arXiv subjects

Avishek Maity

Publications and source records attributed to Avishek Maity.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Spin nematic liquid crystal and scalar spin chirality in tetragonal lattice YbMnBi$_2$

A spin nematic order, analogous to the nematic liquid crystal, characterizes the spontaneous breaking of spin-space rotational symmetry while preserving time-reversal ($T$) symmetry. In contrast, scalar spin chirality (SSC), a composite three-spin order, breaks $T$ symmetry and is known to induce an anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Although a spin nematic phase has been suggested in frustrated magnets and the square-lattice iridate, how it might affect magnetotransport properties is unknown. Here we use polarized neutron scattering to show that tetragonal $A$MnBi$_2$ ($A$ = Ca, Yb) is a strictly $c$-axis-aligned collinear antiferromagnet (C-type), with $T_N \approx 270$ K and 290 K, respectively. On cooling from 450 K to $T_N$, low-energy spin excitations in YbMnBi$_2$ spontaneously change from isotropic to anisotropic in spin space within the tetragonal plane, forming a dynamic spin nematic phase around 400 K due to heavy Yb-induced spin-orbit coupling, before gapping out below $T_N$. Similar measurements on CaMnBi$_2$ reveal isotropic paramagnetic scattering without a spin nematic phase above $T_N$. Under an in-plane magnetic field, the Yb$^{3+}$ moments may interact with the dynamic spin nematic phase to induce nonzero SSC, giving rise to AHE and an anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in YbMnBi$_2$ that are absent in CaMnBi$_2$ above $T_N$. A symmetry-based Ginzburg-Landau analysis shows that coupling terms between the nematic order and SSC are allowed under an external magnetic field, which could explain the rapid increase of AHE with field in YbMnBi$_2$. Our results provide compelling evidence for dynamic SSC-induced AHE and ANE in the paramagnetic phase of a compensated collinear antiferromagnet, opening a new avenue for the physics of composite spin orders and room-temperature spintronics without magnetic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

$d$-spacing distributions as a probe of nematoelastic response in iron-based superconductors

Electronic nematicity in iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) couples bilinearly to orthorhombic strain, allowing nematic correlations to appear in the lattice response. Here we use neutron Larmor diffraction to measure the temperature-dependent distribution of relative $d$ spacings in electron-doped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$, hole-doped Ba$_{0.83}$K$_{0.17}$Fe$_2$As$_2$, FeSe, and Fe$_{1.07}$Te. In Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ crystals without intentionally applied uniaxial stress, the in-plane distribution width, $\varepsilon_{\rm FWHM}$, increases on cooling in the tetragonal phase and can be described phenomenologically by a Curie--Weiss-like form. The fitted scale $T^*$ decreases with Co doping and evolves similarly to the nematic phase diagram inferred from elastoresistance, although the two experiments probe different response functions. Related broadening in Ba$_{0.83}$K$_{0.17}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and FeSe supports extending this interpretation beyond electron-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$. By contrast, Fe$_{1.07}$Te shows no extended Curie--Weiss-like regime without applied stress, whereas uniaxial pressure produces a strongly anisotropic broadening that can contain contributions from both the field-biased lattice response and inhomogeneous loading. A mean-field model with bilinear nematoelastic coupling and spatially varying symmetry-breaking stress explains the Curie--Weiss-like broadening in terms of the renormalized orthorhombic compliance. Neutron Larmor diffraction therefore provides a bulk-sensitive probe of nematic-related lattice broadening that complements electronic and elastic measurements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Coherent high-velocity chiral magnons in the metallic altermagnet CrSb

We report the collective magnetism of the metallic altermagnet CrSb. Magnetic susceptibility and polarized neutron diffraction measurements show that CrSb is a perfectly compensated Ising altermagnet below a Néel temperature of $T_N = 733(4)$ K. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments reveal coherent and highly-dispersive antiferromagnetic spin waves with large group velocities of 61(2) km s$^{-1}$ and 58(2) km s$^{-1}$ along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions, respectively. The observed magnon dispersions along high-symmetry directions of the Brillouin zone are well described by a minimal Heisenberg model up to third nearest neighbors of alternating antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic character, $J_1 = 23(4)$ meV, $J_2 = -5.4(8)$ meV, $J_3 = 5.2(8)$ meV, and an Ising single-ion anisotropy term $D = 0.15(4)$ meV. We observe clear momentum space signatures of chiral spin splitting along the low-symmetry $Γ$-$L$ direction, characteristic of higher-order altermagnetic exchange interactions, the first such observation in a metallic altermagnet. These findings identify CrSb as a singular material: a metallic altermagnet in which coherent spin-split magnons persist well above room temperature, providing a compelling platform for spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Evolution of charge-density-wave soft phonon modes in $\mathrm{Pd}_x\mathrm{ErTe}_3$

We investigated the lattice dynamics of quasi-two-dimensional Pd-intercalated $\mathrm{ErTe}_3$ in relation to its charge-density-wave (CDW) transitions by means of x-ray diffuse and meV-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering. In pristine $\mathrm{ErTe}_3$, CDW order develops at orthogonal in-plane wave vectors $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{c} = (0, 0, 0.29)$ (the $c\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$) and $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{2}^{a} = (0.31, 0, 0)$ (the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$), with transition temperatures $T_{1}^{c} = 270$ K and $T_{2}^{a} = 160$ K, respectively. Remarkably, we observe diffuse x-ray scattering already near the higher transition temperature $T_{1}^{c}$ along $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ but at a slightly different wave vector $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a} = (0.29, 0, 0)$. Inelastic x-ray scattering for $\mathrm{Pd}_{0.01}\mathrm{ErTe}_3$ shows that a partial phonon softening at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$, underscoring the strong competition between ordering tendencies along the nearly equivalent in-plane axes of the orthorhombic lattice. For intercalation levels $x \geq 0.02$, the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ state is suppressed. Nevertheless, a similar correlation between phonon softening and diffuse scattering persists along the $[100]$ direction, again observed at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a} = (0.29, 0, 0)$ and $T_{1}^{c}$. These findings suggest that the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ is fully suppressed for $x \geq 0.02$, and that the residual diffuse scattering at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$ originates from the partial phonon softening associated with the $c\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$, reflected by the near equality of the absolute size of $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{c}$ and $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Non-Altermagnetic Origin of Exchange Bias Behaviors in Incoherent RuO$_2$/Fe Bilayer Heterostructures

Initially identified as a promising altermagnetic (AM) candidate, rutile RuO$_2$ has since become embroiled in controversy due to contradictory findings of modeling and measurements of the magnetic properties of bulk crystals and thin films. For example, despite observations of a bulk non-magnetic state using density functional theory, neutron scattering, and muon spin resonance measurements, patterned RuO$_2$ Hall bars and film heterostructures display magnetotransport signatures of magnetic ordering. Among the characteristics routinely cited as evidence for AM is the observation of exchange bias (EB) in an intimately contacted Fe-based ferromagnetic (FM) layer, which can arise due to interfacial coupling with a compensated antiferromagnet. Within this work, the origins of this EB coupling in Ru-capped RuO$_2$/Fe bilayers are investigated using polarized neutron diffraction, polarized neutron reflectometry, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and super conducting quantum interference device measurements. These experiments reveal that the EB behavior is driven by the formation of an iron oxide interlayer containing Fe$_3$O$_4$ that undergoes a magnetic transition and pins interfacial moments within Fe at low temperature. These findings are confirmed by comparable measurements of Ni-based heterostructures, which do not display EB coupling, as well as magnetometry of additional Fe/Ru bilayers that display oxide-driven EB coupling despite the absence of the epitaxial RuO$_2$ layer. While these results do not directly refute the possibility of AM ordering in RuO$_2$ thin films, they reveal that EB, and related magnetotransport phenomena, cannot alone be considered evidence of this characteristic in the rutile structure due to interfacial chemical disorder.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Soft phonon and the central peak at the cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition in SrTiO$_3$

The continuous displacive phase transition in SrTiO$_3$ near $T_c \approx 105$ K features a central elastic peak in neutron scattering investigations at temperatures above $T_c$, i.e., before the corresponding soft phonon mode is overdamped upon cooling. The origin of this central peak is still not understood. Here, we report an inelastic x-ray scattering investigation of the cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition in SrTiO$_3$. We compare quantitatively measurements of the soft phonon mode on two differently grown samples and discuss the findings regarding results from thermodynamic and transport probes such as specific heat and thermal conductivity. Furthermore, we use inelastic x-ray scattering to perform elastic scans with both high momentum- and milli-electronvolt energy-resolution and, thus, be able to separate elastic intensities of the central peak from low-energy quasielastic phonon scattering. Our results indicate that the evolution of the soft mode is similar in both samples though the intensities of the central peak differ by a factor of four. Measurements revealing anisotropic correlation lengths on cooling towards $T_c$, indicate that local properties of the crystals to which collective lattice excitations are insensitive are likely at the origin of the central elastic line in SrTiO$_3$.

cond-mat.str-el↗