arXiv subjects

A. Alatas

Publications and source records attributed to A. Alatas.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Weak phonon coupling to nematic quantum critical mode in $BaFe2(As1-xPx)2$

In this work, we investigate the softening of the in-plane transverse acoustic phonon driven by electronic nematicity in BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ using inelastic X-ray scattering, with a focus on the optimally doped sample ($x = 0.31$) sample, a system exhibiting signatures of a putative nematic quantum critical point and minimal disorder among iron pnictides. We observe only a modest softening of the phonon frequency and no evidence of critical damping, suggesting that the nematic quantum critical fluctuations couple only weakly to the lattice from our quantum critical model. Given the close proximity of the structural and magnetic transition temperatures in the underdoped sample, which implies that spin-nematic fluctuations couple strongly to the lattice. We conjecture that the quantum critical nematic fluctuations are predominantly orbital in origin.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Observation of van der Waals phonons in the single-layer cuprate (Bi,Pb)$_2$(Sr,La)$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$

Interlayer van der Waals (vdW) coupling is generic in two-dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, which can induce very low-energy phonon modes. Using high-resolution inelastic hard x-ray scattering, we uncover the ultra-low energy phonon mode along the Cu-O bond direction in the high-$T_c$ cuprate (Bi,Pb)$_2$(Sr,La)$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ (Bi2201). This mode is independent of temperature, while its intensity decreases with doping in accordance with an increasing c-axis lattice parameter. We compare the experimental results to first-principles density functional theory simulations and identify the observed mode as a van der Waals phonon, which arises from the shear motion of the adjacent Bi-O layers. This shows that Bi-based cuprate has similar vibrational properties as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, which can be exploited to engineer novel heterostructures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Nematic correlation length in iron-based superconductors probed by inelastic x-ray scattering

Nematicity is ubiquitous in electronic phases of high-$T_c$ superconductors, particularly in the Fe-based systems. We used inelastic x-ray scattering to extract the temperature-dependent nematic correlation length $ξ$ from the anomalous softening of acoustic phonon modes in FeSe, underdoped Ba(Fe$_{0.97}$Co$_{0.03}$)$_2$As$_2$ and optimally doped Ba(Fe$_{0.94}$Co$_{0.06}$)$_2$As$_2$. In all cases, we find that $ξ$ is well described by a power law $(T-T_0)^{-1/2}$ extending over a wide temperature range. We attributed this mean-field behavior and the extended fluctuation regime to a sizable nemato-elastic coupling, which may be detrimental to superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Competing soft phonon modes at the charge-density-wave transitions in DyTe$_3$

The family of rare-earth tritellurides RTe$_3$ features charge-density-wave (CDW) order related to strongly momentum-dependent electron-phonon coupling. Similar to other CDW compounds, superconductivity is observed when the CDW order is suppressed via hydrostatic pressure [1]. What sets the heavier members of the RTe3 series apart is the observation of a second CDW transition at lower temperatures having an in-plane ordering wavevector $q_{CDW,2}\parallel [100]$ of almost the same magnitude but orthogonal to the ordering wavevector $q_{CDW,1}\parallel [001]$ observed at higher temperatures [2]. Here, we report an inelastic x-ray scattering investigation of the lattice dynamics of DyTe$_3$. In particular, we show that there are several phonon modes along both in-plane directions, which respond to the onset of the CDW transition at $T_{CDW,1}=308\,\rm{K}$. Surprisingly, these soft modes close to $q_{CDW,2}=(0.68,0,0)$ show strong softening near $T_{CDW,1}$ but do not exhibit any response to the lower-temperature transition at $T_{CDW,2}=68\,\rm{K}$. Our results indicate that the low-temperature CDW order is not just the 90° rotated analogue of the one appearing at high temperatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Superconductivity and hybrid soft modes in TiSe$_2$

The competition between superconductivity and other ground states of solids is one of the challenging topics in condensed matter physics. Apart from high-temperature superconductors [1,2] this interplay also plays a central role in the layered transition-metal dichalcogenides, where superconductivity is stabilized by suppressing charge-density-wave order to zero temperature by intercalation [3] or applied pressure [4-7]. 1T-TiSe$_2$ forms a prime example, featuring superconducting domes on intercalation as well as under applied pressure. Here, we present high energy-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering measurements of the CDW soft phonon mode in intercalated Cu$_x$TiSe$_2$ and pressurized 1T-TiSe$_2$ along with detailed ab-initio calculations for the lattice dynamical properties and phonon-mediated superconductivity. We find that the intercalation-induced superconductivity can be explained by a solely phonon-mediated pairing mechanism, while this is not possible for the superconducting phase under pressure. We argue that a hybridization of phonon and exciton modes in the pairing mechanism is necessary to explain the full observed temperature-pressure-intercalation phase diagram. These results indicate that 1T-TiSe$_2$ under pressure is close to the elusive state of the excitonic insulator.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Phonon softening near structural transition in BaFe2As2 observed by inelastic x-ray scattering

In this work we present the results of an inelastic x-ray scattering experiment detailing the behavior of the transverse acoustic [110] phonon in BaFe2As2 as a function of temperature. When cooling through the structural transition temperature, the transverse acoustic phonon energy is reduced from the value at room temperature, reaching a maximum shift near inelastic momentum transfer q=0.1. This softening of the lattice results in a change of the symmetry from tetragonal to orthorhombic at the same temperature as the transition to long-range antiferromagnetic order. While the lattice distortion is minor, the anisotropy in the magnetic exchange constants in pnictide parent compounds is large. We suggest mechanisms of electron-phonon coupling to describe the interaction between the lattice softening and onset of magnetic ordering.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Electron-Phonon Coupling and the Soft Phonon Mode in TiSe$_2$

We report high-resolution inelastic x-ray measurements of the soft phonon mode in the charge-density-wave compound TiSe$_2$. We observe a complete softening of a transverse optic phonon at the L point, i.e. q = (0.5, 0, 0.5), at T ~ T_{CDW}. Renormalized phonon energies are observed over a large wavevector range $(0.3, 0, 0.5) \le \mathbf{q} \le (0.5, 0, 0.5)$. Detailed ab-initio calculations for the electronic and lattice dynamical properties of TiSe2 are in quantitative agreement with experimental frequencies for the phonon branch involving the soft mode. The observed broad range of renormalized phonon frequencies is directly related to a broad peak in the electronic susceptibility stabilizing the charge-density-wave ordered state. Our analysis demonstrates that a conventional electron-phonon coupling mechanism can explain a structural instability and the charge-density-wave order in TiSe_2 although other mechanisms might further boost the transition temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Comparative study of the phonons in non-superconducting BaC6 and superconducting CaC6 using inelastic x-ray scattering

The low energy phonons of two different graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have been measured as a function of temperature using inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS). In the case of the non-superconductor BaC6, the phonons observed are significantly higher (up to 20 %) in energy than those predicted by theory, in contrast to the reasonable agreement found in superconducting CaC6. Additional IXS intensity is observed below 15 meV in both BaC6 and CaC6. It has been previously suggested that this additional inelastic intensity may arise from defect or vacancy modes in these compounds, unpredicted by theory (d'Astuto et al, Phys. Rev. B 81 104519 (2010)). Here it is shown that this additional intensity can arise directly from the large disorder of the available samples. Our results show that future theoretical work is required to understand the relationship between the crystal structure, the phonons and the superconductivity in GICs.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Observation of phonons with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

Phonons, the quantum mechanical representation of lattice vibrations, and their coupling to the electronic degrees of freedom are important for understanding thermal and electric properties of materials. For the first time, phonons have been measured using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) across the Cu K-edge in cupric oxide (CuO). Analyzing these spectra using an ultra-short core-hole lifetime approximation and exact diagonalization techniques, we can explain the essential inelastic features. The relative spectral intensities are related to the electron-phonon coupling strengths.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Phonons as a probe of the magnetic state in doped and undoped BaFe2As2

We measured phonon frequencies and linewidths in doped and undoped BaFe2As2 single crystals by inelastic x-ray scattering and compared our results with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In agreement with previous work, the calculated frequencies of some phonons depended on whether the ground state was magnetic or not and, in the former case, whether phonon wavevector was parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic ordering wavevector. The experimental results agreed better with the magnetic calculation than with zero Fe moment calculations, except the peak splitting expected due to magnetic domain twinning was not observed. Furthermore, phonon frequencies were unaffected by the breakdown of the magnetic ground state due to either doping or increased temperature. Based on these results we propose that phonons strongly couple not to the static order, but to high frequency magnetic fluctuations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Influence of Magnetism on Phonons in CaFe2As2 Via Inelastic X-ray Scattering

In the iron pnictides, the strong sensitivity of the iron magnetic moment to the arsenic position suggests a significant relationship between phonons and magnetism. We measured the phonon dispersion of several branches in the high temperature tetragonal phase of CaFe2As2 using inelastic x-ray scattering on single-crystal samples. These measurements were compared to ab initio calculations of the phonons. Spin polarized calculations imposing the antiferromagnetic order present in the low temperature orthorhombic phase dramatically improve agreement between theory and experiment. This is discussed in terms of the strong antiferromagnetic correlations that are known to persist in the tetragonal phase.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Intrinsic Localized Modes Observed in the High Temperature Vibrational Spectrum of NaI

Inelastic neutron measurements of the high-temperature lattice excitations in NaI show that in thermal equilibrium at 555 K an intrinsic mode, localized in three dimensions, occurs at a single frequency near the center of the spectral phonon gap, polarized along [111]. At higher temperatures the intrinsic localized mode gains intensity. Higher energy inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering measurements on a room-temperature NaI crystal indicate that the creation energy of the ground state of the intrinsic localized mode is 299 meV.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

C-axis Phonons in Fe-As Based Superconductors Investigated by Inelastic X-ray Scattering

In Fe-As based superconductors magnetism and superconductivity show strong sensitivity to the lattice, suggesting a possibility of unconventional electron-phonon coupling. We investigated c-axis polarized phonons in doped and undoped BaFe2As2 by inelastic X-ray scattering. Phonon peak positions and linewidths did not vary significantly as a function of doping either by Co or by K. The linewidth of the Fe vibration shows unusual wavevector-dependence, which may be due to hybridization with in-plane modes. Comparison with the density functional theory shows significant difference for the energy of the As-As vibrations (Raman active at the zone center) but not for the Fe-As vibrations (infrared-active at the zone center). This behavior cannot be explained by a 10% softening of Fe-As interaction strength as proposed previously for in-plane polarized vibrations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Observation of a continuous phase transition in a shape-memory alloy

Elastic neutron-scattering, inelastic x-ray scattering, specific-heat, and pressure-dependent electrical transport measurements have been made on single crystals of AuZn and Au_{0.52}Zn_{0.48} above and below their martensitic transition temperatures (T_M=64K and 45K, respectively). In each composition, elastic neutron scattering detects new commensurate Bragg peaks (modulation) appearing at Q = (1.33,0.67,0) at temperatures corresponding to each sample's T_M. Although the new Bragg peaks appear in a discontinuous manner in the Au_{0.52}Zn_{0.48} sample, they appear in a continuous manner in AuZn. Surprising us, the temperature dependence of the AuZn Bragg peak intensity and the specific-heat jump near the transition temperature are in favorable accord with a mean-field approximation. A Landau-theory-based fit to the pressure dependence of the transition temperature suggests the presence of a critical endpoint in the AuZn phase diagram located at T_M*=2.7K and p*=3.1GPa, with a quantum saturation temperature θ_s=48.3 +/- 3.7K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Inelastic X-ray Scattering Study of Phonons in Superconducting CaC6

We investigate the dispersion and temperature dependence of a number of phonons in the recently discovered superconductor CaC6 utilizing inelastic x-ray scattering. Four [00L] and two ab-plane phonon modes are observed, and measured at temperatures both above and below T_c. In general, our measurements of phonon dispersions are in good agreement with existing theoretical calculations of the phonon dispersion. This is significant in light of several discrepancies between experimental measurements of phonon-derived quantities and theoretical calculations. The present work suggests that the origin of these discrepancies lies in the understanding of the electron-phonon coupling in this material, rather than in the phonons themselves.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

X-ray Scattering Study of the spin-Peierls transition and soft phonon behavior in TiOCl

We have studied the S=1/2 quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet TiOCl using single crystal x-ray diffraction and inelastic x-ray scattering techniques. The Ti ions form staggered spin chains which dimerize below Tc1 = 66 K and have an incommensurate lattice distortion between Tc1 and Tc2 = 92 K. Based on our measurements of the intensities, wave vectors, and harmonics of the incommensurate superlattice peaks, we construct a model for the incommensurate modulation. The results are in good agreement with a soliton lattice model, though some quantitative discrepancies exist near Tc2. The behavior of the phonons has been studied using inelastic x-ray scattering with ~2 meV energy resolution. For the first time, a zone boundary phonon which softens at the spin-Peierls temperature Tsp has been observed. Our results show reasonably good quantitative agreement with the Cross-Fisher theory for the phonon dynamics at wave vectors near the zone boundary and temperatures near Tsp. However, not all aspects of the data can be described, such as the strong overdamping of the soft mode above Tsp. Overall, our results show that TiOCl is a good realization of a spin-Peierls system, where the phonon softening allows us to identify the transition temperature as Tsp=Tc2=92 K

cond-mat.str-el↗