arXiv subjects

C. R. Rotundu

Publications and source records attributed to C. R. Rotundu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Dynamic magnetic phase transition induced by parametric magnon pumping

Uncovering pathways to optically drive magnetic order-disorder transitions on ultrashort timescales can lead to the realization of novel out-of-equilibrium quantum phenomena. A long-sought pathway is to directly excite a highly non-thermal energy-momentum distribution of magnons, bypassing both charge and lattice degrees of freedom. However, this remains elusive owing to the weak coupling and large momentum mismatch between photons and magnons. Here we demonstrate strong parametric excitation of magnons across the entire Brillouin zone of the antiferromagnetic insulator Sr$_2$Cu$_3$O$_4$Cl$_2$ by periodically modulating the superexchange interaction with the electric field of light. The excitation efficiency is greatly enhanced by tuning to the van Hove singularity in the magnon spectrum, sufficient to transiently collapse the antiferromagnetic state using a pulsed laser field of 10$^9$ V/m. The order parameter recovery timescale increases by over 1000 times as a function of excitation density, reflecting a crossover from high- to low-energy magnon dominated decay dynamics. This electric-field induced parametric magnon pumping mechanism is applicable to a broad range of magnetic insulators and opens up the possibility of dynamically engineering magnon distributions by design.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Direct visualization and control of antiferromagnetic domains and spin reorientation in a parent cuprate

We report magnetic optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) polarimetry and imaging on Sr$_2$Cu$_3$O$_4$Cl$_2$, which allows direct visualization of the mesoscopic antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure of a parent cuprate. Temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent SHG reveals large domains with 90$^{\circ}$ relative orientations that are stabilized by a combination of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and the Earth's magnetic field. Below a temperature $T_R$ $\sim$ 97 K, we observe an unusual 90$^{\circ}$ spin reorientation transition, possibly driven by competing magnetic anisotropies of the two copper sublattices, which swaps the AFM domain states while preserving the domain structure. This allows deterministic switching of the AFM states by thermal or laser heating. Near $T_R$, the domain walls become exceptionally responsive to an applied magnetic field, with the Earth's field sufficient to completely expel them from the crystal. Our findings unlock opportunities to study the mesoscopic AFM behavior of parent cuprates and explore their potential for AFM technologies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Enhanced charge density wave with mobile superconducting vortices in La$_{1.885}$Sr$_{0.115}$CuO$_4$

Superconductivity in the cuprates is found to be intertwined with charge and spin density waves. Determining the interactions between the different types of order is crucial for understanding these important materials. Here, we elucidate the role of the charge density wave (CDW) in the prototypical cuprate La$_{1.885}$Sr$_{0.115}$CuO$_4$, by studying the effects of large magnetic fields ($H$) up to 24 Tesla. At low temperatures ($T$), the observed CDW peaks reveal two distinct regions in the material: a majority phase with short-range CDW coexisting with superconductivity, and a minority phase with longer-range CDW coexisting with static spin density wave (SDW). With increasing magnetic field, the CDW first grows smoothly in a manner similar to the SDW. However, at high fields we discover a sudden increase in the CDW amplitude upon entering the vortex-liquid state. Our results signify strong coupling of the CDW to mobile superconducting vortices and link enhanced CDW amplitude with local superconducting pairing across the $H-T$ phase diagram.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Anisotropic quasiparticle coherence in nematic BaFe$_2$As$_2$ studied with strain-dependent ARPES

The hallmark of nematic order in iron-based superconductors is a resistivity anisotropy but it is unclear to which extent quasiparticle dispersions, lifetimes and coherence contribute. While the lifted degeneracy of the Fe $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ dispersions has been studied extensively, only little is known about the two other factors. Here, we combine in situ strain tuning with ARPES and study the nematic response of the spectral weight in BaFe$_2$As$_2$. The symmetry analysis of the ARPES spectra demonstrates that the $d_{xz}$ band gains quasiparticle spectral weight compared to the $d_{yz}$ band for negative antisymmetric strain $Δε_{yy}$ suggesting the same response inside the nematic phase. Our results are compatible with a different coherence of the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbital within a Hund's metal picture. We also discuss the influence of orbital mixing.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Low work function in the 122-family of iron-based superconductors

We determine the work functions of the iron arsenic compounds $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($A=\mathrm{Ca, Ba, Cs}$) using photoemission spectroscopy to be 2.7 eV for CaFe$_2$As$_2$, 1.8 eV for BaFe$_2$As$_2$, and 1.3 eV for CsFe$_2$As$_2$. The work functions of these 122 iron-based superconductors track those of the elementary metal $A$ but are substantially smaller. The most likely explanation of this observation is that the cleaving surface exposes only half an $A$-layer. The low work function and good photoemission cross section of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ and CsFe$_2$As$_2$ enable photoemission even from a common white LED light.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Momentum Dependence of the Nematic Order Parameter in Iron-Based Superconductors

The momentum dependence of the nematic order parameter is an important ingredient in the microscopic description of iron-based high-temperature superconductors. While recent reports on FeSe indicate that the nematic order parameter changes sign between electron and hole bands, detailed knowledge is still missing for other compounds. Combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) with uniaxial strain tuning, we measure the nematic band splitting in both FeSe and BaFe$_2$As$_2$ without interference from either twinning or magnetic order. We find that the nematic order parameter exhibits the same momentum dependence in both compounds with a sign change between the Brillouin center and the corner. This suggests that the same microscopic mechanism drives the nematic order in spite of the very different phase diagrams.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Detailed band structure of twinned and detwinned BaFe$_2$As$_2$ studied with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We study the band structure of twinned and detwinned BaFe$_2$As$_2$ using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The combination of measurements in the ordered and normal state along four high-symmetry momentum directions $Γ$/Z--X/Y enables us to identify the complex reconstructed band structure in the ordered state in great detail. We clearly observe the nematic splitting of the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbitals as well as folding due to magnetic order with a wave vector of $(π,π,π)$. We are able to assign all observed bands. In particular we suggest an assignment of the electron bands different from previous reports. The high quality spectra allow us to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the band structure of BaFe$_2$As$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Fermi surface reconstruction in electron-doped cuprates without antiferromagnetic long-range order

Fermi surface (FS) topology is a fundamental property of metals and superconductors. In electron-doped cuprate Nd2-xCexCuO4 (NCCO), an unexpected FS reconstruction has been observed in optimal- and over-doped regime (x=0.15-0.17) by quantum oscillation measurements (QOM). This is all the more puzzling because neutron scattering suggests that the antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range order, which is believed to reconstruct the FS, vanishes before x=0.14. To reconcile the conflict, a widely discussed external magnetic field-induced AFM long-range order in QOM explains the FS reconstruction as an extrinsic property. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) evidence of FS reconstruction in optimal- and over-doped NCCO. The observed FSs are in quantitative agreement with QOM, suggesting an intrinsic FS reconstruction without field. This reconstructed FS, despite its importance as a basis to understand electron-doped cuprates, cannot be explained under the traditional scheme. Furthermore, the energy gap of the reconstruction decreases rapidly near x=0.17 like an order parameter, echoing the quantum critical doping in transport. The totality of the data points to a mysterious order between x=0.14 and 0.17, whose appearance favors the FS reconstruction and disappearance defines the quantum critical doping. A recent topological proposal provides an ansatz for its origin.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Three dimensional collective charge excitations in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

High temperature cuprate superconductors consist of stacked CuO2 planes, with primarily two dimensional electronic band structures and magnetic excitations, while superconducting coherence is three dimensional. This dichotomy highlights the importance of out-of-plane charge dynamics, believed to be incoherent in the normal state, yet lacking a comprehensive characterization in energy-momentum space. Here, we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) with polarization analysis to uncover the pure charge character of a recently discovered collective mode in electron-doped cuprates. This mode disperses along both the in- and, importantly, out-of-plane directions, revealing its three dimensional nature. The periodicity of the out-of-plane dispersion corresponds to the CuO2 plane distance rather than the crystallographic c-axis lattice constant, suggesting that the interplane Coulomb interaction drives the coherent out-of-plane charge dynamics. The observed properties are hallmarks of the long-sought acoustic plasmon, predicted for layered systems and argued to play a substantial role in mediating high temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Specific heat of Ba$_{0.59}$K$_{0.41}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, and a new method for identifying the electron contribution: two electron bands with different energy gaps in the superconducting state

We report measurements of the specific heat of Ba$_{0.59}$K$_{0.41}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, an Fe-pnictide superconductor with $T_c$ = 36.9 K, for which there are suggestions of an unusual electron pairing mechanism. We use a new method of analysis of the data to derive the parameters characteristic of the electron contribution. It is based on comparisons of $α$-model expressions for the electron contribution with the total measured specific heat, which give the electron contribution directly. It obviates the need in the conventional analyses for an independent, necessarily approximate, determination of the lattice contribution, which is subtracted from the total specific heat to obtain the electron contribution. It eliminates the uncertainties and errors in the electron contribution that follow from the approximations in the determination of the lattice contribution. Our values of the parameters characteristic of the electron contribution differ significantly from those obtained in conventional analyses of specific-heat data for five similar hole-doped BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ superconductors, which also differ significantly among themselves. They show that the electron density of states is comprised of contributions from two electron bands with superconducting-state energy gaps that differ by a factor 3.8, with 77$\%$ coming from the band with the larger gap. The variation of the specific heat with magnetic field is consistent with extended $s$-wave pairing, one of the theoretical predictions. The relation between the densities of states and the energy gaps in the two bands is not consistent with a theoretical model based on interband interactions alone. Comparison of the normal-state density of states with band-structure calculations shows an extraordinarily large effective mass enhancement, for which there is no precedent in similar materials and no theoretical explanation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Magnetic neutron diffraction study of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 critical exponents through the tricritical doping

We present temperature dependent magnetic neutron diffraction measurements on Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ for $x$ = 0.039, 0.022, and 0.021 as-grown single crystals. Our investigations probe the behavior near the magnetic tricritical point in the ($x$,$T$) plane, $x_{tr} \approx $0.022, as well as systematically exploring the character of the magnetic phase transition across a range of doping values. All samples show long range antiferromagnetic order that may be described near the transition by simple power laws, with $β$ =~0.306$\pm$0.060 for $x$ =~0.039, $β$ =~0.208$\pm$0.005 for $x$ =~0.022, and $β$ =~0.198$\pm$0.009 for $x$ =~0.021. For the $x$ =~0.039 sample, the data are reasonably well described by the order parameter exponent $β$ =~0.326 expected for a 3D Ising model while the $x$ =~0.022 and $x$ =~0.021 samples are near the $β$ =~0.25 value for a tricritical system in the mean-field approximation. These results are discussed in the context of existing experimental work and theoretical predictions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

High-pressure effects on single crystals electron-doped r$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$

We present high pressure diamond anvil cell synchrotron X-ray, resistivity, and ac-susceptibility measurements on electron-doped cuprate Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ to much higher pressures than previously reported. At 2.72 GPa between 88 and 98$%$ of the superconducting T$^\prime$ phase \cite{Tprime} of the optimally doped Pr$_{1.85}$Ce$_{0.15}$CuO$_{4}$ transforms into the insulating phase T. The T$_{c}$ of the remaining 2-12$%$ T$^\prime$ phase is suppressed continuously from 22 K to 18.5 K at about 14 GPa. Remarkably, the T$_{c}$ of the over doped Pr$_{1.83}$Ce$_{0.17}$CuO$_{4}$ remains practically unchanged even at 32 GPa. This behavior of the electron-doped cuprate contrasts with that of the hole-doped cuprate for which T$_{c}$ is first substantially enhanced with applied pressure.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

A neutron scattering study of the under-doped Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, x=0.09 and 0.17 self-flux grown single crystals and the universality of the tricritical point

We present a combination of elastic neutron scattering measurements in zero and 14.5 T and magnetization measurements in zero and 14 T on under-doped superconducting Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ x=0.17, and the same measurements in zero field on a non-superconducting crystal with x=0.09. The data suggest that the under-doped materials may not be electronic phase separated but rather have slightly inhomogeneous potassium doping. The temperature dependence of the magnetic order parameter (OP) below the transition of the sample with x=0.09 is more gradual than that for the case of the un-doped BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$, suggesting that this doping may be in the vicinity of a tricritical point. We advance therefore the hypothesis that the tricritical point is a common feature of all superconducting 122s. For the x=0.17 sample, while T$_{c}$ is suppressed from $\approx$17 K to $\approx$8 K by a magnetic field of 14 T, the intensity of the magnetic Bragg peaks (1 0 3) at 1.2 K is enhanced by 10$%$ showing competition of superconductivity (SC) and antiferromagnetism (AFM). The intensity of the magnetic Bragg peaks (1 0 3) in the (T$_{c}$, T$_{N}$) temperature interval remain practically unchanged in 14.5 T within a 10$%$ statistical error. The present results are discussed in the context of the existing literature.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

First and second order magnetic and structural transitions in BaFe$_{2(1-x)}$Co$_{2x}$As$_{2}$

We present here high resolution magnetization measurements on high-quality BaFe$_{2(1-x)}$Co$_{2x}$As$_{2}$, 0$\leq$x$\leq$0.046 as-grown single crystals. The results confirm the existence of a magnetic tricritical point in the ($x$,$T$) plane at x$^{m}_{tr}$$\approx$0.022 and reveal the emergence of the heat capacity anomaly associated with the onset of the structural transition at x$^{s}$$\approx$0.0064. We show that the samples with doping near x$^{m}_{tr}$ do not show superconductivity, but rather superconductivity emerges at a slightly higher cobalt doping, x$\approx$0.0315

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Heat capacity study of BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$: effects of annealing

Heat-capacity, X-ray diffraction, and resistivity measurements on a high-quality BaFe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ sample show an evolution of the magneto-structural transition with successive annealing periods. After a 30-day anneal the resistivity in the (ab) plane decreases by more than an order of magnitude, to 12 $μΩ$cm, with a residual resistance ratio $\sim$36; the heat-capacity anomaly at the transition sharpens, to an overall width of less than K, and shifts from 135.4 to 140.2 K. The heat-capacity anomaly in both the as-grown sample and after the 30-day anneal shows a hysteresis of $\sim$0.15 K, and is unchanged in a magnetic field $μ_{0}$H = 14 T. The X-ray and heat-capacity data combined suggest that there is a first order jump in the structural order parameter. The entropy of the transition is reported.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Antiferromagnetic Critical Fluctuations in BaFe$_2$As$_2$

Magnetic correlations near the magneto-structural phase transition in the bilayer iron pnictide parent compound, BaFe$_2$As$_2$, are measured. In close proximity to the antiferromagnetic phase transition in BaFe$_2$As$_2$, a crossover to three dimensional critical behavior is anticipated and has been preliminarily observed. Here we report complementary measurements of two-dimensional magnetic fluctuations over a broad temperature range about T$_N$. The potential role of two-dimensional critical fluctuations in the magnetic phase behavior of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ and their evolution near the anticipated crossover to three dimensional critical behavior and long-range order are discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Universal magnetic and structural behaviors in the iron arsenides

Commonalities among the order parameters of the ubiquitous antiferromagnetism present in the parent compounds of the iron arsenide high temperature superconductors are explored. Additionally, comparison is made between the well established two-dimensional Heisenberg-Ising magnet, K$_2$NiF$_4$ and iron arsenide systems residing at a critical point whose structural and magnetic phase transitions coincide. In particular, analysis is presented regarding two distinct classes of phase transition behavior reflected in the development of antiferromagnetic and structural order in the three main classes of iron arsenide superconductors. Two distinct universality classes are mirrored in their magnetic phase transitions which empirically are determined by the proximity of the coupled structural and magnetic phase transitions in these materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Phase diagram of the PrFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ superconductor

The electronic phase diagram of PrFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ (0$\leq$x$\leq$0.225) has been determined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, magnetization and resistivity measurements. The structural transition temperature is suppressed from 154 K to $\approx$120 K and the magnetic phase transitions of both iron and praseodymium ions are completely suppressed by x$\approx$0.08 fluorine doping, coinciding with the emergence of superconductivity. The optimal doping is x$\approx$0.15 when T$_{C}$=47 K, while the maximum solubility of fluorine in PrFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$ is reached around x=0.22. The structural, magnetic and superconducting phase diagram is presented.

cond-mat.supr-con↗