperature superconductivity under proper hydrostatic pressure or epitaxial strain, signifying the emergence of quantum phase transitions whose physical mechanisms remain unclear. Using a minimal bilayer Hubbard model incorporating only the essential Ni-$d_{3z^2-r^2}$ orbitals, we demonstrate that a phase transition naturally arises from tuning the ratio of intralayer to interlayer hopping amplitudes. The transition point separates regimes with a rich interplay between superconducting and density-wave orders. In the regime with weaker intralayer hopping, quasi-long-range spin-density-wave and pair-density-wave orders coexist, with the former being dominant. Across the transition, the spin-density-wave order becomes short-ranged, accompanied by the emergence of the quasi-long-range charge-density-wave order. Most significantly, superconductivity is dramatically enhanced in this regime, though it no longer exhibits the pair-density-wave signature. This quantum phase transition, driven by the competition between intralayer and interlayer hopping, provides a plausible microscopic explanation for the experimentally observed correlation between the superconducting transition temperature and ratio of out-of-plane to in-plane lattice constants. Our findings may assist future efforts in optimizing experimental conditions to further enhance superconductivity in bilayer nickelates.
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Submitted 15 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
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Prediction of High-Temperature Half Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in a Semi-magnetic Topological Insulator of MnBi$_2$Te$_4$/Sb$_2$Te$_3$
Authors:
M. U. Muzaffar,
Kai-Zhi Bai,
Wei Qin,
Guohua Cao,
Yutong Yang,
Shunhong Zhang,
Ping Cui,
Shun-Qing Shen,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
The classic Thouless-Kohmoto-Nightingale-Nijs theorem dictates that a single electron band of a lattice can only harbor an integer quantum Hall conductance as a multiple of e^2/2h, while recent studies have pointed to the emergence of half quantum anomalous Hall (HQAH) effect, though the underlying microscopic mechanisms remain controversial. Here we propose an ideal platform of MnBi$_2$Te$_4$/Sb…
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The classic Thouless-Kohmoto-Nightingale-Nijs theorem dictates that a single electron band of a lattice can only harbor an integer quantum Hall conductance as a multiple of e^2/2h, while recent studies have pointed to the emergence of half quantum anomalous Hall (HQAH) effect, though the underlying microscopic mechanisms remain controversial. Here we propose an ideal platform of MnBi$_2$Te$_4$/Sb$_2$Te$_3$ that allows not only to realize the HQAH effect at much higher temperatures, but also to critically assess the different contributions of the gapped and gapless Dirac bands. We first show that the top surface bands of the Sb$_2$Te$_3$ film become gapped, while the bottom surface bands remain gapless due to proximity coupling with the MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ overlayer. Next we show that such a semi-magnetic topological insulator harbors the HQAH effect at ~20 K, with Cr doping enhancing it to as high as 67 K, driven by large magnetic anisotropy and strong magnetic coupling constants that raise the Curie temperature. Our detailed Berry curvature analysis further helps to reveal that, whereas the gapped surface bands can contribute to the Hall conductance when the chemical potential is tuned to overlap with the bands, these bands have no net contribution when the chemical potential is in the gapped region, leaving the gapless bands to be the sole contributor to the HQAH conductance. Counterintuitively, the part of the gapless bands within the gapped region of the top surface bands have no net contribution, thereby ensuring the plateau nature of the Hall conductance.
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Submitted 5 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
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Ferroelectrically Switchable Half-Quantized Hall Effect
Authors:
M. U. Muzaffar,
Kai-Zhi Bai,
Wei Qin,
Guohua Cao,
Bo Fu,
Ping Cui,
Shun-Qing Shen,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
Integrating ferroelectricity, antiferromagnetism, and topological quantum transport within a single material is rare, but crucial for developing next-generation quantum devices. Here, we propose a multiferroic heterostructure consisting of an antiferromagnetic MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ bilayer and an Sb$_2$Te$_3$ film is able to harbor the half-quantized Hall (HQH) effect with a ferroelectrically switchable…
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Integrating ferroelectricity, antiferromagnetism, and topological quantum transport within a single material is rare, but crucial for developing next-generation quantum devices. Here, we propose a multiferroic heterostructure consisting of an antiferromagnetic MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ bilayer and an Sb$_2$Te$_3$ film is able to harbor the half-quantized Hall (HQH) effect with a ferroelectrically switchable Hall conductivity of $e^2/2h$. We first show that, in the energetically stable configuration, the antiferromagnetic MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ bilayer opens a gap in the top surface bands of Sb$_2$Te$_3$ through proximity effect, while its bottom surface bands remain gapless; consequently, HQH conductivity of $e^2/2h$ can be sustained clockwise or counterclockwise depending on antiferromagnetic configuration of the MnBi$_2$Te$_4$. Remarkably, when applying interlayer sliding within the MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ bilayer, its electric polarization direction associated with parity-time reversal symmetry breaking is reversed, accompanied by a reversal of the HQH conductivity. The proposed approach offers a powerful route to control topological quantum transport in antiferromagnetic materials by ferroelectricity.
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Submitted 5 July, 2025;
originally announced July 2025.
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Topological Flat Minibands and Fractional Chern Insulators in Rashba Systems with Tunable Superlattice Potentials
Authors:
Bokai Liang,
Wei Qin,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
We propose a programmable platform for engineering topological flat minibands by imposing a tunable electrostatic superlattice potential on a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled thin film subject to a Zeeman field. The interplay between the superlattice potential and Zeeman coupling produces an isolated flat miniband with Chern number $\mathcal{C}=1$. Using many-body exact diagonalization, we show that this…
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We propose a programmable platform for engineering topological flat minibands by imposing a tunable electrostatic superlattice potential on a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled thin film subject to a Zeeman field. The interplay between the superlattice potential and Zeeman coupling produces an isolated flat miniband with Chern number $\mathcal{C}=1$. Using many-body exact diagonalization, we show that this miniband supports fractional Chern insulators at filling factors $n = 1/3$ and $2/3$, both of which remain robust over broad parameter ranges. We further identify realistic material candidates and the corresponding device conditions that enable experimental realization. These results establish a versatile and experimentally accessible platform for engineering topological flat minibands and exploring correlated topological phases.
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Submitted 13 October, 2025; v1 submitted 27 June, 2025;
originally announced June 2025.
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Evidence of Ultrashort Orbital Transport in Heavy Metals Revealed by Terahertz Emission Spectroscopy
Authors:
Tongyang Guan,
Jiahao Liu,
Wentao Qin,
Yongwei Cui,
Shunjia Wang,
Yizheng Wu,
Zhensheng Tao
Abstract:
The orbital angular momentum of electrons offers a promising, yet largely unexplored, degree of freedom for ultrafast, energy-efficient information processing. As the foundation of orbitronics, understanding how orbital currents propagate and convert into charge currents is essential - but remains elusive due to the challenge in disentangling orbital and spin dynamics in ultrathin films. Although…
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The orbital angular momentum of electrons offers a promising, yet largely unexplored, degree of freedom for ultrafast, energy-efficient information processing. As the foundation of orbitronics, understanding how orbital currents propagate and convert into charge currents is essential - but remains elusive due to the challenge in disentangling orbital and spin dynamics in ultrathin films. Although orbital currents have been predicted to propagate over long distances in materials, recent theoretical studies argue that lattice symmetry may constrain their mean free paths (MFPs) to the scale of a single atomic layer. In this work, we provide the first direct experimental evidence for ultrashort orbital MFPs in heavy metals (HMs) - W, Ta, Pt - revealed by femtosecond terahertz emission spectroscopy. This is enabled by sub-nanometer-precision control of thin-film thickness using wedge-shaped HM|Ni heterostructures. By employing a multi-component terahertz-emission model, we quantitatively extract the orbital MFPs, consistently finding them shorter than their spin counterparts. Furthermore, control experiments rule out interfacial orbital-to-charge conversion as the dominant mechanism, confirming that the process is governed by the bulk inverse orbital Hall effect. Our findings resolve a central controversy in orbitronics and provide key insights into orbital transport and conversion mechanisms.
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Submitted 7 August, 2025; v1 submitted 21 April, 2025;
originally announced April 2025.
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Theoretical Exploration of Phase Transitions in a Cavity-BEC System with Two Crossed Optical Pumps
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Dong-Chen Zheng,
Zhao-Di Wu,
Yuan-Hong Chen,
Renyuan Liao
Abstract:
We consider a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) inside an optical cavity and two crossed coherent pump fields. We determine the phase boundary separating the normal superfluid phase and the superradiance phase, perturbatively. In the regime of negative cavity detuning, we map out the phase diagrams both for an attractive and a repulsive optical lattice. It turns out that the situation is quite diff…
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We consider a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) inside an optical cavity and two crossed coherent pump fields. We determine the phase boundary separating the normal superfluid phase and the superradiance phase, perturbatively. In the regime of negative cavity detuning, we map out the phase diagrams both for an attractive and a repulsive optical lattice. It turns out that the situation is quite different in two cases. Specifically, in the case of attractive lattice, if a system is in the superradiant phase with one pump laser, adding another pump does not drive the system out of the superradiance phase. While for the repulsive lattice, increasing another pump potential have suppressive effects on the superradiance. We also find that, in the case of attractive lattice, equally increasing two pump lattice potentials can induce a transition from the normal phase to the superradiance phase. In stark contrast, for the repulsive lattice, the system will remain in the normal phase as the pump depths are tuned within a wide range, independent of the cavity detuning and the decay rate.
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Submitted 1 March, 2025;
originally announced March 2025.
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Interfacial Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy of Ultrathin Fe(001) Film Grown on CoO(001) Surface
Authors:
Tong Wu,
Yunzhuo Wu,
Haoran Chen,
Hongyue Xu,
Zhen Cheng,
Yuanfei Fan,
Nan Jiang,
Wentao Qin,
Yongwei Cui,
Yuqiang Gao,
Guanhua Zhang,
Zhe Yuan,
Yizheng Wu
Abstract:
Exploring novel systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is vital for advancing memory devices. In this study, we report an intriguing PMA system involving an ultrathin Fe layer on an antiferromagnetic (AFM) CoO(001) surface. The measured perpendicular anisotropy field is inversely proportional to the Fe thickness, indicating an interfacial origin of PMA. Temperature-dependent measurem…
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Exploring novel systems with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is vital for advancing memory devices. In this study, we report an intriguing PMA system involving an ultrathin Fe layer on an antiferromagnetic (AFM) CoO(001) surface. The measured perpendicular anisotropy field is inversely proportional to the Fe thickness, indicating an interfacial origin of PMA. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal that the antiferromagnetism of CoO has a negligible effect on the PMA. By leveraging the magneto-optical Kerr effect and birefringence effect, we achieved concurrent visualization of ferromagnetic (FM) and AFM domains. A pronounced coupling effect between these domains was observed near the spin reorientation transition, contrasting sharply with areas of stronger PMA that exhibited weak coupling. This research not only establishes a new FM/AFM bilayer PMA system but also significantly advances the understanding of FM/AFM interfacial interactions.
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Submitted 16 December, 2024;
originally announced December 2024.
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Topological Chiral Superconductivity Mediated by Intervalley Antiferromagnetic Fluctuations in Twisted Bilayer WSe$_2$
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Wen-Xuan Qiu,
Fengcheng Wu
Abstract:
Motivated by the recent observations of superconductivity in twisted bilayer WSe$_2$ (tWSe$_2$), we theoretically investigate the superconductivity driven by electronic mechanism. We first demonstrate that the multi-band screened Coulomb interaction within the random phase approximation is insufficient to induce observable pairing instability. Nevertheless, by further including the intervalley ant…
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Motivated by the recent observations of superconductivity in twisted bilayer WSe$_2$ (tWSe$_2$), we theoretically investigate the superconductivity driven by electronic mechanism. We first demonstrate that the multi-band screened Coulomb interaction within the random phase approximation is insufficient to induce observable pairing instability. Nevertheless, by further including the intervalley antiferromagnetic fluctuations, the pairing interaction is substantially enhanced, yielding superconductivity with critical temperature $T_c$ of hundreds of millikelvin at van Hove singularities. The predicted $T_c$ increases with increasing the displacement field and corresponds to a doubly-degenerate $d$-wave-like pairing, which evolves into topological chiral $d \pm id$ superconductor below $T_c$. The interplay between superconductivity and intervalley antiferromagnetism results in a phase diagram consistent with experimental observations.These findings establish intervalley fluctuations as the primary pairing glue in tWSe$_2$.
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Submitted 4 August, 2025; v1 submitted 24 September, 2024;
originally announced September 2024.
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Van der Waals Magnetic Electrode Transfer for Two-Dimensional Spintronic Devices
Authors:
Zhongzhong Luo,
Zhihao Yu,
Xiangqian Lu,
Wei Niu,
Yao Yu,
Yu Yao,
Fuguo Tian,
Chee Leong Tan,
Huabin Sun,
Li Gao,
Wei Qin,
Yong Xu,
Qiang Zhao,
Xiang-Xiang Song
Abstract:
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising candidates for spintronic applications. Maintaining their atomically smooth interfaces during integration of ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes is crucial since conventional metal deposition tends to induce defects at the interfaces. Meanwhile, the difficulties in picking up FM metals with strong adhesion and in achieving conductance match between FM electro…
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Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising candidates for spintronic applications. Maintaining their atomically smooth interfaces during integration of ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes is crucial since conventional metal deposition tends to induce defects at the interfaces. Meanwhile, the difficulties in picking up FM metals with strong adhesion and in achieving conductance match between FM electrodes and spin transport channels make it challenging to fabricate high-quality 2D spintronic devices using metal transfer techniques. Here, we report a solvent-free magnetic electrode transfer technique that employs a graphene layer to assist in the transfer of FM metals. It also serves as part of the FM electrode after transfer for optimizing spin injection, which enables the realization of spin valves with excellent performance based on various 2D materials. In addition to two-terminal devices, we demonstrate that the technique is applicable for four-terminal spin valves with nonlocal geometry. Our results provide a promising future of realizing 2D spintronic applications using the developed magnetic electrode transfer technique.
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Submitted 11 May, 2024;
originally announced May 2024.
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Imaginary-Stark Skin Effect
Authors:
Heng Lin,
Jinghui Pi,
Yunyao Qi,
Wei Qin,
Franco Nori,
Gui-Lu Long
Abstract:
A unique phenomenon in non-Hermitian systems is the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), namely the boundary localization of continuous-spectrum eigenstates. However, studies on the NHSE in systems without translational invariance are still limited. Here, we unveil a new class of NHSE, dubbed the imaginary-Stark skin effect (ISSE), in a one-dimensional lossy lattice with a spatially increasing loss r…
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A unique phenomenon in non-Hermitian systems is the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE), namely the boundary localization of continuous-spectrum eigenstates. However, studies on the NHSE in systems without translational invariance are still limited. Here, we unveil a new class of NHSE, dubbed the imaginary-Stark skin effect (ISSE), in a one-dimensional lossy lattice with a spatially increasing loss rate. This ISSE is beyond the framework of non-Bloch band theory and exhibits intriguing properties significantly different from the conventional NHSE. Specifically, the energy spectrum of our model has a T-shaped feature, with approximately half of the eigenstates localized at the left boundary. Furthermore, each skin mode can be expressed as a single stable, exponentially-decaying wave within the bulk region. Such peculiar behaviors are analyzed via the transfer-matrix method, whose eigendecomposition quantifies the formation of the ISSE. Our work provides new insights into the NHSE in systems without translational symmetry and contributes to the understanding of non-Hermitian systems.
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Submitted 3 March, 2025; v1 submitted 25 April, 2024;
originally announced April 2024.
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Enhanced electron transfer using NiCo2O4@C hollow nanocages with an electron-shuttle effect for efficient tetracycline degradation
Authors:
Yuwen Chen,
Ke Zhu,
Wenlei Qin,
Zhiwei Jiang,
Zhuofeng Hu,
Mika Sillanpää,
Kai Yan
Abstract:
Spinel oxides are recognized as promising Fenton-like catalysts for the degradation of antibiotics. However, the catalytic performance is restrained by the poor electron transfer rate (ETR). Herein, hollow NiCo2O4@C nanocages are rationally designed and prepared to accelerate ETR in peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for tetracycline (TC) degradation.
Spinel oxides are recognized as promising Fenton-like catalysts for the degradation of antibiotics. However, the catalytic performance is restrained by the poor electron transfer rate (ETR). Herein, hollow NiCo2O4@C nanocages are rationally designed and prepared to accelerate ETR in peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for tetracycline (TC) degradation.
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Submitted 16 March, 2024;
originally announced March 2024.
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Two-dimensional superconductors with intrinsic p-wave pairing or nontrivial band topology
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Jiaqing Gao,
Ping Cui,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
Over the past fifteen years, tremendous efforts have been devoted to realizing topological superconductivity in realistic materials and systems, predominately propelled by their promising application potentials in fault-tolerant quantum information processing. In this article, we attempt to give an overview on some of the main developments in this field, focusing in particular on two-dimensional c…
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Over the past fifteen years, tremendous efforts have been devoted to realizing topological superconductivity in realistic materials and systems, predominately propelled by their promising application potentials in fault-tolerant quantum information processing. In this article, we attempt to give an overview on some of the main developments in this field, focusing in particular on two-dimensional crystalline superconductors that possess either intrinsic p-wave pairing or nontrivial band topology. We first classify the three different conceptual schemes to achieve topological superconductor (TSC), enabled by real-space superconducting proximity effect, reciprocal-space superconducting proximity effect, and intrinsic TSC. Whereas the first scheme has so far been most extensively explored, the subtle difference between the other two remains to be fully substantiated. We then move on to candidate intrinsic or p-wave superconductors, including Sr2RuO4, UTe2, Pb3Bi, and graphene-based systems. For TSC systems that rely on proximity effects, the emphases are mainly on the coexistence of superconductivity and nontrivial band topology, as exemplified by transition metal dichalcogenides, cobalt pnictides, and stanene, all in monolayer or few-layer regime. The review completes with discussions on the three dominant tuning schemes of strain, gating, and ferroelectricity in acquiring one or both essential ingredients of the TSC, and optimizations of such tuning capabilities may prove to be decisive in our drive towards braiding of Majorana zero modes and demonstration of topological qubits.
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Submitted 30 January, 2023; v1 submitted 16 January, 2023;
originally announced January 2023.
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Spin and Orbital Metallic Magnetism in Rhombohedral Trilayer Graphene
Authors:
Chunli Huang,
Tobias Wolf,
Wei Qin,
Nemin Wei,
Igor Blinov,
Allan MacDonald
Abstract:
We provide a complete theoretical interpretation of the metallic broken spin/valley symmetry states recently discovered in ABC trilayer graphene (ABC) perturbed by a large transverse displacement field. Our conclusions combine insights from ABC trilayer graphene electronic structure models and mean field theory, and are guided by precise magneto-oscillation Fermi-surface-area measurements. We conc…
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We provide a complete theoretical interpretation of the metallic broken spin/valley symmetry states recently discovered in ABC trilayer graphene (ABC) perturbed by a large transverse displacement field. Our conclusions combine insights from ABC trilayer graphene electronic structure models and mean field theory, and are guided by precise magneto-oscillation Fermi-surface-area measurements. We conclude that the physics of ABC trilayer graphene is shaped by the principle of momentum-space condensation, which favors Fermi surface reconstructions enabled by broken spin/valley flavor symmetries when the single-particle bands imply thin annular Fermi seas. We find one large outer Fermi surface enclosed majority-flavor states and one or more small inner hole-like Fermi surfaces enclosed minority-flavor states that are primarily responsible for nematic order. The smaller surfaces can rotate along a ring of van-Hove singularities or reconstruct into multiple Fermi surfaces with little cost in energy. We propose that the latter property is responsible for the quantum oscillation frequency fractionalization seen experimentally in some regions of the carrier-density/displacement-field phase diagram.
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Submitted 23 March, 2022;
originally announced March 2022.
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Functional Renormalization Group Study of Superconductivity in Rhombohedral Trilayer Graphene
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Chunli Huang,
Tobias Wolf,
Nemin Wei,
Igor Blinov,
Allan H. MacDonald
Abstract:
We employ a functional renormalization group approach to ascertain the pairing mechanism and symmetry of the superconducting phase observed in rhombohedral trilayer graphene. Superconductivity in this system occurs in a regime of carrier density and displacement field with a weakly distorted annular Fermi sea. We find that repulsive Coulomb interactions can induce electron pairing on the Fermi sur…
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We employ a functional renormalization group approach to ascertain the pairing mechanism and symmetry of the superconducting phase observed in rhombohedral trilayer graphene. Superconductivity in this system occurs in a regime of carrier density and displacement field with a weakly distorted annular Fermi sea. We find that repulsive Coulomb interactions can induce electron pairing on the Fermi surface by taking advantage of momentum-space structure associated with the finite width of the Fermi sea annulus. The degeneracy between spin-singlet and spin-triplet pairing is lifted by valley-exchange interactions that strengthen under the RG flow and develop nontrivial momentum-space structure. We find that the leading pairing instability is $d$-wave-like and spin-singlet, and that the theoretical phase diagram versus carrier density and displacement field agrees qualitatively with experiment.
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Submitted 20 March, 2023; v1 submitted 17 March, 2022;
originally announced March 2022.
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Confined monolayer Ag as a large gap 2D semiconductor and its momentum resolved excited states
Authors:
Woojoo Lee,
Yuanxi Wang,
Wei Qin,
Hyunsue Kim,
Mengke Liu,
T. Nathan Nunley,
Bin Fang,
Rinu Maniyara,
Chengye Dong,
Joshua A. Robinson,
Vincent Crespi,
Xiaoqin Li,
Allan H. MacDonald,
Chih-Kang Shih
Abstract:
2D materials have intriguing quantum phenomena that are distinctively different from their bulk counterparts. Recently, epitaxially synthesized wafer-scale 2D metals, composed of elemental atoms, are attracting attention not only for their potential applications but also for exotic quantum effects such as superconductivity. By mapping momentum-resolved electronic states using time-resolved and ang…
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2D materials have intriguing quantum phenomena that are distinctively different from their bulk counterparts. Recently, epitaxially synthesized wafer-scale 2D metals, composed of elemental atoms, are attracting attention not only for their potential applications but also for exotic quantum effects such as superconductivity. By mapping momentum-resolved electronic states using time-resolved and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we reveal that monolayer Ag confined between bilayer graphene and SiC is a large gap (> 1 eV) 2D semiconductor, consistent with GW-corrected density functional theory. The measured valence band dispersion matches the DFT-GW quasiparticle band. However, the conduction band dispersion shows an anomalously large effective mass of 2.4 m0. Possible mechanisms for this large enhancement in the apparent mass are discussed.
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Submitted 20 September, 2022; v1 submitted 5 January, 2022;
originally announced January 2022.
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Pseudospin Paramagnons and the Superconducting Dome in Magic Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene
Authors:
Chunli Huang,
Nemin Wei,
Wei Qin,
Allan MacDonald
Abstract:
We present a theory of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene in which attraction is generated between electrons on the same honeycomb sublattice when the system is close to a sublattice polarization instability. The resulting Cooper pairs are spin-polarized valley-singlets. Because the sublattice polarizability is mainly contributed by interband fluctuations, superconductivity occurs over…
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We present a theory of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene in which attraction is generated between electrons on the same honeycomb sublattice when the system is close to a sublattice polarization instability. The resulting Cooper pairs are spin-polarized valley-singlets. Because the sublattice polarizability is mainly contributed by interband fluctuations, superconductivity occurs over a wide range of filling fraction. It is suppressed by i) applying a sublattice polarizing field (generated by an aligned BN substrate) or ii) changing moiré band filling to favor valley polarization. The enhanced intrasublattice attraction close to sublattice polarization instability is analogous to enhanced like-spin attraction in liquid $^3$He near the melting curve and the enhanced valley-singlet repulsion close to valley-polarization instabilities is analogous to enhanced spin-singlet repulsion in metals that are close to a ferromagnetic instability. We comment on the relationship between our pseudospin paramagnon model and the rich phenomenology of superconductivity in twisted bilayer and multilayer graphene.
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Submitted 25 October, 2021;
originally announced October 2021.
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In-plane critical magnetic fields in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Allan H. MacDonald
Abstract:
It has recently been shown that superconductivity in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene survives to in-plane magnetic fields that are well in excess of the Pauli limit, and much stronger than the in-plane critical magnetic fields of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. The difference is surprising because twisted bilayers and trilayers both support the magic-angle flat bands thought to be the…
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It has recently been shown that superconductivity in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene survives to in-plane magnetic fields that are well in excess of the Pauli limit, and much stronger than the in-plane critical magnetic fields of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. The difference is surprising because twisted bilayers and trilayers both support the magic-angle flat bands thought to be the fountainhead of twisted graphene superconductivity. We show here that the difference in critical magnetic fields can be traced to a $\mathcal{C}_2 \mathcal{M}_{h}$ symmetry in trilayers that survives in-plane magnetic fields, and also relative displacements between top and bottom layers that are not under experimental control at present. An gate electric field breaks the $\mathcal{C}_2 \mathcal{M}_{h}$ symmetry and therefore limits the in-plane critical magnetic field.
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Submitted 28 April, 2021;
originally announced April 2021.
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Critical magnetic fields and electron-pairing in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Bo Zou,
Allan H. MacDonald
Abstract:
The velocities of the quasiparticles that form Cooper pairs in a superconductor are revealed by the upper critical magnetic field. Here we use this property to assess superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG), which has been observed over a range of moiré band filling, twist angle, and screening environment conditions. We find that for pairing mechanisms that are unrelated…
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The velocities of the quasiparticles that form Cooper pairs in a superconductor are revealed by the upper critical magnetic field. Here we use this property to assess superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG), which has been observed over a range of moiré band filling, twist angle, and screening environment conditions. We find that for pairing mechanisms that are unrelated to correlations within the MATBG flat bands, minima in an average Fermi velocity $v_F^* \equiv k_B T_c \ell_c /\hbar $, where $\ell_c$ is the magnetic length at the critical perpendicular magnetic field, are always coincident with transition temperature maxima. Both extrema occur near flat-band van Hove singularities. Since no such association is present in MATBG experimental data, we conclude that electronic correlations that yield a band-filling-dependent pairing glue must play a crucial role in MATBG superconductivity.
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Submitted 20 February, 2021;
originally announced February 2021.
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Chiral topological superconducting state with Chern number $\mathcal{C} =-2$ in Pb$_3$Bi/Ge(111)
Authors:
Shuwen Sun,
Wei Qin,
Leiqiang Li,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
Materials realization of chiral topological superconductivity is a crucial condition for observing and manipulating Majorana fermions in condensed matter physics. Here we develop a tight-binding description of Pb$_3$Bi/Ge(111), identified recently as an appealing candidate system for realizing chiral $p$-wave topological superconductivity [Nat. Phys. 15, 796 (2019)]. We first show that our phenome…
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Materials realization of chiral topological superconductivity is a crucial condition for observing and manipulating Majorana fermions in condensed matter physics. Here we develop a tight-binding description of Pb$_3$Bi/Ge(111), identified recently as an appealing candidate system for realizing chiral $p$-wave topological superconductivity [Nat. Phys. 15, 796 (2019)]. We first show that our phenomenological model can capture the two main features of the electronic band structures obtained from first-principles calculations, namely, the giant Rashba splitting and type-II van Hove singularity. Next, when the $s$-wave superconducting property of the parent Pb system is explicitly considered, we find the alloyed system can be tuned into a chiral topological superconductor with Chern number $\mathcal{C} = -2$, resulting from the synergistic effect of a sufficiently strong Zeeman field and the inherently large Rashba spin-orbit coupling. The nontrivial topology with $\mathcal{C} = -2$ is further shown to be detectable as two chiral Majorana edge modes propagating along the same direction of the system with proper boundaries. We finally discuss the physically realistic conditions to establish the predicted topological superconductivity and observe the corresponding Majorana edge modes, including the influence of the superconducting gap, Landé $g$-factor, and critical magnetic field. The present study provides useful guides in searching for effective $p$-wave superconductivity and Majorana fermions in two-dimensional or related interfacial systems.
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Submitted 5 January, 2021; v1 submitted 30 November, 2020;
originally announced November 2020.
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Mirror Symmetry Breaking and Lateral Stacking Shifts in Twisted Trilayer Graphene
Authors:
Chao Lei,
Lukas Linhart,
Wei Qin,
Florian Libisch,
Allan H. MacDonald
Abstract:
We construct a continuum model of twisted trilayer graphene using {\it ab initio} density-functional-theory calculations, and apply it to address twisted trilayer electronic structure. Our model accounts for moiré variation in site energies, hopping between outside layers and within layers. We focus on the role of a mirror symmetry present in ABA graphene trilayers with a middle layer twist. The m…
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We construct a continuum model of twisted trilayer graphene using {\it ab initio} density-functional-theory calculations, and apply it to address twisted trilayer electronic structure. Our model accounts for moiré variation in site energies, hopping between outside layers and within layers. We focus on the role of a mirror symmetry present in ABA graphene trilayers with a middle layer twist. The mirror symmetry is lost intentionally when a displacement field is applied between layers, and unintentionally when the top layer is shifted laterally relative to the bottom layer. We use two band structure characteristics that are directly relevant to transport measurements, the Drude weight and the weak-field Hall conductivity, and relate them via the Hall density to assess the influence of the accidental lateral stacking shifts currently present in all experimental devices on electronic properties, and comment on the role of the possible importance of accidental lateral stacking shifts for superconductivity in twisted trilayers.
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Submitted 7 April, 2021; v1 submitted 12 October, 2020;
originally announced October 2020.
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Butterfly-like anisotropic magnetoresistance and angle-dependent Berry phase in Type-II Weyl semimetal WP2
Authors:
Kaixuan Zhang,
Yongping Du,
Pengdong Wang,
Laiming Wei,
Lin Li,
Qiang Zhang,
Wei Qin,
Zhiyong Lin,
Bin Cheng,
Yifan Wang,
Han Xu,
Xiaodong Fan,
Zhe Sun,
Xiangang Wan,
Changgan Zeng
Abstract:
Weyl semimetal emerges as a new topologically nontrivial phase of matter, hosting low-energy excitations of massless Weyl fermions. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the type-II Weyl semimetal WP2. Transport studies show a butterfly-like magnetoresistance at low temperature, reflecting the anisotropy of the electron Fermi surfaces. The four-lobed feature gradually evolves into a two-lobed…
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Weyl semimetal emerges as a new topologically nontrivial phase of matter, hosting low-energy excitations of massless Weyl fermions. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the type-II Weyl semimetal WP2. Transport studies show a butterfly-like magnetoresistance at low temperature, reflecting the anisotropy of the electron Fermi surfaces. The four-lobed feature gradually evolves into a two-lobed one upon increasing temperature, mainly due to the reduced relative contribution of electron Fermi surfaces compared to hole Fermi surfaces for the magnetoresistance. Moreover, angle-dependent Berry phase is further discovered from the quantum oscillations, which is ascribed to the effective manipulation of the extremal Fermi orbits by the magnetic field to feel the nearby topological singularities in the momentum space. The revealed topological characters and anisotropic Fermi surfaces of WP2 substantially enrich the physical properties of Weyl semimetals and hold great promises in topological electronic and Fermitronic device applications.
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Submitted 31 August, 2020;
originally announced August 2020.
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Defect physics in $Yb^{3+}$-doped $CaF_2$ from first-principles calculation
Authors:
Yun-Hyok Kye,
Chol-Jun Yu,
Un-Gi Jong,
Chol-Nam Sin,
Weiping Qin
Abstract:
Calcium fluoride has been widely used for light up-/down-conversion luminescence by accommodating lanthanide ions as sensitizers or activators. Especially, Yb-doped \ce{CaF2} exhibits unique defect physics, causing various effects on the luminescence. This makes it vital for high efficiency of devices to control the defect-clustering, but theoretically principal guidelines for this are rarely prov…
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Calcium fluoride has been widely used for light up-/down-conversion luminescence by accommodating lanthanide ions as sensitizers or activators. Especially, Yb-doped \ce{CaF2} exhibits unique defect physics, causing various effects on the luminescence. This makes it vital for high efficiency of devices to control the defect-clustering, but theoretically principal guidelines for this are rarely provided. Here we perform the first-principles study on defect physics in Yb-doped \ce{CaF2} to reveal the thermodynamic transition levels and formation energies of possible defects. We suggest that the fluorine rich growth condition can play a key role in enhancing the luminescence efficiency by facilitating the Yb-clustering and suppressing the defect quenchers in bulk. Detailed energetics of defect aggregation not only well explains the experimentally favored Yb-clustering but also presents $n$- or $p$-type doping method for the cluster control.
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Submitted 23 August, 2019;
originally announced September 2019.
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Dynamic interfacial polaron enhanced superconductivity of FeSe/SrTiO3
Authors:
Shuyuan Zhang,
Tong Wei,
Jiaqi Guan,
Qing Zhu,
Wei Qin,
Weihua Wang,
Jiandi Zhang,
E. W. Plummer,
Xuetao Zhu,
Zhenyu Zhang,
Jiandong Guo
Abstract:
The observation of substantially enhanced superconductivity of single-layer FeSe films on SrTiO3 has stimulated intensive research interest. At present, conclusive experimental data on the corresponding electron-boson interaction is still missing. Here we use inelastic electron scattering spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to show that the electrons in these systems are dre…
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The observation of substantially enhanced superconductivity of single-layer FeSe films on SrTiO3 has stimulated intensive research interest. At present, conclusive experimental data on the corresponding electron-boson interaction is still missing. Here we use inelastic electron scattering spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to show that the electrons in these systems are dressed by the strongly polarized lattice distortions of the SrTiO3, and the indispensable non-adiabatic nature of such a coupling leads to the formation of dynamic interfacial polarons. Furthermore, the collective motion of the polarons results in a polaronic plasmon mode, which is unambiguously correlated with the surface phonons of SrTiO3 in the presence of the FeSe films. A microscopic model is developed showing that the interfacial polaron-polaron interaction leads to the superconductivity enhancement.
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Submitted 7 December, 2018;
originally announced December 2018.
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NV-Metamaterial: Tunable Quantum Hyperbolic Metamaterial Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
Authors:
Qing Ai,
Peng-Bo Li,
Wei Qin,
C. P. Sun,
Franco Nori
Abstract:
We show that nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond can produce a novel quantum hyperbolic metamaterial. We demonstrate that a hyperbolic dispersion relation in diamond with NV centers can be engineered and dynamically tuned by applying a magnetic field. This quantum hyperbolic metamaterial with a tunable window for the negative refraction allows for the construction of a superlens beyond the di…
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We show that nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond can produce a novel quantum hyperbolic metamaterial. We demonstrate that a hyperbolic dispersion relation in diamond with NV centers can be engineered and dynamically tuned by applying a magnetic field. This quantum hyperbolic metamaterial with a tunable window for the negative refraction allows for the construction of a superlens beyond the diffraction limit. In addition to subwavelength imaging, this NV-metamaterial can be used in spontaneous emission enhancement, heat transport and acoustics, analogue cosmology, and lifetime engineering. Therefore, our proposal interlinks the two hotspot fields, i.e., NV centers and metamaterials.
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Submitted 6 February, 2018; v1 submitted 5 February, 2018;
originally announced February 2018.
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Converting a topologically trivial superconductor into a topological superconductor via magnetic doping
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Di Xiao,
Kai Chang,
Shun-Qing Shen,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
We present a comparative theoretical study of the effects of standard Anderson and magnetic disorders on the topological phases of two-dimensional Rashba spin-orbit coupled superconductors, with the initial state to be either topologically trivial or nontrivial. Using the self-consistent Born approximation approach, we show that the presence of Anderson disorders will drive a topological supercond…
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We present a comparative theoretical study of the effects of standard Anderson and magnetic disorders on the topological phases of two-dimensional Rashba spin-orbit coupled superconductors, with the initial state to be either topologically trivial or nontrivial. Using the self-consistent Born approximation approach, we show that the presence of Anderson disorders will drive a topological superconductor into a topologically trivial superconductor in the weak coupling limit. Even more strikingly, a topologically trivial superconductor can be driven into a topological superconductor upon diluted doping of independent magnetic disorders, which gradually narrow, close, and reopen the quasi-particle gap in a nontrivial manner. These topological phase transitions are distinctly characterized by the changes in the corresponding topological invariants. The central findings made here are also confirmed using a complementary numerical approach by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently within a tight-binding model. The present study offers appealing new schemes for potential experimental realization of topological superconductors.
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Submitted 5 September, 2015;
originally announced September 2015.
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Persistent ferromagnetism and topological phase transition at the interface of a superconductor and a topological insulator
Authors:
Wei Qin,
Zhenyu Zhang
Abstract:
At the interface of an s-wave superconductor and a three-dimensional topological insulator, Ma- jorana zero modes and Majorana helical states have been proposed to exist respectively around magnetic vortices and geometrical edges. Here we first show that a single magnetic impurity at such an interface splits each resonance state of a given spin channel outside the superconducting gap, and also ind…
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At the interface of an s-wave superconductor and a three-dimensional topological insulator, Ma- jorana zero modes and Majorana helical states have been proposed to exist respectively around magnetic vortices and geometrical edges. Here we first show that a single magnetic impurity at such an interface splits each resonance state of a given spin channel outside the superconducting gap, and also induces two new symmetric impurity states inside the gap. Next we find that an increase in the superconducting gap suppresses both the oscillation magnitude and period of the RKKY inter- action between two interface magnetic impurities mediated by BCS quasi-particles. Within a mean field approximation, the ferromagnetic Curie temperature is found to be essentially independent of the superconducting gap, an intriguing phenomenon due to a compensation effect between the short-range ferromagnetic and long-range anti-ferromagnetic interactions. The existence of persis- tent ferromagnetism at the interface allows realization of a novel topological phase transition from a non-chiral to a chiral superconducting state at sufficiently low temperatures, providing a new platform for topological quantum computation.
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Submitted 11 July, 2014;
originally announced July 2014.
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Investigation on organic magnetoconductance based on polaron-bipolaron transition
Authors:
W. Qin,
S. Yin,
K. Gao,
S. J. Xie
Abstract:
We explore the magnetoresistance (MC) effect in an organic semiconductor device based on the magnetic field related bipolaron formation. By establishing a group of dynamic equations, we present the transition among spin-parallel, spin-antiparallel polaron pairs and bipolarons. The transition rates are adjusted by the external magnetic field as well as the hyperfine interaction of the hydrogen nucl…
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We explore the magnetoresistance (MC) effect in an organic semiconductor device based on the magnetic field related bipolaron formation. By establishing a group of dynamic equations, we present the transition among spin-parallel, spin-antiparallel polaron pairs and bipolarons. The transition rates are adjusted by the external magnetic field as well as the hyperfine interaction of the hydrogen nuclei. The hyperfine interaction is addressed and treated in the frame work of quantum mechanics. By supposing the different mobility of polarons from that of bipolarons, we obtain the MC in an organic semiconductor device. The theoretical calculation is well consistent to the experimental data. It is predicated that a maximum MC appears at a suitable branching ratio of bipolarons. Our investigation reveals the important role of hyperfine interaction in organic magnetic effect.
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Submitted 4 March, 2012; v1 submitted 1 March, 2012;
originally announced March 2012.
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Photoelectronic scoping of adatoms, atomic vacancies, and the outermost layer of a surface
Authors:
Yan Wang,
Yanguang Nie,
Jisheng Pan,
Wei Qin,
Zhaofeng Zhou,
Weitao Zheng,
Chang Q. Sun
Abstract:
An effective yet simple means disclosed herewith has allowed us to gain the atomistic, local, and quantitative information of bonds and electrons at sites surrounding undercoordinated atoms, complementing the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Examining Rh and Pt surfaces with and without adatoms and graphite surface with and without atomic vacancies,…
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An effective yet simple means disclosed herewith has allowed us to gain the atomistic, local, and quantitative information of bonds and electrons at sites surrounding undercoordinated atoms, complementing the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Examining Rh and Pt surfaces with and without adatoms and graphite surface with and without atomic vacancies, we confirmed that: i) bonds between undercoordinated atoms become shorter and stronger; ii) subjective polarization happens to the valence electrons of defects or adatoms by the densely entrapped bonding electrons, which in turn screens and splits the crystal field and hence the core band of the specimen.
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Submitted 19 September, 2011;
originally announced September 2011.
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Electronic and magnetic phase diagram in K$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ superconductors
Authors:
Y. J. Yan,
M. Zhang,
A. F. Wang,
J. J. Ying,
Z. Y. Li,
W. Qin,
X. G. Luo,
J. Q. Li,
Jiangping Hu,
X. H. Chen
Abstract:
The correlation and competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity are one of the most fundamental issues in all of high temperature superconductors. The superconductivity in high temperature cuprate superconductors arises from suppressing an antiferromagnetic (AFM) Mott insulator phase by doping1 while that in iron-pnictide high temperature superconductors arises from AFM semimetals…
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The correlation and competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity are one of the most fundamental issues in all of high temperature superconductors. The superconductivity in high temperature cuprate superconductors arises from suppressing an antiferromagnetic (AFM) Mott insulator phase by doping1 while that in iron-pnictide high temperature superconductors arises from AFM semimetals and can coexist with AFM orders2-9. This key difference marked in their phase diagrams has raised many intriguing debates about whether the two materials can be placed in the same category to understand the mechanism of superconductivity. Recently, superconductivity at 32 K has been reported in iron-chalcogenide superconductors AxFe2-ySe2 (A=K, Rb, and Cs)10-12, which have the same structure as that of iron-pnictide AFe2As2 (A=Ba, Sr, Ca and K)13-15. Here, we report electronic and magnetic phase diagram of KxFe2-ySe2 system as a function of Fe valence. We find two AFM insulating phases and reveal that the superconducting phase is sandwiched between them, and give direct evidence that the superconductivity in AxFe2-ySe2 originates from the AFM insulating parent compounds. The two insulating phases are characterized by two distinct superstructures caused by Fe vacancy orders with modulation wave vectors of q1=(1/5, 3/5, 0) and q2=(1/4, 3/4, 0), respectively. These experimental results strongly indicate that iron-based superconductors and cuprates share a common origin and mechanism of superconductivity.
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Submitted 26 April, 2011;
originally announced April 2011.
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Making sense of nanocrystal lattice fringes
Authors:
P. Fraundorf,
W. Qin,
Peter Moeck,
Eric Mandell
Abstract:
The orientation-dependence of thin-crystal lattice fringes can be gracefully quantified using fringe-visibility maps, a direct-space analog of Kikuchi maps. As in navigation of reciprocal space with the aid of Kikuchi lines, fringe-visibility maps facilitate acquisition of 3D crystallographic information in lattice images. In particular, these maps can help researchers to determine the 3D lattic…
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The orientation-dependence of thin-crystal lattice fringes can be gracefully quantified using fringe-visibility maps, a direct-space analog of Kikuchi maps. As in navigation of reciprocal space with the aid of Kikuchi lines, fringe-visibility maps facilitate acquisition of 3D crystallographic information in lattice images. In particular, these maps can help researchers to determine the 3D lattice parameters of individual nano-crystals, to ``fringe fingerprint'' collections of randomly-oriented particles, and to measure local specimen-thickness with only modest tilt. Since the number of fringes in an image increases with maximum spatial-frequency squared, these strategies (with help from more precise goniometers) will be more useful as aberration-correction moves resolutions into the subangstrom range.
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Submitted 31 January, 2005; v1 submitted 12 December, 2002;
originally announced December 2002.
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Lattice parameters from direct-space images at two tilts
Authors:
W. Qin,
P. Fraundorf
Abstract:
Lattices in three dimensions are oft studied from the ``reciprocal space'' perspective of diffraction. Today, the full lattice of a crystal can often be inferred from direct-space information about three sets of non-parallel lattice planes. Such data can come from electron-phase or Z contrast images taken at two tilts, provided that one image shows two non-parallel lattice periodicities, and the…
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Lattices in three dimensions are oft studied from the ``reciprocal space'' perspective of diffraction. Today, the full lattice of a crystal can often be inferred from direct-space information about three sets of non-parallel lattice planes. Such data can come from electron-phase or Z contrast images taken at two tilts, provided that one image shows two non-parallel lattice periodicities, and the other shows a periodicity not coplanar with the first two. We outline here protocols for measuring the 3D parameters of cubic lattice types in this way. For randomly-oriented nanocrystals with cell side greater than twice the continuous transfer limit, orthogonal +/-15 deg and +/-10 deg tilt ranges might allow one to measure 3D parameters of all such lattice types in a specimen from only two well-chosen images. The strategy is illustrated by measuring the lattice parameters of a 10 nm WC_{1-x} crystal in a plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposited thin film.
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Submitted 28 October, 2001; v1 submitted 11 January, 2000;
originally announced January 2000.