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Hongtao He

Publications and source records attributed to Hongtao He.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Room-temperature field-tunable radiofrequency rectification in epitaxial SrIrO3 films

Although significant advancements have been made in wireless technologies and portable devices, it remains a challenge for high-frequency and nanowatt-level radiofrequency rectification. In this work, we report a pronounced radiofrequency rectification up to 37 GHz in nominally centrosymmetric SrIrO3 epitaxial films, with the minimum detectable power as low as ~300 nanowatts. Strikingly, the SrIrO3 rectifier is highly field-tunable and exhibits a strong in-plane field anisotropy, thus showing a unique advantage in broad-band radiofrequency rectification. The rectification effect can persist up to at least 360 K and shows a sensitive temperature dependence including a sign inversion. By a systematic study of the nonlinear transport properties of SrIrO3, it is further revealed that the radiofrequency rectification originates from the nonlinear Hall effect with the dominant contribution from field-induced Berry curvature dipole. Our work demonstrates the superior performance of the field-tunable SrIrO3 rectifiers, unleashing the great application potential of centrosymmetric materials in harvesting and detecting ambient electromagnetic energy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2024

Emerging quantum critical phase in a cluster spin-glass

Magnetic frustration has been recognized as pivotal to investigating new phases of matter in correlation-driven Kondo breakdown quantum phase transitions that are not clearly associated with broken symmetry. The nature of these new phases, however, remains underexplored. Here, we report quantum criticalities emerging from a cluster spin-glass in the heavy-fermion metal TiFe$_x$Cu$_{2x-1}$Sb, where frustration originates from intrinsic disorder. Specific heat and magnetic Gr\"uneisen parameter measurements under varying magnetic fields exhibit quantum critical scaling, indicating a quantum critical point near 0.13 Tesla. As the magnetic field increases, the cluster spin-glass phase is progressively suppressed. Upon crossing the quantum critical point, resistivity and Hall effect measurements reveal enhanced screening of local moments and an expanding Fermi surface, consistent with the Kondo breakdown scenario.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Edelstein effect induced superconducting diode effect in inversion symmetry breaking MoTe$_2$ Josephson junctions

Superconducting diode effect (SDE) with nonreciprocal supercurrent transport has attracted intense attention recently, not only for its intriguing physics, but also for its great application potential in superconducting circuits. It is revealed in this work that planar Josephson junctions (JJs) based on type-II Weyl semimetal (WSM) MoTe$_2$ can exhibit a prominent SDE due to the emergence of asymmetric Josephson effect (AJE) in perpendicular magnetic fields. The AJE manifests itself in a very large asymmetry in the critical supercurrents with respect to the current direction. The sign of this asymmetry can also be effectively modulated by the external magnetic field. Considering the special noncentrosymmetric crystal symmetry of MoTe$_2$, this AJE is understood in terms of the Edelstein effect, which induces a nontrivial phase shift in the current phase relation of the junctions. Besides these, it is further demonstrated that the rectification of supercurrent in such MoTe$_2$ JJs with the rectification efficiency up to 50.4%, unveiling the great application potential of WSMs in superconducting electronics.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Twofold Symmetry Observed in Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$/FeTe Interfacial Superconductor

Superconducting pairing symmetry are crucial in understanding the microscopic superconducting mechanism of a superconductor. Here we report the observation of a twofold superconducting gap symmetry in an interfacial superconductor Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$/FeTe, by employing quasiparticle interference (QPI) technique in scanning tunneling microscopy and macroscopic magnetoresistance measurements. The QPI patterns corresponding to energies inside and outside the gap reveal a clear anisotropic superconducting gap. Furthermore, both the in-plane angle-dependent magnetoresistance and in-plane upper critical field exhibit a clear twofold symmetry. This twofold symmetry align with the Te-Te direction in FeTe, which weakens the possible generation by bi-collinear antiferromagnetism order. Our finding provides key information in further understanding of the topological properties in Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$/FeTe superconducting system and propels further theoretical interests in the paring mechanism in the system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Quantum geometry quadrupole-induced third-order nonlinear transport in antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4

The study of quantum geometry effects in materials has been one of the most important research directions in recent decades. The quantum geometry of a material is characterized by the quantum geometry tensor of the Bloch states. The imaginary part of the quantum geometry tensor gives rise to the Berry curvature while the real part gives rise to the quantum metric. While Berry curvature has been well studied in the past decades, the experimental investigation on the quantum metric effects is only at its infancy stage. In this work, we measure the nonlinear transport of bulk MnBi${_2}$Te${_4}$, which is a topological anti-ferromagnet. We found that the second order nonlinear responses are negligible as required by inversion symmetry, the third-order nonlinear responses are finite. The measured third-harmonic longitudinal ($V_{xx}^{3{\omega}}$) and transverse ($V_{xy}^{3{\omega}}$) voltages with frequency 3w, driven by an a.c. current with frequency w, show an intimate connection with magnetic transitions of MnBi${_2}$Te${_4}$ flakes. Their magnitudes change abruptly as MnBi${_2}$Te${_4}$ flakes go through magnetic transitions from an AFM state to a canted AFM state and to a FM state. In addition, the measured $V_{xx}^{3{\omega}}$ is an even function of the applied magnetic field B while $V_{xy}^{3{\omega}}$ is odd in B. Amazingly, the field dependence of the third-order responses as a function of the magnetic field suggests that $V_{xx}^{3{\omega}}$ is induced by quantum metric quadrupole and $V_{xy}^{3{\omega}}$ is induced by Berry curvature quadrupole. Therefore, the quadrupoles of both the real and the imaginary part of the quantum geometry tensor of bulk MnBi${_2}$Te${_4}$ are revealed through the third order nonlinear transport measurements. This work greatly advanced our understanding on the connections between the higher order moments of quantum geometry and nonlinear transport.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2021

Doping evolution of superconductivity, charge order and band topology in hole-doped topological kagome superconductors Cs(V$_{1-x}$Ti$_x$)$_3$Sb$_5$

The newly discovered Kagome superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs) exhibit superconductivity, charge order, and band topology simultaneously. To explore the intricate interplay between the superconducting and charge orders, we investigate the doping evolution of superconductivity, charge-density-wave (CDW) order, and band topology in doped topological kagome superconductors Cs(V$_{1-x}$Ti$_x$)$_3$Sb$_5$ where the Ti-dopant introduces hole-like charge carriers. Despite the absence of the CDW phase transition in doped compounds even for the lowest doping level of $x=0.047$, the superconductivity survives in all doped samples with enhanced critical temperatures. The high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements reveal that the Ti-dopant in the kagome plane lowers the chemical potential, pushing the van Hove singularity (VHS) at $M$ point above the Fermi level. First-principle simulations corroborate the doping evolution of the band structure observed in ARPES, and affirm that the CDW instability does not occur once the VHS is pushed above the Fermi level, explaining the absence of the CDW ordering in our doped samples Cs(V$_{1-x}$Ti$_x$)$_3$Sb$_5$. Our results demonstrate a competition between the CDW and superconducting orders in the kagome-metal superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, although the superconductivity is likely inconsequential of the CDW order.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2021

Multiple Symmetry-Protected Dirac Nodal Lines in A Quasi-One-Dimensional Semimetal

Nodal-line semimetals (NLSMs) contains Dirac/Weyl type band-crossing nodes extending into shapes of line, loop and chain in the reciprocal space, leading to novel band topology and transport responses. Robust NLSMs against spin-orbit coupling typically occur in three-dimensional materials with more symmetry operations to protect the line nodes of band crossing, while the possibilities in lower-dimensional materials are rarely discussed. Here we demonstrate robust NLSM phase in a quasi-one-dimensional nonmagnetic semimetal TaNiTe5. Combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and first-principles calculations, we reveal how reduced dimension can interact with nonsymmorphic symmetry and result into multiple Dirac-type nodal lines with four-fold degeneracy. Our findings suggest rich physics and application in (quasi-)one-dimensional topological materials and call for further investigation on the interplay between the quantum confinement and nontrivial band topology.

cond-mat.other↗
arXiv2019

Molecular Beam Epitaxy Grown $Cr_2Te_3$ Thin Films with Tunable Curie Temperatures

Materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) effect with high Curie temperature ($T_C$) is essential in applications. In this work, $Cr_2Te_3$ thin films showing PMA with $T_C$ ranging from 165 K to 295 K were successfully grown on $Al_2O_3$ by the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique. The structural analysis, magneto-transport and magnetic characterizations were conducted to study the physical origin of the improved $T_C$. In particular, ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering competition were investigated. A phenomenological model based on the coupling degree between FM and AFM ordering was proposed to explain the observed $T_C$ enhancement. Our findings indicate that the $T_C$ of $Cr_2Te_3$ thin film can be tuned, which make it hold the potential for various magnetic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2019

Polarity and spin-orbit coupling induced large interfacial exchange coupling an asymmetric charge transfer in iridate-manganite heterostructure

Charge transfer is of particular importance in manipulating the interface physics in transition-metal oxide heterostructures. In this work, we have fabricated epitaxial bilayers composed of polar 3d LaMnO3 and nonpolar 5d SrIrO3. Systematic magnetic measurements reveal an unexpectedly large exchange bias effect in the bilayer, together with a dramatic enhancement of the coercivity of LaMnO3. Based on first-principles calculations and x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements, such a strong interfacial magnetic coupling is found closely associated with the polar nature of LaMnO3 and the strong spin-orbit interaction in SrIrO3, which collectively drives an asymmetric interfacial charge transfer and leads to the emergence of an interfacial spin glass state. Our study provides new insight into the charge transfer in transition-metal oxide heterostructures and offers a novel means to tune the interfacial exchange coupling for a variety of device applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2019

Interfacial superconductivity induced by single-quintuple-layer Bi$_2$Te$_3$ on top of FeTe forming van-der-Waals heterostructure

We report the first clear observation of interfacial superconductivity on top of FeTe(FT) covered by one quintuple-layer Bi$_2$Te$_3$(BT) forming van-der-Waals heterojunction. Both transport and scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements confirm the occurrence of superconductivity at a transition temperature T$_c$ = 13~K, when a single-quintuple-layer BT is deposited on the non-superconducting FT surface. The superconductivity gap decays exponentially with the thickness of BT, suggesting it occurs at the BT-FT interface and the proximity length is above 5-6~nm. We also measure the work function's dependence on the thickness of BT, implying a charge transfer may occur at the BT/FT interface to introduce hole doping into the FT layer, which may serve as a possible candidate for the superconducting mechanism. Our BT/FT heterojunction provides a clean system to study the unconventional interfacial superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2019

Topological Hall effect in bulk ferromagnet Cr$_2$Te$_3$ embedded with black-phosphorus-like bismuth nanosheets

We implement the molecular beam epitaxy method to embed the black-phosphorus-like bismuth nanosheets into the bulk ferromagnet Cr$_2$Te$_3$. As a typical surfactant, bismuth lowers the surface tensions and mediates the layer-by-layer growth of Cr$_2$Te$_3$. Meanwhile, the bismuth atoms precipitate into black-phosphorus-like nanosheets with the lateral size of several tens of nanometers. In Cr$_2$Te$_3$ embedded with Bi-nanosheets, we observe simultaneously a large topological Hall effect together with the magnetic susceptibility plateau and magnetoresistivity anomaly. As a control experiment, none of these signals is observed in the pristine Cr$_2$Te$_3$ samples. Therefore, the Bi-nanosheets serve as seeds of topological Hall effect induced by non-coplanar magnetic textures planted into Cr$_2$Te$_3$. Our experiments demonstrate a new method to generates a large topological Hall effect by planting strong spin-orbit couplings into the traditional ferromagnet, which may have potential applications in spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2018

Giant anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect in the Dirac semimetal Cd3As2

Anisotropic magnetoresistance is the change tendency of resistance of a material on the mutual orientation of the electric current and the external magnetic field. Here, we report experimental observations in the Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 of giant anisotropic magnetoresistance and its transverse version, called the planar Hall effect. The relative anisotropic magnetoresistance is negative and up to -68% at 2 K and 10 T. The high anisotropy and the minus sign in this isotropic and nonmagnetic material are attributed to a field-dependent current along the magnetic field, which may be induced by the Berry curvature of the band structure. This observation not only reveals unusual physical phenomena in Weyl and Dirac semimetals, but also finds additional transport signatures of Weyl and Dirac fermions other than negative magnetoresistance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2016

The origin of bias independent conductance plateaus and zero bias conductance peaks in Bi2Se3/NbSe2 hybrid structures

Superconducting proximity effect (SPE) in topological insulator (TI) and superconductor (SC) hybrid structure has attracted intense attention in recent years in an effort to search for mysterious Majorana fermions (MFs) in condensed matter systems. Here we report on the SPE in a Bi2Se3/NbSe2 junction fabricated with an all-dry transfer method. Resulting from the highly transparent interface, two sharp resistance drops are observed at 7 K and 2 K, respectively, corresponding to the superconducting transition of NbSe2 flake and the SPE induced superconductivity in Bi2Se3 flake. Experimentally measured differential conductance spectra exhibit a bias-independent conductance plateau (BICP) in the vicinity of zero bias below 7 K. As temperatures further decrease a zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) emerges from the plateau and becomes more enhanced and sharpened at lower temperatures. Our numerically simulated differential conductance spectra reproduce the observed BICP and ZBCP and show that the SPE in topological surface states (TSS) is much stronger than that in the bulk states of Bi2Se3. The SPE induced superconducting gap for the TSS of Bi2Se3 is comparable to that of NbSe2 and gives rise to the observed BICP below 7 K. In contrast, the SPE induced superconducting gap for the bulk states of Bi2Se3 is an order of magnitude smaller than that of NbSe2 and superconducting TSS. These weakly paired bulk states in Bi2Se3 give rise to the ZBCP below 2 K. Our study has clearly unveiled the different roles of TSS and bulk stats in SPE, clarified the physical origin of the SPE induced features, and shined light on further investigation of SPE and MF in TI/SC hybrid structures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2015

Negative Magnetoresistance in Dirac Semimetal Cd3As2

A large negative magnetoresistance is anticipated in topological semimetals in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration as a consequence of the nontrivial topological properties. The negative magnetoresistance is believed to demonstrate the chiral anomaly, a long-sought high-energy physics effect, in solid-state systems. Recent experiments reveal that Cd3As2, a Dirac topological semimetal, has the record-high mobility and exhibits positive linear magnetoresistance in the orthogonal magnetic and electric field configuration. However, the negative magnetoresistance in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration remains unveiled. Here, we report the observation of the negative magnetoresistance in Cd3As2 microribbons in the parallel magnetic and electric field configuration as large as 66% at 50 K and even visible at room temperatures. The observed negative magnetoresistance is sensitive to the angle between magnetic and electrical field, robust against temperature, and dependent on the carrier density. We have found that carrier densities of our Cd3As2 samples obey an Arrhenius's law, decreasing from 3.0x10^17 cm^-3 at 300 K to 2.2x10^16 cm^-3 below 50 K. The low carrier densities result in the large values of the negative magnetoresistance. We therefore attribute the observed negative magnetoresistance to the chiral anomaly. Furthermore, in the perpendicular magnetic and electric field configuration a positive non-saturating linear magnetoresistance up to 1670% at 14 T and 2 K is also observed. This work demonstrates potential applications of topological semimetals in magnetic devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2014

Two-dimensional superconductivity at the interface of a Bi2Te3/FeTe heterostructure

Superconductivity at the interface of a heterostructure confined to nanometer-sized scale offers unique opportunities to study the exotic physics of two-dimensional superconductivity. The realization of superconductivity at the interface between a topological insulator and an iron-chalcogenide compound is highly attractive for exploring several recent theoretical predictions involving these two new classes of materials. Here, we report transport measurements on a Bi2Te3/FeTe heterostructure fabricated via van der Waals epitaxy, which demonstrate superconductivity at the interface induced by the Bi2Te3 epilayer with thickness even down to one quintuple layer. The two-dimensional nature of the observed superconductivity with the highest transition temperature around 12 K was verified by the existence of a Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and the diverging ratio of in-plane to out-plane upper critical field on approaching the superconducting transition temperature. With the combination of interface superconductivity and Dirac surface states of Bi2Te3, the heterostructure studied in this work provides a novel platform for realizing Majorana fermions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2007

Unambiguous symmetry assignment for the top valence band of ZnO by magneto-optical studies of the free A-exciton state

We studied the circular polarization and angular dependences of the magneto-photoluminescence spectra of the free A-exciton 1S state in wurtzite ZnO at T = 5 K. The circular polarization properties of the spectra clearly indicate that the top valence band has Gamma_7 symmetry. The out-of-plane component of the magnetic field, which is parallel to the sample's c axis, leads to linear Zeeman splitting of both the dipole-allowed Gamma_5 exciton state and the weakly allowed Gamma_1/Gamma_2 exciton states. The in-plane field, which is perpendicular to the c axis, increases the oscillator strength of the weak Gamma_1/Gamma_2 states by forming a mixed exciton state.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗