arXiv subjects

B. R. M. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to B. R. M. Smith.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Versatile multi-q antiferromagnetic charge order in correlated vdW metals

Following the discovery of graphene, interest in van der Waals (vdW) materials has surged; however, advancing physics beyond graphene requires quantum vdW materials platforms that host versatile, strongly interacting many-body states. Here, using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at 300 mK, we uncover multiple competing electronic states in the van der Waals metal CeTe3: charge-ordered antiferromagnetic phases forming stripe and checkerboard orders. Remarkably, their competition is tuned by a modest in-plane magnetic field (~1.5 T), revealing strongly intertwined multiple frustrations involving antiferromagnetism, charge order, and Fermi-surface instabilities. Quasiparticle-interference imaging directly identifies the momentum-space origin of these competitions on the representative semimetals Fermi surface. While the observations can be understood at a basic level in terms of Kondo coupling between localized Ce 4f moments and itinerant Te 5p electrons, our results reveal a much richer phenomenology: an unusually broad electronic reconstruction extending to an energy scale of roughly 30 meV from EF, which realizes and deforms antiferromagnetic charge-ordered states and signals strongly correlated interactions beyond a weak-coupling description. Beyond establishing CeTe3 as a model platform, our results demonstrate that competing instabilities in antiferromagnetic two-dimensional metals/semimetals generate versatile electronic phases, opening a route to tunable nanoscale quantum states governed by the intertwined effects of correlation, symmetry, and topology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Revealing Pronounced Electron-Hole Fermi Pockets in the Charge Density Wave Semimetal LaTe3

Rare earth tri-tellurides (RTe3) are van der Waals (vdW) coupled semimetals ideal for exploring exotic electronic phases. LaTe3 is especially important for understanding the fundamental Fermiology of the RTe3 family because it is non-magnetic and has a simpler charge density wave structure. In this study, we used spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy to measure the Landau levels of LaTe3 with high energy resolution at 300 mK. These measurements were taken under varying magnetic fields up to 15 T, with fine intervals of 0.02 - 0.03 T. Our results reveal a pair of pronounced electron-hole Fermi pockets of similar sizes and evidence of electron-boson coupling in both pockets. Given the strong charge susceptibility typical of low-dimensional conductors, the interactions and instabilities driven by the electron-hole Fermi pockets could be a basis for searching unexplored quantum phases in other antiferromagnetic RTe3 compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Uncovering hidden Fermi surface instabilities through visualizing unconventional quasiparticle interference in CeTe3

The charge density wave (CDW) state is a widespread phenomenon in low-dimensional metals/semimetals. The spectral weight of the associated folded bands (shadow bands) can be an intriguing trigger leading to additional Fermi surface instability and unexplored phase transitions. The rare earth tri-telluride CeTe3 exhibits a single CDW stabilized below ~400 K and antiferromagnetism below ~3 K. The distinct periodicities between the Te-square net, the CeTe block layer, and the CDW give rise to rich shadow band formations. In this work, we reveal the predominant scattering between the original and shadow bands at 4 K, with the scattering within the original bands being relatively suppressed at Fermi energy. This unconventional quasi-particle scattering collectively underscores the vital role of the shadow bands' spectral weight and the hidden matrix element effect, which are crucial for controlling electronic properties in this system. Furthermore, our finding points to the existence of rich and unexplored Fermi surface instabilities, which potentially play a role in controlling the nature of long-range antiferromagnetism at lower temperatures in the presence of finite charge-spin interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Enhanced $d$-$p$ hybridization intertwined with anomalous ground state formation in van der Waals-coupled magnetic metal Fe$_5$GeTe$_2$

Fe$_5$GeTe$_2$ is a van der Waals (vdW)-coupled unconventional ferromagnetic metal with a high Curie temperature ($T_C$) exceeding 300 K. The formation of an anomalous ground state significantly below $T_C$ has received considerable attention, resulting in increased interest in understanding the spin-polarized electronic state evolution near the Fermi energy ($E_F$) as a function of temperature. Despite recent extensive studies, a microscopic understanding of the spin-polarized electronic structure around $E_F$ has not yet been established owing to the intrinsic complexity of both the crystal and band structures. In this study, we investigate the temperature dependence of element-specific soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). A systematic temperature evolution in the XMCD signal from both magnetic Fe and its ligand Te is clearly observed. More importantly, the enhancement in the hybridization between the Fe 3$d$ and Te 5$p$ states in the zero-magnetic field limit is revealed, and we discuss its implications on the possible emergence of an exotic magnetic ground state in Fe$_5$GeTe$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗