arXiv subjects

David Santos-Cottin

Publications and source records attributed to David Santos-Cottin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

On the cuprates' universal waterfall feature: evidence of a momentum-driven crossover

We study two related universal anomalies of the spectral function of cuprates, so called waterfall and high-energy kink features, by a combined cellular dynamical mean-field theory and angle-resolved photoemission study for the oxychloride Na$_x$Ca$_{2-x}$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ (Na-CCOC). Tracing their origin back to an interplay of spin-polaron and local correlation effects both in undoped and hole-doped (Na-)CCOC, we establish them as a universal crossover between regions differing in the momentum dependence of the coupling and not necessarily in the related quasiparticles' energies. The proposed scenario extends to doping levels coinciding with the cuprate's superconducting dome and motivates further investigations of the fate of spin-polarons in the superconducting phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Paramagnon dispersion and damping in doped Na$_{x}$Ca$_{2-x}$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$

Using Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering, we measure the paramagnon dispersion and damping of undoped, antiferromagnetic Ca$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ as well as doped, superconducting Na$_{x}$Ca$_{2-x}$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$. Our estimation of the spin-exchange parameter and width of the paramagnon peak at the zone boundary $X=(0.5,0)$ confirms that no simple relation can be drawn between these parameters and the critical temperature $T_\mathrm{c}$. Consistently with other cuprate compounds, we show that upon doping there is a slight softening at $(0.25,0)$, but not at the zone boundary $X$. In combination with these measurements we perform calculations of the dynamical spin structure factor of the one-band Hubbard model using cluster dynamical mean-field theory. The calculations are in excellent agreement with the experiment in the undoped case, both in terms of energy position and width. While the increase in width is also captured upon doping, the dynamical spin structure factor shows a sizable softening at $X$, which provides insightful information on the length-scale of the spin fluctuations in doped cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Two-dimensional fluctuations and competing phases in the stripe-like antiferromagnet BaCoS$_2$

By means of a combined x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat study, we investigate the interplay between orthorhombic distortion and stripe-like antiferromagnetic (AFM) order in the Mott insulator BaCoS$_{2}$ at $T_N=290$ K. The data give evidence of a purely electronic AFM transition with no participation of the lattice. The observation of large thermal fluctuations in the vicinity of $T_N$ and a Schottky anomaly unveils competing ground states within a minute $\sim$1 meV energy range that differ in the orbital and spin configurations of the Co ions. This interpretation suggests that the stripe-like order results from a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the geometrically frustrated pristine tetragonal phase, which offers an ideal playground to study the driving force of multi-orbital Mott transitions without the participation of the lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Addressing Shape and Extent of Weyl cones in TaAs by Landau level spectroscopy

Tantalum arsenide, TaAs, is a prime example of a topological semimetal with two types of Weyl nodes, W1 and W2, whose bulk signatures have proven elusive. We apply Landau level spectroscopy to crystals with multiple facets and identify -- among other low-energy excitations between parabolic bands -- the response of a cone extending over a wide energy range. Comparison with density functional theory studies allows us to associate this conical band with nearly isotropic W2 nodes. In contrast, W1 cones, which are more anisotropic and less extended in energy, appear to be buried too deep beneath the Fermi level. They cannot be accessed directly. Instead, the excitations in their vicinity give rise to an optical response typical of a narrow-gap semiconductor rather than a Weyl semimetal.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Structural phase transition and bandgap control through mechanical deformation in layered semiconductors 1T-ZrX2 (X = S, Se)

Applying elastic deformation can tune a material physical properties locally and reversibly. Spatially modulated lattice deformation can create a bandgap gradient, favouring photo-generated charge separation and collection in optoelectronic devices. These advantages are hindered by the maximum elastic strain that a material can withstand before breaking. Nanomaterials derived by exfoliating transition metal dichalcogenides TMDs are an ideal playground for elastic deformation, as they can sustain large elastic strains, up to a few percent. However, exfoliable TMDs with highly strain-tunable properties have proven challenging for researchers to identify. We investigated 1T-ZrS2 and 1T-ZrSe2, exfoliable semiconductors with large bandgaps. Under compressive deformation, both TMDs dramatically change their physical properties. 1T-ZrSe2 undergoes a reversible transformation into an exotic three-dimensional lattice, with a semiconductor-to-metal transition. In ZrS2, the irreversible transformation between two different layered structures is accompanied by a sudden 14 % bandgap reduction. These results establish that Zr-based TMDs are an optimal strain-tunable platform for spatially textured bandgaps, with a strong potential for novel optoelectronic devices and light harvesting.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Photoinduced renormalization of Dirac states in BaNiS$_2$

By means of pump-probe time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we provide evidence of a sizeable reduction of the Fermi velocity of out-of-equilibrium Dirac bands in the quasi-two-dimensional semimetal BaNiS$_2$. First-principle calculations indicate that this band renormalization is ascribed to a change in non-local electron correlations driven by a photo-induced enhancement of screening properties. This effect is accompanied by a slowing down of the Dirac fermions and by a non-rigid shift of the bands at the center of the Brillouin zone. This result suggests that other similar electronic structure renormalizations may be photoinduced in other materials in presence of strong non-local correlations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Importance of non-local electron correlations in BaNiS$_{2}$ semimetal from quantum oscillations studies

By means of Shubnikov-de-Haas and de-Haas-van-Alphen oscillations, and ab initio calculations, we have studied the Fermi surface of high-quality BaNiS$_2$ single crystals, with mean free path $l \sim 400 ~\textÅ$. The angle and temperature dependence of quantum oscillations indicates a quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface, made of an electron-like tube centred at $Γ$, and of 4 hole-like cones, generated by Dirac bands, weakly dispersive in the out-of-plane direction. Ab initio electronic structure calculations, in the density functional theory framework, show that the inclusion of screened exchange is necessary to account for the experimental Fermi pockets. Therefore, the choice of the functional becomes crucial. A modified HSE hybrid functional with 7% of exact exchange outperforms both GGA and GGA+U density functionals, signalling the importance of non-local screened-exchange interactions in BaNiS$_2$, and, more generally, in $3d$ compensated semimetals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Anomalous metallic state in quasi-two-dimensional BaNiS$_{2}$

We report on a systematic study of the thermodynamic, electronic and charge transport properties of high-quality single crystals of BaNiS$_2$, the metallic end-member of the quasi-twodimensional BaCo$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$S$_2$ system characterized by a metal-insulator transition at $x_{cr}=0.22$. Our analysis of magnetoresistivity and specific heat data consistently suggests a picture of compensated semimetal with two hole- and one electron-bands, where electron-phonon scattering dominates charge transport and the minority holes exhibit, below $\sim$100 K, a very large mobility, $μ_h\sim$ 15000 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$, which is explained by a Dirac-like band. Evidence of unconventional metallic properties is given by an intriguing crossover of the resistivity from a Bloch-Grüneisen regime to a linear$-T$ regime occurring at 2 K and by a strong linear term in the paramagnetic susceptibility above 100 K. We discuss the possibility that these anomalies reflect a departure from conventional Fermi-liquid properties in presence of short-range AF fluctuations and of a large Hund coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗