arXiv subjects

Chiranjib Mitra

Publications and source records attributed to Chiranjib Mitra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Optimizing Oscilloscope based Acquisition for Pulsed Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance Measurements

Ensembles of nitrogen vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond have emerged as a promising platform for fundamental studies and applications in quantum sensing and quantum information processing. Here, we demonstrate the use of a digital oscilloscope for acquiring pulsed optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) data from an ensemble of NV centers in diamond. The oscilloscope facilitates improved signal visualization, and simplifies system debugging. We show that on-board waveform averaging in the oscilloscope enables more efficient measurements. The detection scheme, and data processing are optimized to allow fast acquisition of high quality data. The system noise, and its impact on the measurements is analyzed in detail. The data processing method is shown to effectively suppress a broad range of noise spectral components, thereby reducing the total noise in the processed data. Furthermore, the introduction of an analog low pass filter in the signal path is shown to improve the measurement by removing aliasing. The framework developed in this work can be extended to other detection techniques and material platforms for ODMR. We expect that the insights developed here will guide the design, and development of dedicated instruments for ODMR in future.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Photon Momentum Enabled Symmetry Breaking and Nonlinear Photocurrents in the Centrosymmetric Dirac Semimetal PdTe

In centrosymmetric Dirac semimetals, second order nonlinear photocurrents are forbidden by the coexistence of time-reversal and inversion symmetries. Here, we demonstrate that finite photon momentum transfer acts as a dynamic symmetry breaking mechanism in PdTe, enabling nonlinear optical responses that are nominally forbidden in the centrosymmetric bulk. Through polarization sensitive measurements, we resolve distinct contributions from the circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE), geometric shift currents, and photon drag mediated processes. We show that the helicity dependent current vanishes at normal incidence and reverses sign with the angle of incidence, reflecting the coupling between photons and spin polarized surface states. Crucially, thickness dependent analysis reveals that the helicity dependent photocurrent component C scales with film thickness, establishing a robust bulk contribution enabled by momentum transfer. This confirms that incident photons provide the directional axis required to probe interband quantum geometry, rather than the response originating solely from surface states or strain. Our results demonstrate that optical excitation can dynamically reduce the effective symmetry of the system, enabling access to quantum geometric tensors and establishing PdTe as a promising platform for exploring nonequilibrium dynamics governed by photon momentum in high symmetry topological materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Magnetoconductance evolution across the topological-trivial phase transition in ${In_{x}}({Bi_{0.3}}{Sb_{0.7}})_{2-x}{Te_3}$ thin films

We investigate the evolution of electronic transport across the topological-trivial phase transition in ${\rm In}_{x}({\rm Bi}_{0.3}{\rm Sb}_{0.7})_{2-x}{\rm Te}_3$ thin films by systematically tuning the indium concentration $x$. Increasing $x$ reduces the effective spin-orbit coupling, driving a topological quantum phase transition near $x \approx 7\%$, and at higher disorder a crossover from diffusive to strongly localized transport around $x \approx 15\%$. In the diffusive regime, the magnetoconductance is well described by the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka formalism, with the evolution of the WAL prefactor $α$ correlating with the band-inversion transition. Beyond the diffusive limit, transport crosses into variable-range hopping, accompanied by a striking reversal of magnetoconductance from negative to positive. The observed positive low-field magnetoconductance, its pronounced anisotropy, and its temperature evolution point to an orbital origin of the response. These features are naturally captured by incorporating the incoherent hopping mechanism of Raikh \textit{et al.} together with wavefunction shrinkage, rather than by conventional quantum-correction frameworks. Our results provide a unified picture of how topology, spin-orbit coupling, and disorder collectively determine the full field-temperature magnetotransport landscape in this material class, establishing a clear experimental link between the topological phase transition and the onset of incoherent hopping-dominated conduction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Band Meandering due to Charged Impurity Effects and Carrier Transport in Ternary Topological Insulators

Controlling charged impurity disorder is a critical challenge for realizing the promise of topological insulator (TI) surfaces in devices. While doping is often used to tune the chemical potential, its impact on the fundamental disorder landscape remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate this effect in ternary (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ (BST) thin films and their indium-doped (IBST) counterparts. Gate-dependent transport reveals that indium doping increases charged impurity density by an order of magnitude, which in turn reduces the characteristic size of disorder-induced charge puddles from $\sim$91 nm to $\sim$38 nm. This amplified disorder enhances Coulomb scattering and suppresses field-effect mobility, directly demonstrating how doping-induced compensation degrades surface transport. Our work establishes doping as a powerful method to probe the limits of topological protection and underscores that defect suppression, not just compensation, is essential for developing high-performance TI devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast Dynamics of Spin-Orbit Entangled Excitons Coupled to Magnetic Ordering in van der Waals Antiferromagnet NiPS3

Spin-orbit entangled excitons (SOEE) in two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnets provide direct access to explore unconventional many body interactions in correlated electron systems. In this work, we carry out a detailed investigation using non-degenerate isotropic and anisotropic pump-probe reflection spectroscopy to probe the ultrafast dynamics of SOEE and their coupling to spin fluctuations in NiPS3. Transient reflectivity data reveals acoustic phonon oscillations at ~ 27 GHz, along with two distinct relaxation timescales: fast (1-9 ps) and slower components (1-4 ns) associated with SOEE coherence and spin reordering, respectively. Both timescales exhibit pronounced temperature dependence near the exciton dissociation (TED = 120 K) and Neel (TN = 155 K) temperatures. The SOEE coherence shortens from ~ 8-9 ps at T < TED to ~ 3 ps at T > TED with a finite tail persisting beyond TN. The spin reordering time grows near 120 K, and shows critical slowing down around TN. Pump fluence studies further corroborate their spin origin. Our findings uncover the direct interplay between the excitonic and spin degrees of freedom across ultrafast and longer timescales, offering new opportunities to probe and engineer emergent many-body interactions in 2D antiferromagnets.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2025

Optimizing defect states in $(Bi_{0.3}Sb_{0.7})_{2}Te_{3}$ ternary topological insulators using indium doping

This study investigates the influence of indium doping on the defect states in (Bi0.3Sb0.7)2Te3 (BST) ternary topological insulators. Thin (10 nm) and thick (60 nm) films of pristine BST and indium-doped BST (In0.14(Bi0.3Sb0.7)1.86Te3) were synthesized using pulsed laser deposition. The electronic properties were characterized through low-frequency noise spectroscopy and temperature-dependent resistance (R-T) measurements. For the 10 nm films, R-T analysis revealed that indium doping shifts the thermal activation energy by approximately 100 meV. This doping also suppresses a shallow impurity band at 72 meV, a finding corroborated by 1/f noise measurements. In the 60 nm films, noise spectroscopy was used to probe deep defect states, where indium doping was found to increase the activation energy from 292.3 meV to 392 meV -- a consistent shift of 100 meV. These findings demonstrate that indium doping is an effective method for systematically modifying both shallow and deep defect states, enhancing the insulating properties and offering a mechanism to engineer the electronic behavior of topological insulators for advanced electronic applications where noise reduction is crucial.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast dynamics of carriers, coherent acoustic phonons and strain pulses in BiSbTe1.5Se1.5 topological insulator thin films

We Investigate the ultrafast carrier, coherent acoustic phonons (CAPs), and acoustic strain pulse dynamics in topological insulator BiSbTe1.5Se1.5 (BSTS) thin films of varying thickness using degenerate pump-probe reflection spectroscopy. Here, Sapphire has been chosen as the main substrate due to its maximum acoustic reflectivity at the BSTS-sapphire interface compared to BSTS-GaAs, BSTS-Si, and BSTS-MgO interfaces. For the films with thickness more than twice the penetration depth, the transient reflectivity data predominantly exhibits travelling acoustic strain pulses (TASP) on the top of single-exponential electronic decay (~ 2 ps). In contrast, films with thickness less than penetration depth are dominated by CAPs and a bi exponential electronic background with decay times of ~ 2 ps and ~ 260-380 ps. The observed TASP dynamics are well-described by a theoretical acoustic strain model. Further, to elucidate the underlying physical mechanisms governing the behavior of photo-excited carriers, CAPs, and strain pulses, we performed carrier density and temperature-dependent (7-294 K) studies on BSTS films with thicknesses of 22 nm and 192 nm. In the 22 nm film, the both fast and slow decay processes increase with carrier density at room temperature but decrease with temperature at a carrier density of 1.7*10^{19} cm^{-3}. A detailed analysis suggests that the faster decay arises from electron-phonon scattering and carrier diffusion, while the slower decay likely results from defect-assisted and phonon-assisted recombination. Furthermore, increasing the sample temperature leads to anharmonic decay induced softening of ~ 14 % in the phonon frequency and an anomalous ~ 48 % decrease in the phonon damping parameter due to reduced Dirac surface electron and acoustic phonon scattering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Investigation of magnetic order influenced phonon and electron dynamics in MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and Sb doped MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ through terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$, the first topological insulator with inherent magnetic ordering, has attracted significant attention recently for providing a platform to realize several exotic quantum phenomena at relatively higher temperatures. In this work, we have carried out an exhaustive investigation of MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and Sb doped MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ thin films using THz time-domain spectroscopy. The extracted real THz conductivity displays a strong IR active E$_u$ phonon absorption peak (at $\sim$1.5 THz) merged on top of the Drude-like contributions from bulk and surface electrons. The extracted parameters from the THz conductivity data fitted to the Drude-Fano-Lorentz model, show significant changes in their temperature dependence around the magnetic ordering Néel temperature of $\sim$ 25K, which is suggestive of the coupling between magnetic ordering and electronic band structure. The frequency of the E$_u$ phonon displays an anomalous blue-shift with increasing temperatures by $\sim$ 0.1 THz ($\sim$7 %) for MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and $\sim$0.2 THz ($\sim$13 %) for Sb doped MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ between 7K and 250K. The line-shape of the E$_u$ phonon mode in Sb doped MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ shows significant Fano asymmetry compared to that of MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$, indicating that Sb doping plays an important role in the Fano interference between the phonons and the electrons, in this system. These results indicate that the anomalous phonon behaviour seen in MBT arise mainly from positive cubic anharmonicity induced self energy parameter, whereas both anharmonicity and the electron phonon coupling are at play in making the relatively higher anomalous blue shift of phonons in MBST. Our studies provide the first comprehensive understanding of the phonon and electron dynamics of MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and Sb doped MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ in the THz range using time-domain THz spectroscopy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Anisotropic magneto-photothermal voltage in Sb2Te3 topological insulator thin films

We studied longitudinal and Hall photothermal voltages under a planar magnetic field scan in epitaxial thin films of the Topological Insulator (TI) Sb2Te3, grown using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Unlike prior research that utilised polarised light-induced photocurrent to investigate the TI, our study introduces advancements based on unpolarized light-induced local heating. This method yields a thermoelectric response exhibiting a direct signature of strong spin-orbit coupling. Our analysis reveals three distinct contributions when fitting the photothermal voltage data to the angular dependence of the planar magnetic field. The interaction between the applied magnetic field and the thermal gradient on the bulk band orbitals enables the differentiation between the ordinary Nernst effect from the out-of-plane thermal gradient and an extraordinary magneto-thermal contribution from the planar thermal gradient. The fitting of our data to theoretical models indicates that these effects primarily arise from the bulk states of the TI rather than the surface states. These findings highlight PLD-grown epitaxial topological insulator thin films as promising candidates for optoelectronic devices, including sensors and actuators. Such devices offer controllable responses through position-dependent, non-invasive local heating via focused incident light and variations in the applied magnetic field direction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Experimental investigation of the effect of topological insulator on the magnetization dynamics of ferromagnetic metal: $BiSbTe_{1.5}Se_{1.5}$ and $Ni_{80}Fe_{20}$ heterostructure

We have studied ferromagnetic metal/topological insulator bilayer system to understand magnetization dynamics of ferromagnetic metal (FM) in contact with a topological insulator (TI). At magnetic resonance condition, the precessing magnetization in the metallic ferromagnet ($Ni_{80}Fe_{20}$) injects spin current into the topological insulator ($BiSbTe_{1.5}Se_{1.5}$), a phenomenon known as spin-pumping. Due to the spin pumping effect, fast relaxation in the ferromagnet results in the broadening of ferromagnetic resonance linewidth ($ΔH$). We evaluated the parameters like effective Gilbert damping coefficient ($α_{eff}$), spin-mixing conductance ($g_{eff}^{\uparrow \downarrow}$) and spin current density ($j_S^0$) to confirm a successful spin injection due to spin-pumping into the $BiSbTe_{1.5}Se_{1.5}$ layer. TIs embody a spin-momentum locked surface state that span the bulk band-gap. It can act differently to the FM magnetization than the other normal metals. To probe the effect of topological surface state, a systematic low temperature study is crucial as surface state of TI dominates at lower temperatures. The exponential growth of $ΔH$ for all different thickness combination of FM/TI bilayers and effective Gilbert damping coefficient ($α_{eff}$) with lowering temperature confirms the prediction that spin chemical bias generated from spin-pumping induces surface current in TI due to spin-momentum locking. The hump-like feature of magnetic anisotropy field ($H_K$)of the bilayer around 60K suggests that the decrease of interfacial in-plane magnetic anisotropy can result from exchange coupling between the TI surface state and the local moments of FM layer.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Enhancement of spin to charge conversion efficiency at the topological surface state by inserting normal metal spacer layer in the topological insulator based heterostructure

We report efficient spin to charge conversion (SCC) in the topological insulator (TI) based heterostructure ($BiSbTe_{1.5}Se_{1.5}/Cu/Ni_{80}Fe_{20}$) by using spin-pumping technique where $BiSbTe_{1.5}Se_{1.5}$ is the TI and $Ni_{80}Fe_{20}$ is the ferromagnetic layer. The SCC, characterized by inverse Edelstein effect length ($λ_{IEE}$) in the TI material gets altered with an intervening Copper (Cu) layer and it depends on the interlayer thickness. The introduction of Cu layer at the interface of TI and ferromagnetic metal (FM) provides a new degree of freedom for tuning the SCC efficiency of the topological surface states. The significant enhancement of the measured spin-pumping voltage and the linewidth of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) absorption spectra due to the insertion of Cu layer at the interface indicates a reduction in spin memory loss at the interface that resulted from the presence of exchange coupling between the surface states of TI and the local moments of ferromagnetic metal. The temperature dependence (from 8K to 300K) of the evaluated $λ_{IEE}$ data for all the trilayer systems, TI/Cu/FM with different Cu thickness confirms the effect of exchange coupling between the TI and FM layer on the spin to charge conversion efficiency of the topological surface state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Tensile quantum-to-classical transition of macroscopic entangled states under complete coarse-grained measurements

The macroscopic limit at which the quantum-to-classical transition occurs remains as one of the long-standing questions in the foundations of quantum theory. There are evidences that the macroscopic limit to which the quantumness of a system persists depends on the degree of interaction due to the measurement processes. For instance, with a system having a considerably large Hilbert space dimension, if the measurement is performed in such a way that the outcome of the measurement only reveals a coarse-grained version of the information about the individual level of the concerned system then the disturbance due to the measurement process can be considered to be infinitesimally small. Based on such coarse-grained measurement the dependence of Bell inequality violation on the degree of coarsening has already been investigated [Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 010402 (2014)]. In this paper, we first capture the fact that when local-realism is taken to be the defining notion of classicality, the effect of the degree of coarsening on the downfall of quantumness of a macroscopic entangled state can be compensated by testing a Bell-inequality of a higher number of settings from a family of symmetric Bell-inequalities if the number of settings is odd. However, on the contrary, we show that such compensation can not be seen when we witness such quantum-to-classical transition using symmetric Bell inequalities having an even number of settings. Finally, complementing the above result, we show that when unsteerability is taken as the classicality, for both odd and even numbers of settings the degree of coarsening at which the quantum-to-classical transition occurs can be consistently pushed ahead by testing a linear steering inequality of a higher number of settings and observing its violation. We further extend our treatment for mixed macroscopic entangled states

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Modulating Spin Current Induced Effective Damping in $β-W/Py$ Heterostructures by a Systematic Variation in Resistivity of the Sputtered Deposited $β-W$ films

Utilizing the spin-induced pumping from a ferromagnet (FM) into a heavy metal (HM) under the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) condition, we report an enhancement in effective damping in $β$- W/Py bilayers by systematically varying resistivity ($ρ_{W}$) of $β$-W films. Different resistivity ranging from 100 $μΩ$-cm to 1400 $μΩ$-cm with a thickness of 8 nm can be achieved by varying the argon pressure ($P_{Ar}$) during the growth by the method of sputtering. The coefficient of effective damping $α_{eff}$ is observed to increase from 0.010 to 0.025 with $ρ_{W}$, which can be modulated by $P_{Ar}$. We observe a modest dependence of $α_{eff}$ on the sputtering power ($p_{S}$) while keeping the $P_{Ar}$ constant. $α_{eff}$ dependence on both $P_{Ar}$ and $p_{S}$ suggests that there exists a strong correlation between $α_{eff}$ and $ρ_{W}$. It is thus possible to utilize $ρ_{W}$ as a tuning parameter to regulate the $α_{eff}$, which can be advantageous for faster magnetization dynamics switching. The thickness dependence study of Py in the aforementioned bilayers manifests a higher spin mixing conductance ($g^{\uparrow\downarrow}_{eff}$) which suggests a strong spin pumping from Py into the $β$-W layer. The effective spin current ($J_{S(eff)}$) is also evaluated by considering the spin-back flow in this process. Intrinsic spin mixing conductance ($g^{\uparrow\downarrow}_{W}$) and spin diffusion length ($λ_{SD}$) of $β$-W are additionally investigated using thickness variations in $β$-W. Furthermore, the low-temperature study in $β$-W/Py reveals an intriguing temperature dependence in $α_{eff}$ which is quite different from $α_{b}$ of single Py layer and the enhancement in $α_{eff}$ at low temperature can be attributed to the spin-induced pumping from Py layer into $β$-W.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

A short-circuited coplanar waveguide for low-temperature single-port ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy set-up to probe the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic thin films

A coplanar waveguide shorted in one end is proposed, designed, and implemented successfully to measure the properties of magnetic thin films as a part of the vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR) spectroscopy set-up. Its simple structure, potential applications and easy installation inside the cryostat chamber made it advantageous especially for low-temperature measurements. It provides a wide band of frequencies in the gigahertz range essential for FMR measurements. Our spectroscopy set-up with short-circuited coplanar waveguide has been used to extract Gilbert damping coefficient and effective magnetization values for standard ferromagnetic thin films like Py and Co. The thickness and temperature dependent studies of those magnetic parameters have also been done here for the afore mentioned magnetic samples.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Microstrip Line Based Complementary Resonant Structure For Dielectric Characterization

In this work, a complementary resonant structure etched on the ground plane of a microstrip line is proposed for characterizing dielectric materials. The resonant sensor is designed to operate in S-band (2 to 4 GHz). The sensor is designed in an electromagnetic simulator to generate its transmission response, electric and magnetic field maps. A numerical model of the sensor is established to extract the electric permittivity of dielectric samples. The sensor is fabricated on a soft microwave laminate using a rapid photolithography technique. The electric permittivity values of wood, Teflon, and RT/duroid 5880LZ are determined by using the sensor. The permittivity values are found consistent with those available in the literature.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Quantum State Transfer Between NV Center -- $13_C$ System Coupled To A CPW Cavity

Quantum state transfer is a very important process in building a quantum network when information from flying Qubit is transferred to the stationary Qubit in a node via a quantum state transfer. NV centers due to their long coherence time and the presence of nearby $13_C$ nuclear spin is an excellent candidate for multi-Qubit quantum memory. Here we propose a theoretical description for such a quantum state transfer from a cavity to a nearest neighbour $13_C$ nuclear spin of a single Nitrogen vacancy center in diamond; it shows great potential in realizing scalable quantum networks and quantum simulation. The full Hamiltonian was considered with the zeroth-order and interaction terms in the Hamiltonian and the theory of effective hamiltonian theory was applied. We study the time evolution of the combined cavity-$13_C$ state through analytical calculation and simulation using QuTip. Graphs for state transfer and fidelity measurement are presented here. We show that our theoretical description verifies a high fidelity quantum state transfer from the cavity to $13_C$ center by choosing suitable system parameters.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Controlling helicity-dependent photocurrent in polycrystalline Sb$_2$Te$_2$Se topological insulator thin films at ambient temperature through wave-vector of and photothermal gradient due to polarized light

Optical control of helicity-dependent photocurrent in topological insulator Sb$_2$Te$_2$Se has been studied at room temperature on dominantly c-axis oriented granular polycrystalline samples grown by pulsed laser deposition technique. Strong spin-orbit coupling and spin-momentum locking make this system unique for their applications. We observed that photocurrent can be controlled by exciting the sample with different circular and linear polarized light, yielding a polarization-dependent current density which can be fitted very well with a theoretical model. Magnitude of the photocurrent is higher even at room temperature, compared to previous reports on other single-crystal topological insulators. Comparison with the theoretical model suggests that photocurrent has different contributions. Study of dependence of photocurrent on the angle of incidence (wave-vector) of the excitation laser beam with respect to the surface normal of the sample helps to identify origins of different terms contributing to the observed photocurrent. Incidence-angle driven helicity switching, which is a very simple and effective technique to control the directional photocurrent, has also been observed in this study. This photocurrent can also be controlled with the help of photothermal gradient generated by the excitation light beam. Enhancement and inversion of this photocurrent in presence of photothermal gradient for light incident on two opposite edges of the sample occur due to selective spin state excitation with two opposite (left and right) circularly polarized light in presence of the unique spin-momentum locked surface states. These observations renders this polycrystalline material to be more important in polarization-dependent photodetection applications as well as for spin-optoelectronics under ambient conditions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Detection of electron spin resonance down to 10 K using localized spoof surface plasmon

In this study, novel use of the electromagnetic field profile of a localized spoof surface plasmonic mode to detect electron spin resonance is being reported. The mode is supported on a resonator with a complementary metallic spiral structure, etched on the ground plane of a microstrip line having a characteristic impedance of 50 $Ω$. The change in characteristics of the mode of interest with lowering of temperature has been observed and analyzed. Electron spin resonance spectra of a standard paramagnetic sample, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, are recorded using this resonator down to 10 K. Potential application of the mode in the detection of microwave Rashba field-driven electron spin resonance has been discussed.

physics.app-ph↗