arXiv subjects

Hongen Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Hongen Zhu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Termination-Dependent Surface States and Magnetic Fingerprints of Chiral Helimagnet Cr1/3TaS2

Chiral helimagnets based on intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides, characterized by nano-scale spin ordering, provide a powerful route to engineer chiral spin textures (e.g. the topologically protected magnetic solitons) and emergent electronic functionality at reduced dimensions, where surface and interface states often dominate device operation. However, despite growing interest, direct experimental studies of termination-dependent surface electronic structures and their temperature-driven magnetic evolution remain largely unexplored, hindering a microscopic understanding of the electronic states that is crucial for the development of low-dimensional spintronic devices. Here, for the first time, taking Cr1/3TaS2 as a representative example, we systematically investigate the termination-dependent surface electronic states of the chiral helimagnets and uncover their distinct temperature evolution across the magnetic transition (TC~142K) by combining high-resolution ARPES with a micro-focused beam and surface-state-resolved first-principles calculations. The TaS2-terminated surface hosts folded monolayer-like TaS2 bands under the $\sqrt3\times\sqrt3$ superlattice potential and a shallow triangular electron pocket at the superlattice $\bar K$ point arising from Cr-Ta orbital hybridization. In contrast, the Cr-terminated surface exhibits reconstructed hole pockets with pronounced magnetic band splitting. This splitting disappears above TC and closely follows the chiral helimagnetic order parameter, providing a direct spectroscopic fingerprint of chiral helimagnetic order. In addition, multiple ultranarrow Cr-d-derived surface flat bands are resolved. These findings establish Cr1/3TaS2 as a model system in which surface electronic states are strongly coupled to chiral magnetism, opening new opportunities for chiral spintronic and valleytronic micro/nanodevices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Unusual Dual Flat Bands and two-dimensional Dirac-node Arc State in Kagome Metal Ni3In2S2

Kagome materials are at the frontier of condensed matter physics. An ideal kagome lattice features only one geometrically frustrated flat band spanning the entire momentum space and a single Dirac cone at the Brillouin-zone corners. However, for the first time, here we observe unusual flat-band and Dirac physics in the newly discovered "322" kagome material Ni3In2S2 by combining high-resolution synchrotron- and laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a micro-focused beam, scanning tunneling microscopy, and first-principles calculations. We resolve two distinct electronic flat-band states located in close proximity to the Fermi level: a robust Topological Surface Flat Band at ~40 meV below the Fermi level on the Sulfur-terminated surface, originating from weak topological insulator states, and a kagome lattice-derived flat band at ~100 meV binding energy with an ultranarrow bandwidth (~5 meV). Instead of the single Dirac cone, the Indium-terminated surface hosts a rare two-dimensional Dirac-node arc state, where the gapless Dirac nodes extend along an open one-dimensional line crossing the Brillouin-zone boundary, exhibiting sharp linear dispersion, exceptionally high Fermi velocity, and pronounced circular dichroism. These findings establish Ni3In2S2 as a unique topological kagome metal in which multiple flat-band states of different physical origin coexist with an unusual Dirac-node arc, opening an avenue for discovering flat-band--driven and topology-enabled quantum phenomena.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Interfacial Charge-transfer Excitonic Insulator in a Two-dimensional Organic-inorganic Superlattice

Excitonic insulators are long-sought-after quantum materials predicted to spontaneously open a gap by the Bose condensation of bound electron-hole pairs, namely, excitons, in their ground state. Since the theoretical conjecture, extensive efforts have been devoted to pursuing excitonic insulator platforms for exploring macroscopic quantum phenomena in real materials. Reliable evidences of excitonic character have been obtained in layered chalcogenides as promising candidates. However, owing to the interference of intrinsic lattice instabilities, it is still debatable whether those features, such as charge density wave and gap opening, are primarily driven by the excitonic effect or by the lattice transition. Herein, we develop a novel charge-transfer excitonic insulator in organic-inorganic superlattice interfaces, which serves as an ideal platform to decouple the excitonic effect from the lattice effect. In this system, we observe the narrow gap opening and the formation of a charge density wave without periodic lattice distortion, providing visualized evidence of exciton condensation occurring in thermal equilibrium. Our findings identify spontaneous interfacial charge transfer as a new strategy for developing novel excitonic insulators and investigating their correlated many-body physics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Strong bulk-surface interaction dominated in-plane anisotropy of electronic structure in GaTe

Recently, intriguing physical properties have been unraveled in anisotropic layered semiconductors, in which the in-plane electronic band structure anisotropy often originates from the low crystallographic symmetry and thus a thickness-independent character emerges. Here, we apply high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to directly image the in-plane anisotropic energy bands in monoclinic gallium telluride (GaTe). Our first-principles calculations reveal the in-plane anisotropic energy band structure of GaTe measured experimentally is dominated by a strong bulk-surface interaction rather than geometric factors, surface effect and quantum confinement effect. Furthermore, accompanied by the thickness of GaTe increasing from mono- to few-layers, the strong interlayer coupling of GaTe induces direct-indirect-direct band gap transitions and the in-plane anisotropy of hole effective mass is reversed. Our results shed light on the physical origins of in-plane anisotropy of electronic structure in GaTe, paving the way for the design and device applications of nanoelectronics and optoelectronics based on anisotropic layered semiconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗