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A. T. Costa

Publications and source records attributed to A. T. Costa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Prediction of two-dimensional $π$-electron half-metallic ferrimagnets

We propose a strategy to obtain conducting organic materials with fully spin-polarized Fermi surface, lying at a singular flat band, with antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic moments that reside in pi-orbitals of nanographenes. We consider a honeycomb crystal whose unit cell combines two different molecules with $S=1/2$: an Aza-3-Triangulene, a molecule with orbital degeneracy, and a 2-Triangulene. The analyzed system is half-metallic with a ferrimagnetic order, presenting a zero net total magnetic moment per unit cell. We combine density functional theory calculations with a Hubbard model Hamiltonian to compute the magnetic interactions, the bands, the intrinsic Anomalous Hall effect, and the collective spin excitations. We obtain very large intermolecular exchange couplings, in the range of 59 meV. Based on the spin excitation dispersion, we estimate thermal stability in the range of 100 Kelvin. When the magnetization is off-plane, intrinsic spin orbit coupling in graphene opens up a topological gap that, despite being very small, leads to a quantized Hall conductance in the tens of mK range, but is thermally smeared above 1 Kelvin.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Roadmap for Photonics with 2D Materials

Triggered by the development of exfoliation and the identification of a wide range of extraordinary physical properties in self-standing films consisting of one or few atomic layers, two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and other van der Waals (vdW) crystals currently constitute a wide research field protruding in multiple directions in combination with layer stacking and twisting, nanofabrication, surface-science methods, and integration into nanostructured environments. Photonics encompasses a multidisciplinary collection of those directions, where 2D materials contribute with polaritons of unique characteristics such as strong spatial confinement, large optical-field enhancement, long lifetimes, high sensitivity to external stimuli (e.g., electric and magnetic fields, heating, and strain), a broad spectral range from the far infrared to the ultraviolet, and hybridization with spin and momentum textures of electronic band structures. The explosion of photonics with 2D materials as a vibrant research area is producing breakthroughs, including the discovery and design of new materials and metasurfaces with unprecedented properties as well as applications in integrated photonics, light emission, optical sensing, and exciting prospects for applications in quantum information, and nanoscale thermal transport. This Roadmap summarizes the state of the art in the field, identifies challenges and opportunities, and discusses future goals and how to meet them through a wide collection of topical sections prepared by leading practitioners.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Giant spatial anisotropy of magnon lifetime in altermagnets

Altermagnets are a new class of magnetic materials with zero net magnetization (like antiferromagnets) but spin-split electronic bands (like ferromagnets) over a fraction of reciprocal space. As in antiferromagnets, magnons in altermagnets come in two flavours, that either add one or remove one unit of spin to the $S=0$ ground state. However, in altermagnets these two magnon modes are non-degenerate along some directions in reciprocal space. Here we show that the lifetime of altermagnetic magnons has a very strong dependence on both flavour and direction. Strikingly, coupling to Stoner modes leads to a complete suppression of magnon propagation along selected spatial directions. This giant anisotropy will impact electronic, spin, and energy transport properties and may be exploited in spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Beyond spin models in orbitally-degenerate open-shell nanographenes

The study of open-shell nanographenes has relied on a paradigm where spins are the only low-energy degrees of freedom. Here we show that some nanographenes can host low-energy excitations that include strongly coupled spin and orbital degrees of freedom. The key ingredient is the existence of orbital degeneracy, as a consequence of leaving the benzenoid/half-filling scenario. We analyze the case of nitrogen-doped triangulenes, using both density-functional theory and Hubbard model multiconfigurational and random-phase approximation calculations. We find a rich interplay between orbital and spin degrees of freedom that confirms the need to go beyond the spin-only paradigm, opening a new venue in this field of research.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Broken-symmetry magnetic phases in two-dimensional triangulene crystals

We provide a comprehensive theory of magnetic phases in two-dimensional triangulene crystals, using both Hubbard model and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We consider centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric triangulene crystals. In all cases, DFT and mean-field Hubbard model predict the emergence of broken-symmetry antiferromagnetic (ferrimagnetic) phases for the centrosymmetric (non-centrosymmetric) crystals. This includes the special case of the [4,4]triangulene crystal, whose non-interacting energy bands feature a gap with flat valence and conduction bands. We show how the lack of contrast between the local density of states of these bands, recently measured via scanning tunneling spectroscopy, is a natural consequence of a broken-symmetry Néel state that blocks intermolecular hybridization. Using random phase approximation, we also compute the spin wave spectrum of these crystals, including the recently synthesized [4,4]triangulene crystal. The results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of a Heisenberg spin model derived from multi-configuration calculations for the unit cell. We conclude that experimental results are compatible with an antiferromagnetically ordered phase where each triangulene retains the spin predicted for the isolated species.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Strong magnetic proximity effect in Van der Waals heterostructures driven by direct hybridization

We propose a new class of magnetic proximity effects based on the spin dependent hybridization between the electronic states at the Fermi energy in a non-magnetic conductor and the narrow spin split bands of a ferromagnetic insulator. Unlike conventional exchange proximity, we show this hybridization proximity effect has a very strong influence on the non-magnetic layer and can be further modulated by application of an electric field. We use DFT calculations to illustrate this effect in graphene placed next to a monolayer of CrI$_3$, a ferromagnetic insulator. We find strong hybridization of the graphene bands with the narrow conduction band of CrI$_3$ in one spin channel only. We show that our results are robust with respect to lattice mismatch and twist angle variations. Furthermore, we show that an out-of-plane electric field can be used to modulate the hybridization strength, paving the way for applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Non-perturbative indirect exchange in spin-valley coupled 2D crystals

We study indirect exchange interactions between localized spins of magnetic impurities in spin-valley coupled systems described with the Kane-Mele model. Our model captures the main ingredients of the energy bands of 1H transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) monolayers, such as 1H-MoS$_2$ and 1H-NbSe$_2$. To obtain the effective interactions, we use the exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian, avoiding momentum cut-offs. We start by comparing the standard perturbation expansion in terms of the Kondo exchange with the exact calculation of the interaction, treating the local spins classically. We find that perturbation theory works well even beyond the regime where the relevant figure of merit, the ratio between the exchange $J$ and the hopping $t$, is small. We verify that the effective indirect exchange Hamiltonian derived from perturbation theory also works in the non-perturbative regime. Additionally, we analyse the interplay between the symmetry of the different terms of the interaction (Heisenberg, Ising, and Dzyaloshinskii$-$Moriya (DM)), the Fermi-surface topology, and the crystallographic direction in which the impurities are placed. We show that the indirect exchange along the armchair direction is actually Heisenberg-like, due to the reflection symmetry of the crystal structure around this direction. Finally, we explore the exploitation of indirect exchange, combined with atomic manipulation, to engineer the Majumdar-Ghosh Model. Our results show that TMDs provide an extremely versatile platform to engineer indirect exchange interactions.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Strongly coupled magnon-plasmon polaritons in graphene- 2D ferromagnet heterostructures

Magnons and plasmons are two very different types of collective modes, acting on the spin and charge degrees of freedom, respectively. At first sight, the formation of hybrid plasmon-magnon polaritons in heterostructures of plasmonic and magnetic systems would face two challenges, the small mutual interaction, via Zeeman coupling of the electromagnetic field of the plasmon with the spins, and the energy mismatch, as in most systems plasmons have energies in the eV range, orders of magnitude larger than magnons. Here we show that graphene plasmons form polaritons with the magnons of two-dimensional ferrromagnetic insulators, placed up to to half a micron apart, with Rabi couplings in the range of 100 GHz (dramatically larger than cavity QED magnonics). This strong coupling is facilitated both by the small energy of graphene plasmons and the cooperative super-radiant nature of the plasmon-magnon coupling afforded by phase matching. We show that the Rabi coupling can be modulated both electrically and mechanically and we propose a attenuated total internal reflection experiment to implement ferromagnetic resonance experiments on 2D ferromagnets driven by plasmon excitation.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Excitonic instability in transition metal dichalcogenides

When transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers lack inversion symmetry, their low-energy single particle spectrum can described by tilted massive Dirac Hamiltonians. The so-called Janus materials fall into that category. Inversion symmetry can also be broken by the application of out-of-plane electric fields, or by the mere presence of a substrate. Here we explore the properties of excitons in TMDC monolayers lacking inversion symmetry. We find that exciton binding energies can be larger than the electronic band gap, making such materials promising candidates to host the elusive exciton insulator phase. We also investigate the excitonic contribution to their optical conductivity and discuss the associated optical selection rules.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Ising and XY paramagnons in two-dimensional 2H-NbSe$_2$

Paramagnons are the collective modes that govern the spin response of nearly magnetic conductors. In some cases they mediate electron pairing leading to superconductivity. This scenario may occur in 2H-NbSe$_2$ monolayers, that feature spin-valley coupling on account of spin-orbit interactions and their lack of inversion symmetry. Here we explore spin anisotropy of paramagnons both for non-centrosymmetric Kane-Mele-Hubbard models for 2H-NbSe$_2$ monolayers described with a DFT-derived tight-binding model. In the infinite wavelength limit we find spatially uniform paramagnons with energies around $1$~meV that feature a colossal off-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, with quenched transversal spin response. At finite wave vectors, longitudinal and transverse channels reverse roles: XY fluctuations dominate within a significant portion of the Brillouin zone. Our results show that 2H-NbSe$_2$ is close to a Coulomb-driven in-plane (XY) spin density wave instability.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Enhancing the hybridization of plasmons in graphene with 2D superconductor collective modes

We explore ways in which the close proximity between graphene sheets and monolayers of 2D superconductors can lead to hybridization between their collective excitations. We consider heterostructures formed by combinations of graphene sheets and 2D superconductor monolayers. The broad range of energies in which the graphene plasmon can exist, together with its tunability, makes such heterostrucutres promising platforms for probing the many-body physics of superconductors. We show that the hybridization between the graphene plasmon and the Bardasis-Schrieffer mode of a 2D superconductor results in clear signatures on the near-field reflection coefficient of the heterostructure, which in principle can be observed in scanning near-field microscopy experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Harnessing Ultraconfined Graphene Plasmons to Probe the Electrodynamics of Superconductors

We show that the Higgs mode of a superconductor, which is usually challenging to observe by far-field optics, can be made clearly visible using near-field optics by harnessing ultraconfined graphene plasmons. As near-field sources we investigate two examples: graphene plasmons and quantum emitters. In both cases the coupling to the Higgs mode is clearly visible. In the case of the graphene plasmons, the coupling is signaled by a clear anticrossing stemming from the interaction of graphene plasmons with the Higgs mode of the superconductor. In the case of the quantum emitters, the Higgs mode is observable through the Purcell effect. When combining the superconductor, graphene, and the quantum emitters, a number of experimental knobs become available for unveiling and studying the electrodynamics of superconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Non-reciprocal magnons in a two dimensional crystal with off-plane magnetization

Non reciprocal spin waves have a chiral asymmetry so that their energy is different for two opposite wave vectors. They are found in atomically thin ferromagnetic overlayers with in plane magnetization and are linked to the anti-symmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya surface exchange. We use an itinerant fermion theory based on first principles calculations to predict that non-reciprocal magnons can occur in Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$, the first stand alone metallic two dimensional crystal with off-plane magnetization. We find that both the energy and lifetime of magnons are non-reciprocal and we predict that acoustic magnons can have lifetimes up to hundreds of picoseconds, orders of magnitude larger than in other conducting magnets.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Topological magnons in CrI$_3$ monolayers: an itinerant fermion description

Magnons dominate the magnetic response of the recently discovered insulating ferromagnetic two dimensional crystals such as CrI$_3$. Because of the arrangement of the Cr spins in a honeycomb lattice, magnons in CrI$_3$ bear a strong resemblance with electronic quasiparticles in graphene. Neutron scattering experiments carried out in bulk CrI$_3$ show the existence of a gap at the Dirac points, that has been conjectured to have a topological nature. Here we propose a theory for magnons in ferromagnetic CrI$_3$ monolayers based on an itinerant fermion picture, with a Hamiltonian derived from first principles. We obtain the magnon dispersion for 2D CrI$_3$ with a gap at the Dirac points with the same Berry curvature in both valleys. For CrI$_3$ ribbons, we find chiral in-gap edge states. Analysis of the magnon wave functions in momentum space further confirms their topological nature. Importantly, our approach does not require to define a spin Hamiltonian, and can be applied to both insulating and conducting 2D materials with any type of magnetic order.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Excitonic Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Induced by Spin Proximity

In this paper we develop the excitonic theory of Kerr rotation angle in a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide at zero magnetic field. The finite Kerr angle is induced by the interplay between spin-orbit splitting and proximity exchange coupling due to the presence of a ferromagnet. We compare the excitonic effect with the single particle theory approach. We show that the excitonic properties of the 2D material lead to a dramatic change in the frequency dependence of the optical response function. We also find that the excitonic corrections enhance the optical response by a factor of two in the case of MoS2 in proximity to a Cobalt thin film.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Long range dynamical coupling between magnetic adatoms mediated by a 2D topological insulator

We study the spin excitation spectra and the dynamical exchange coupling between iron adatoms on a Bi bilayer nanoribbon. We show that the topological character of the edge states is preserved in the presence of the magnetic adatoms. Nevertheless, they couple significantly to the edge spin currents, as witnessed by the large and long-ranged dynamical coupling we obtain in our calcula- tions. The large effective magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the magnetic adatoms combined with the transport properties of the topologically protected edge states make this system a strong candidate for implementation of spintronics devices and quantum information and/or computation protocols.

cond-mat.str-el

On the Emergence of Topologically Protected Boundary States in Topological/Normal Insulator Heterostructures

We have performed a systematic investigation of the formation of topologically protected boundary states (TPBS) in topological/normal insulators (TI/NI) heterostructures. Using a recently developed scheme to construct {\it ab-initio} tight-binding Hamiltonian matrices from density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we studied systems of realistic size with high accuracy and control over the relevant parameters such as TI and NI band alignment, NI gap and spin-orbit coupling strength. Our findings point to the existence of an NI critical thickness for the emergence of TPBS and to the importance of the band alignment between the TI and NI for the appearance of the TPBS. We chose Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ as a prototypical case where the topological/normal insulator behavior is modeled by regions with/without spin-orbit coupling. Finally, we validate our approach comparing our model with fully relativistic DFT calculations for TI/NI heterostructures of Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$/Sb$_{2}$Se$_{3}$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Dynamic RKKY interaction between magnetic moments in graphene nanoribbons

Graphene has been identified as a promising material with numerous applications, particularly in spintronics. In this paper we investigate the peculiar features of spin excitations of magnetic units deposited on graphene nanoribbons and how they can couple through a dynamical interaction mediated by spin currents. We examine in detail the spin lifetimes and identify a pattern caused by vanishing density of states sites in pristine ribbons with armchair borders. Impurities located on these sites become practically invisible to the interaction, but can be made accessible by a gate voltage or doping. We also demonstrate that the coupling between impurities can be turned on or off using this characteristic, which may be used to control the transfer of information in transistor-like devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall