arXiv subjects

Amina Taleb-Ibrahimi

Publications and source records attributed to Amina Taleb-Ibrahimi.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Electronic dispersion, correlations and stacking in the photoexcited state of 1T-TaS$_2$

Here we perform angle and time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on the commensurate Charge Density Wave (CDW) phase of 1T-TaS$_2$. Data with different probe pulse polarization are employed to map the dispersion of electronic states below and above the chemical potential. Upon photoexcitation, the fluctuations of CDW order erase the band dispersion near to the chemical potential and halve the charge gap size. This transient phase sets within half a period of the coherent lattice motion and is favored by strong electronic correlations. The experimental results are compared to Density-Functional Theory (DFT) calculations with a self-consistent evaluation of the Coulomb repulsion. Our simulations indicate that the screening of Coulomb repulsion depends on the stacking order of the TaS$_2$ layers. The entanglement of such degrees of freedom suggest that both the structural order and electronic repulsion are locally modified by the photoinduced CDW fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Fermi surface and kink structures in Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$ revealed by synchrotron-based ARPES

The low-energy electronic structure, including the Fermi surface topology, of the itinerant metamagnet Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$ is investigated for the first time by synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoemission. Well-defined quasiparticle band dispersions with matrix element dependencies on photon energy or photon polarization are presented. Four bands crossing the Fermi-level, giving rise to four Fermi surface sheets are resolved; and their complete topography, effective mass as well as their electron and hole character are determined. These data reveal the presence of kink structures in the near-Fermi-level band dispersion, with energies ranging from 30 meV to 69 meV. Together with previously reported Raman spectroscopy and lattice dynamic calculation studies, the data suggest that these kinks originate from strong electron-phonon coupling present in Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$. Considering that the kink structures of Sr$_{4}$Ru$_{3}$O$_{10}$ are similar to those of the other three members of the Ruddlesden Popper structured ruthenates, the possible universality of strong coupling of electrons to oxygen-related phonons in Sr$_{n+1}$Ru$_{n}$O$_{3n+1}$ compounds is proposed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

ARPES and transport studies of the elemental topological insulator $α$-Sn

Gray tin, also known as $α$-Sn, can be turned into a three-dimensional topological insulator (3D-TI) by strain and finite size effects. Such room temperature 3D-TI is peculiarly interesting for spintronics due to the spin-momentum locking along the Dirac cone (linear dispersion) of the surface states. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to investigate the dispersion close to the Fermi level in thin (0\,0\,1)-oriented epitaxially strained films of $α$-Sn, for different film thicknesses as well as for different capping layers (Al, AlO$_x$ and MgO). Indeed a proper capping layer is necessary to be able to use $α$-Sn surface states for spintronics applications. In contrast with free surfaces or surfaces coated with Ag, coating the $α$-Sn surface with Al or AlO$_x$ leads to a drop of the Fermi level below the Dirac point, an important consequence for transport is the presence of bulk states at the Fermi level. $α$-Sn films coated by AlO$_x$ are studied by electrical magnetotransport: despite clear evidence of surface states revealed by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, an important part of the magneto-transport properties is governed by "bulk" electronic states attributed to the $Γ8$ band, as suggested by {\it ab-initio} calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Ultrafast electrons dynamics reveal the high potential of InSe for hot carrier optoelectronics

We monitor the dynamics of hot carriers in InSe by means of two photons photoelectron spectroscopy (2PPE). The electrons excited by photons of 3.12 eV experience a manifold relaxation. First, they thermalize to the electronic states degenerate with the $\bar M$ valley. Subsequently, the electronic cooling is dictated by Fröhlich coupling with phonons of small momentum transfer. Ab-initio calculations predict cooling rates that are in good agreement with the observed dynamics. We argue that electrons accumulating in states degenerate with the $\bar M$ valley could travel through a multilayer flake of InSe with lateral size of 1 micrometer. The hot carriers pave a viable route to the realization of below-bandgap photodiodes and Gunn oscillators. Our results indicate that these technologies may find a natural implementation in future devices based on layered chalcogenides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

A novel artificial condensed matter lattice and a new platform for one-dimensional topological phases

Engineered lattices in condensed matter physics, such as cold atom optical lattices or photonic crystals, can have fundamentally different properties from naturally-occurring electronic crystals. Here, we report a novel type of artificial quantum matter lattice. Our lattice is a multilayer heterostructure built from alternating thin films of topological and trivial insulators. Each interface within the heterostructure hosts a set of topologically-protected interface states, and by making the layers sufficiently thin, we demonstrate for the first time a hybridization of interface states across layers. In this way, our heterostructure forms an emergent atomic chain, where the interfaces act as lattice sites and the interface states act as atomic orbitals, as seen from our measurements by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). By changing the composition of the heterostructure, we can directly control hopping between lattice sites. We realize a topological and a trivial phase in our superlattice band structure. We argue that the superlattice may be characterized in a significant way by a one-dimensional topological invariant, closely related to the invariant of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. Our topological insulator heterostructure demonstrates a novel experimental platform where we can engineer band structures by directly controlling how electrons hop between lattice sites.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Surface Kondo Effect and Non-Trivial Metallic State of the Kondo Insulator YbB12

A synergistic effect between strong electron correlation and spin-orbit interaction (SOI) has been theoretically predicted to result in a new topological state of quantum matter on Kondo insulators (KIs), so-called topological Kondo insulators (TKIs). One TKI candidate has been experimentally observed on the KI SmB6(001), and the origin of the surface states (SS) and the topological order of SmB6 has been actively discussed. Here, we show a metallic SS on the clean surface of another TKI candidate YbB12(001), using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The SS showed temperature-dependent reconstruction corresponding with the Kondo effect observed for bulk states. Despite the low-temperature insulating bulk, the reconstructed SS with c-f hybridization was metallic, forming a closed Fermi contour surrounding $\barΓ$ on the surface Brillouin zone and agreeing with the theoretically expected behavior for SS on TKIs. These results demonstrate the temperature-dependent holistic reconstruction of two-dimensional states localized on KIs surface driven by the Kondo effect.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

ARPES view of orbitally resolved quasiparticle lifetimes in iron pnictides

We study with ARPES the renormalization and quasiparticle lifetimes of the $d_{xy}$ and $d_{xz}$/$d_{yz}$ orbitals in two iron pnictides, LiFeAs and Ba(Fe$_{0.92}$Co$_{0.08}$)$_2$As$_2$ (Co8). We find that both quantities depend on orbital character rather than on the position on the Fermi Surface (for example hole or electron pocket). In LiFeAs, the renormalizations are larger for $d_{xy}$, while they are similar on both types of orbitals in Co8. The most salient feature, which proved robust against all the ARPES caveats we could think of, is that the lifetimes for $d_{xy}$ exhibit a markedly different behavior than those for $d_{xz}$/$d_{yz}$. They have smaller values near $E_F$ and exhibit larger $ω$ and temperature dependences. While the behavior of $d_{xy}$ is compatible with a Fermi liquid description, it is not the case for $d_{xz}$/$d_{yz}$. This situation should have important consequences for the physics of iron pnictides, which have not been considered up to now. More generally, it raises interesting questions on how a Fermi liquid regime can be established in a multiband system with small effective bandwidths.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Surface Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid state on Bi/InSb(001)

A 1D metallic surface state was created on an anisotropic InSb(001) surface covered with Bi. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) showed a 1D Fermi contour with almost no 2D distortion. Close to the Fermi level ($E_{\rm F}$), the angle-integrated photoelectron spectra showed power-law scaling with the binding energy and temperature. The ARPES plot above $E_{\rm F}$ obtained thanks to thermally broadened Fermi edge at room temperature showed a 1D state with continuous metallic dispersion across $E_{\rm F}$ and power-law intensity suppression around $E_{\rm F}$. These results strongly suggest a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid on the Bi/InSb(001) surface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Symmetry of the Fermi surface and evolution of the electronic structure across the paramagnetic-helimagnetic transition in MnSi/Si(111)

MnSi has been extensively studied for five decades, nonetheless detailed information on the Fermi surface (FS) symmetry is still lacking. This missed information prevented from a comprehensive understanding the nature of the magnetic interaction in this material. Here, by performing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on high-quality MnSi films epitaxially grown on Si(111), we unveil the FS symmetry and the evolution of the electronic structure across the paramagnetic-helimagnetic transition at T$_C$ $\sim$ 40 K, along with the appearance of sharp quasiparticle emission below T$_C$. The shape of the resulting FS is found to fulfill robust nesting effects. These effects can be at the origin of strong magnetic fluctuations not accounted for by state-of-art quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation. From this perspective, the unforeseen quasiparticle damping detected in the paramagnetic phase and relaxing only below T$_C$, along with the persistence of the d-bands splitting well above T$_C$, at odds with a simple Stoner model for itinerant magnetism, open the search for exotic magnetic interactions favored by FS nesting and affecting the quasiparticles lifetime.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Wide-Gap Semiconducting Graphene from Nitrogen-Seeded SiC

All carbon electronics based on graphene has been an elusive goal. For more than a decade, the inability to produce significant band-gaps in this material has prevented the development of semiconducting graphene. While chemical functionalization was thought to be a route to semiconducting graphene, disorder in the chemical adsorbates, leading to low mobilities, have proved to be a hurdle in its production. We demonstrate a new approach to produce semiconducting graphene that uses a small concentration of covalently bonded surface nitrogen, not as a means to functionalize graphene, but instead as a way to constrain and bend graphene. We demonstrate that a submonolayer concentration of nitrogen on SiC is sufficient to pin epitaxial graphene to the SiC interface as it grows, causing the graphene to buckle. The resulting 3-dimensional modulation of the graphene opens a band-gap greater than 0.7eV in the otherwise continuous metallic graphene sheet.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Dirac cone with helical spin polarization in ultrathin $α$-Sn(001) films

Spin-split two-dimensional electronic states have been observed on ultrathin Sn(001) films grown on InSb(001) substrates. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) performed on these films revealed Dirac-cone-like linear dispersion around the $\barΓ$ point of surface Brillouin zone, suggesting nearly massless electrons belonging to 2D surface states. The states disperse across a bandgap between bulk-like quantum well states in the films. Moreover, both circular dichroism of ARPES and spin-resolved ARPES studies show helical spin polarization of the Dirac-cone-like surface states, suggesting a topologically protected character as in a bulk topological insulator (TI). These results indicate that a quasi-3D TI phase can be realized in ultrathin films of zero-gap semiconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Topological surface states of strained Mercury-Telluride probed by ARPES

The topological surface states of strained HgTe have been measured using high-resolution ARPES measurements. The dispersion of surface states form a Dirac cone, which origin is close to the top of the \ghh band: the top half of the Dirac cone is inside the stress-gap while the bottom half lies within the heavy hole bands and keeps a linear dispersion all the way to the X-point. The circular dichroism of the photo-emitted electron intensity has also been measured for all the bands.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Non-trivial Surface-band Dispersion on Bi(111)

We performed angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of the Bi(111) surface to demonstrate that this surface support edge states of non-trivial topology. Along the $\barΓ\bar{M}$-direction of the surface Brillouin zone, a surface-state band disperses from the projected bulk valence bands at $\barΓ$ to the conduction bands at $\bar{M}$ continuously, indicating the non-trivial topological order of three-dimensional Bi bands. We ascribe this finding to the absence of band inversion at the $L$ point of the bulk Bi Brillouin zone. According to our analysis, a modification of tight-binding parameters can account for the non-trivial band structure of Bi without any other significant change on other physical properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗