arXiv subjects

Huibo Cao

Publications and source records attributed to Huibo Cao.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Anomalous temperature-dependent magnetization in the nearly collinear antiferromagnet Y$_2$Co$_3$

Y$_2$Co$_3$ is a newly discovered antiferromagnetic (AFM) compound with distorted kagome layers. Previous investigations via bulk magnetization measurements suggested a complex noncollinear magnetic behavior, with magnetic moments primarily anti-aligned along the $b$ axis and some canting towards the $ac$ plane. In this study, we report the magnetic structure of Y$_2$Co$_3$ to be an A-type AFM structure with ferromagnetic (FM) interactions within the distorted kagome plane and an interplane antiferromagnetic interaction, as determined by single-crystal neutron diffraction. The magnetic moments align along the $b$ axis, with minimal canting towards the $c$ axis, at odds with the previous interpretation of bulk magnetization measurements. The magnetic moments on the two distinct Co sites are [0, -0.68(3), 0] $μ_B$ and [0, 1.25(4), 0.07(1)] $μ_B$. We attribute the previously reported "noncollinear" behavior to the considerable temperature dependence of itinerant AFM exchange interactions, induced by thermal contraction along the $b$ axis. Additionally, our examination of lattice constants through pressure studies reveals compensating effects on FM and AFM interactions, resulting in negligible pressure dependence of $T_\textrm{N}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Coexistence of Commensurate and Incommensurate Antiferromagnetic Groundstates in Co$_x$NbSe$_2$ Single Crystal

In Co$_x$NbSe$_2$, crystal symmetry, and cobalt site occupation drive the formation of two distinct magnetic phases. At $x = 1/4$, the centrosymmetric structure ($P$6$_3$/$mmc$) promotes Co-Co interactions leading to the formation of an $A$-type antiferromagnetic structure phase with a transition temperature of $T_N^A$ = 169 K. At $x = 1/3$, the non-centrosymmetric structure ($P$6$_3$22) induces a lower-temperature magnetic phase with $T_N^S$ = 28 K. We report the coexistence of both substructures within a superlattice, with a nuclear propagation vector of (1/3, 1/3, 0) relative to the host lattice. Single crystals of Co$_{0.28}$NbSe$_2$ exhibit both magnetic transitions, with $T_N^A$ corresponding to the $x \sim 1/4$ phase and $T_N^S$ corresponding to the $x \sim 1/3$ phase. Magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements confirm these transitions, although only the high-temperature $T_N^A$ phase significantly affects resistivity. We successfully isolate each phase in powder samples, while single crystals with an intercalation ratio of $x = 0.28$ display the coexistence of both phases in a single sample. Using single-crystal neutron diffraction, we solved the magnetic structure of the high-temperature centrosymmetric phase ($T_N^A$), and neutron powder diffraction revealed the double-$q$ magnetic structure of the low-temperature noncentrosymmetric phase ($T_N^S$)

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Magnetic excitations and interactions in the Weyl ferrimagnet NdAlSi

Weyl fermions can arise from time-reversal symmetry-breaking magnetism, but their impact on magnetic order is a source of ongoing research. Using high-precision neutron diffraction and spectroscopy, we present a comprehensive exploration of the magnetic structure and excitation spectrum of Weyl semimetal and helical magnet NdAlSi. We use Luttinger-Tisza, classical mean-field, and random-phase approximation techniques to model the dispersive crystal field excitons. We find extended-ranged and sign-changing interactions, suggesting a coupling between conduction electrons and the local moments. We demonstrate that low-symmetry anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, in contrast with higher-symmetry interactions enabled by Weyl fermions, play an important role in stabilizing the complex spin spiral ground state of NdAlSi. Our work provides a first detailed view of microscopic interactions in a Weyl magnet, and constrains the role of Weyl electrons and their chirality on the spiral magnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Quantum entanglement of XY-type spin dimers in Shastry-Sutherland lattice

We report a comprehensive study on the origin of the enigmatic disordered ground state within the Shastry-Sutherland lattice, BaCe$_2$ZnS$_5$, at low temperatures. The magnetization and heat capacity data show a lack of magnetic ordering down to 73 mK. We deploy a localized spin dimer model which can accurately reproduce the dynamic structure factor of the neutron data, magnetization and heat capacity data. Remarkably, the intra-dimer exchange interaction shows strong XY-type anisotropy and the ground state of BaCe$_2$ZnS$_5$ is in an entangled state $(|\uparrow\uparrow> - |\downarrow\downarrow>)/\sqrt{2}$. This is in contrast to the singlet dimer state that is obtained for Heisenberg interactions. These results confirm that BaCe$_2$ZnS$_5$ is in a quantum paramagnet state consisting of entangled spin dimer states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Structural and magnetic properties of CoTeMoO$_6$ revisited

We have conducted a comprehensive investigation into the magnetic properties of the chiral multiferroic material CoTeMoO$_6$. In contrast with the previous claim of canted antiferromagnetic order with ferromagnetic components, our investigation reveals an antiferromagnetic ground state with compensated moments, providing an interesting platform for exploring exotic material properties. Through careful measurements of magnetization under a series of applied field, we demonstrate that there exist two sequential field-induced magnetic transitions in CoTeMoO$_6$, with one occurring at $H_{c1}$=460 Oe along the a-axis, and the other at $H_{c2}$=1.16 T with the field along the b-axis. The values of $H_{c1}$ and $H_{c2}$ exhibit strong angular dependence and diverge with different rates as the applied field is rotated 90 degrees within the ab plane. This reflects the distinct nature of these transitions, which is further supported by the different critical behavior of $H_{c1}$ and $H_{c2}$, characterized by the values of $γ$,in the function of $H_c=H_0\times(1-\frac{T}{T_c})^n$. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that there exist structural and magnetic twin domains in CoTeMoO$_6$ that strongly affect the experimental measurement of their macroscopic properties. Intriguingly, these twin domains can be related to the orthorhombicity/chirality of the crystal structure with the space group $P2_1 2_1 2$. We further explored the magnetic and structural domains with uniaxial pressure and polarized light microscopy. Our results suggest that CoTeMoO$_6$ could be used as a unique platform for investigating the intriguing physics involving intertwined degrees of freedom. The tunability of the underlying domain distribution and its strong anisotropy could also be useful for developing functional devices and applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

ASb3Mn9O19 (A = K or Rb): New Mn-Based Two-Dimensional Magnetoplumbites with Geometric and Magnetic Frustration

Magnetoplumbites are one of the most broadly studied families of hexagonal ferrites, typically with high magnetic ordering temperatures, making them excellent candidates for permanent magnets. However, magnetic frustration was rarely observed in magnetoplumbites. Herein, we report the discovery, synthesis and characterization of the first Mn-based magnetoplumbite, as well as the first magnetoplumbite involving pnictogens (Sb), ASb3Mn9O19 (A = K or Rb). The Mn3+ (S = 2) cations, further confirmed by DC magnetic susceptibility and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, construct three geometrically frustrated sublattices, including Kagome, triangular and puckered honeycomb lattices. Magnetic properties measurements revealed strong antiferromagnetic spin-spin coupling as well as multiple low-temperature magnetic features. Heat capacity data did not show any prominent lambda-anomaly, suggesting minimal associated magnetic entropy. Moreover, neutron powder diffraction implied the absence of long-range magnetic ordering in KSb3Mn9O19 down to 3 K. However, several magnetic peaks were observed in RbSb3Mn9O19 at 3 K, corresponding to an incommensurate magnetic structure. Interestingly, strong diffuse scattering was seen in the neutron powder diffraction patterns of both compounds at low angles, and was analyzed by reverse Monte Carlo refinements, indicating short-range spin ordering related to frustrated magnetism as well as two-dimensional magnetic correlations in ASb3Mn9O19 (A = K or Rb).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

UOTe: Kondo-interacting topological antiferromagnet in a van der Waals lattice

Since the initial discovery of two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) materials, significant effort has been made to incorporate the three properties of magnetism, band structure topology, and strong electron correlations $-$ to leverage emergent quantum phenomena and expand their potential applications. However, the discovery of a single vdW material that intrinsically hosts all three ingredients has remained an outstanding challenge. Here we report the discovery of a Kondo-interacting topological antiferromagnet in the vdW 5$f$ electron system UOTe. It has a high antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition temperature of 150 K, with a unique AFM configuration that breaks the combined parity and time reversal ($PT$) symmetry in an even number of layers while maintaining zero net magnetic moment. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements reveal Dirac bands near the Fermi level, which combined with our theoretical calculations demonstrate UOTe as an AFM Dirac semimetal. Within the AFM order, we observed the presence of the Kondo interaction, as evidenced by the emergence of a 5$f$ flat band near the Fermi level below 100 K and hybridization between the Kondo band and the Dirac band. Our density functional theory calculations in its bilayer form predict UOTe as a rare example of a fully-compensated AFM Chern insulator.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Vacancy-induced suppression of CDW order and its impact on magnetic order in kagome antiferromagnet FeGe

Two-dimensional (2D) kagome lattice metals are interesting because they display flat electronic bands, Dirac points, Van Hove singularities, and can have interplay between charge density wave (CDW), magnetic order, and superconductivity. In kagome lattice antiferromagnet FeGe, a short-range CDW order was found deep within an antiferromagnetically ordered state, interacting with the magnetic order. Surprisingly, post-growth annealing of FeGe at 560$^{\circ}$C can suppress the CDW order while annealing at 320$^{\circ}$C induces a long-range CDW order, with the ability to cycle between the states repeatedly by annealing. Here we perform transport, neutron scattering, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and muon spin rotation ($μ$SR) experiments to unveil the microscopic mechanism of the annealing process and its impact on magneto-transport, CDW, and magnetic properties of FeGe. We find that 560$^{\circ}$C annealing creates germanium vacancies uniformly distributed throughout the FeGe kagome lattice, which prevent the formation of Ge-Ge dimers necessary for the CDW order. Upon annealing at 320$^{\circ}$C, the system segregates into stoichiometric FeGe regions with long-range CDW order and regions with stacking faults that act as nucleation sites for the CDW. The presence or absence of CDW order greatly affects the anomalous Hall effect, incommensurate magnetic order, and spin-lattice coupling in FeGe, thus placing FeGe as the only known kagome lattice material with a tunable CDW and magnetic order, potentially useful for sensing and information transmission.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Altermagnetism in the layered intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide CoNb$_4$Se$_8$

Altermagnets (AMs) are a new class of magnetic materials that combine the beneficial spintronics properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, garnering significant attention recently. Here, we have identified altermagnetism in a layered intercalated transition metal diselenide, CoNb$_4$Se$_8$, which crystallizes with an ordered sublattice of intercalated Co atoms between NbSe$_2$ layers. Single crystals are synthesized, and the structural characterizations are performed using single crystal diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. Magnetic measurements reveal easy-axis antiferromagnetism below 168 K. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that A-type antiferromagnetic ordering with easy-axis spin direction is the ground state, which is verified through single crystal neutron diffraction experiments. Electronic band structure calculations in this magnetic state display spin-split bands, confirming altermagnetism in this compound. The layered structure of CoNb$_4$Se$_8$ presents a promising platform for testing various predicted properties associated with altermagnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Magnetic anisotropy in single-crystalline antiferromagnetic Mn$_2$Au

Multiple recent studies have identified the metallic antiferromagnet Mn$_2$Au to be a candidate for spintronic applications due to apparent in-plane anisotropy, preserved magnetic properties above room temperature, and current-induced Néel vector switching. Crystal growth is complicated by the fact that Mn$_2$Au melts incongruently. We present a bismuth flux method to grow millimeter-scale bulk single crystals of Mn$_2$Au in order to examine the intrinsic anisotropic electrical and magnetic properties. Flux quenching experiments reveal that the Mn$_2$Au crystals precipitate below 550°C, about 100°C below the decomposition temperature of Mn$_2$Au. Bulk Mn$_2$Au crystals have a room-temperature resistivity of 16-19 $μΩ$-cm and a residual resistivity ratio of 41. Mn$_2$Au crystals have a dimensionless susceptibility on the order of 10$^{-4}$, comparable to calculated and experimental reports on powder samples. Single-crystal neutron diffraction confirms the in-plane magnetic structure. The tetragonal symmetry of Mn$_2$Au constrains the $ab$-plane magnetic susceptibility to be constant, meaning that $χ_{100}=χ_{110}$ in the low-field limit, below any spin-flop transition. We find that three measured magnetic susceptibilities $χ_{100}$, $χ_{110}$, and $χ_{001}$ are the same order of magnitude and agree with the calculated prediction, meaning the low-field susceptibility of Mn$_2$Au is quite isotropic, despite clear differences in $ab$-plane and $ac$-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Mn$_2$Au is calculated to have an extremely high in-plane spin-flop field above 30 T, which is much larger than that of another in-plane antiferromagnet Fe$_2$As (less than 1 T). The subtle anisotropy of intrinsic susceptibilities may lead to dominating effects from shape, crystalline texture, strain, and defects in devices that attempt spin readout in Mn$_2$Au.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Lattice and magnetic structure in the van der Waals antiferromagnet VBr3

We report a comprehensive investigation of the lattice and magnetic structure in van der Waals antiferromagnet VBr3, characterized by a BiI3-type structure at room temperature. Neutron diffraction experiments were performed on both polycrystalline and single-crystalline VBr3 samples, revealing clear magnetic Bragg peaks emerging below the Néel temperature of TN = 26.5 K. These magnetic Bragg peaks can be indexed by k = (0, 0.5, 1) in hexagonal notation. Our refinement analysis suggests that the antiferromagnetic order in VBr3 manifests as a zigzag structure. Moreover, we observed peak splitting for nuclear Bragg peaks in the HK-plane below the structure transition temperature of Ts = 94 K, indicating the breaking of 3-fold symmetry within the ab-plane.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Superconductivity in pressurized trilayer La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10-δ}$ single crystals

The pursuit of discovering new high-temperature superconductors that diverge from the copper-based paradigm1-3 carries profound implications for elucidating mechanisms behind superconductivity and may also enable new applications4-8. Here, our investigation reveals that application of pressure effectively suppresses the spin and charge order in trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10-δ single crystals, leading to the emergence of superconductivity with a maximum critical temperature (Tc) of around 30 K at 69.0 GPa. The DC susceptibility measurements confirm a substantial diamagnetic response below Tc, indicating the presence of bulk superconductivity with a volume fraction exceeding 80%. In the normal state, we observe a "strange metal" behavior, characterized by a linear temperature-dependent resistance extending up to 300 K. Furthermore, the layer-dependent superconductivity observed hints at a unique interlayer coupling mechanism specific to nickelates, setting them apart from cuprates in this regard. Our findings provide crucial insights into the fundamental mechanisms underpinning superconductivity, while also introducing a new material platform to explore the intricate interplay between the spin/charge order, flat band structures, interlayer coupling, strange metal behavior and high-temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Stoichiometry-induced ferromagnetism in altermagnetic candidate MnTe

The field of spintronics has seen a surge of interest in altermagnetism due to novel predictions and many possible applications. MnTe is a leading altermagnetic candidate that is of significant interest across spintronics due to its layered antiferromagnetic structure, high Neel temperature (TN ~ 310 K) and semiconducting properties. We present results on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown MnTe/InP(111) films. Here, it is found that the electronic and magnetic properties are driven by the natural stoichiometry of MnTe. Electronic transport and in situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy show the films are natively metallic with the Fermi level in the valence band and the band structure is in good agreement with first principles calculations for altermagnetic spin-splitting. Neutron diffraction confirms that the film is antiferromagnetic with planar anisotropy and polarized neutron reflectometry indicates weak ferromagnetism, which is linked to a slight Mn-richness that is intrinsic to the MBE grown samples. When combined with the anomalous Hall effect, this work shows that the electronic response is strongly affected by the ferromagnetic moment. Altogether, this highlights potential mechanisms for controlling altermagnetic ordering for diverse spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Single crystal growth, chemical defects, magnetic and transport properties of antiferromagnetic topological insulators (Ge$_{1-δ-x}$Mn$_x$)$_2$Bi$_2$Te$_5$ ($x\leq 0.47$, $0.11 \leq δ\leq 0.20$)

Magnetic topological insulators provide a platform for emergent phenomena arising from the interplay between magnetism and band topology. Here we report the single crystal growth, crystal structure, magnetic and transport properties, as well as the neutron scattering studies of topological insulator series (Ge$_{1-δ-x}$Mn$_x$)$_2$Bi$_2$Te$_5$ ($x\leq 0.47$, $0.11 \leq δ\leq 0.20$). Upon doping up to $x = 0.47$, the lattice parameter $c$ decreases by 0.8\%, while the lattice parameter $a$ remains nearly unchanged. Significant Ge vacancies and Ge/Bi site mixing are revealed via elemental analysis as well as refinements of the neutron and X-ray diffraction data, resulting in holes dominating the charge transport. At $x = 0.47$, below 10.8 K, a bilayer A-type antiferromagnetic ordered state emerges, featuring an ordered moment of 3.0(3) $μ_{B}$/Mn at 5 K, with the $c$ axis as the easy axis. Magnetization data unveil a much stronger interlayer antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and a much smaller uniaxial anisotropy compared to MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$. We attribute the former to the shorter superexchange path and the latter to the smaller ligand-field splitting in (Ge$_{1-δ-x}$Mn$_x$)$_2$Bi$_2$Te$_5$. Our study demonstrates that this series of materials holds promise for the investigation of the Layer Hall effect and quantum metric nonlinear Hall effect.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Static and dynamical properties of the spin-5/2 nearly ideal triangular lattice antiferromagnet Ba3MnSb2O9

We study the ground state and spin excitations in Ba3MnSb2O9, an easy-plane S = 5/2 triangular lattice antiferromagnet. By combining single-crystal neutron scattering, electric spin resonance (ESR), and spin wave calculations, we determine the frustrated quasi-two-dimensional spin Hamiltonian parameters describing the material. While the material has a slight monoclinic structural distortion, which could allow for isosceles-triangular exchanges and biaxial anisotropy by symmetry, we observe no deviation from the behavior expected for spin waves in the in-plane 120o state. Even the easy-plane anisotropy is so small that it can only be detected by ESR in our study. In conjunction with the quasi-two-dimensionality, our study establishes that Ba3MnSb2O9 is a nearly ideal triangular lattice antiferromagnet with the quasi-classical spin S = 5/2, which suggests that it has the potential for an experimental study of Z- or Z2-vortex excitations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Disorder-induced excitation continuum in a spin-1/2 cobaltate on a triangular lattice

A spin-1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet is a prototypical frustrated quantum magnet, which exhibits remarkable quantum many-body effects that arise from the synergy between geometric spin frustration and quantum fluctuations. It can host quantum frustrated magnetic topological phenomena like quantum spin liquid (QSL) states, highlighted by the presence of fractionalized quasiparticles within a continuum of magnetic excitations. In this work, we use neutron scattering to study CoZnMo$_3$O$_8$, which has a triangular lattice of Jeff = 1/2 Co2+ ions with octahedral coordination. We found a wave-vector-dependent excitation continuum at low energy that disappears with increasing temperature. Although these excitations are reminiscent of a spin excitation continuum in a QSL state, their presence in CoZnMo$_3$O$_8$ originates from magnetic intersite disorder-induced dynamic spin states with peculiar excitations. Our results, therefore, give direct experimental evidence for the presence of a disorder-induced spin excitation continuum.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Field-Induced Partial Disorder in a Shastry-Sutherland Lattice

A 2-Q antiferromagnetic order of the ferromagnetic dimers was found below TN = 2.9 K in the Shastry-Sutherland lattice BaNd2ZnS5 by single crystal neutron diffraction. The magnetic order can be understood by the orthogonal arrangement of local Ising Nd spins, identified by polarized neutrons. A field was applied along [1 -1 0] to probe the observed metamagnetic transition in the magnetization measurement. The field decouples two magnetic sublattices corresponding to the propagation vectors q1= (0.5, 0.5, 0) and q2= (-0.5, 0.5, 0), respectively. Each sublattice shows a stripe order with a Neel-type arrangement in each single layer. The stripe order with q1 remains nearly intact up to 6 T, while the other one with q2 is suppressed at a critical field Hc ~1.7 T, indicating a partial disorder. The Hc varies with temperature and is manifested in the H-T phase diagram constructed by measuring the magnetization in BaNd2ZnS5.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Tiny Sc allows the chains to rattle: Impact of Lu and Y doping on the charge density wave in ScV$_6$Sn$_6$

The kagome metals display an intriguing variety of electronic and magnetic phases arising from the connectivity of atoms on a kagome lattice. A growing number of these materials with vanadium kagome nets host charge density waves (CDWs) at low temperatures including ScV$_6$Sn$_6$, CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, and V$_3$Sb$_2$. Curiously, only the Sc version of the $R$V$_6$Sn$_6$ HfFe$_6$Ge$_6$-type materials hosts a CDW ($R = $Gd-Lu, Y, Sc). In this study we investigate the role of rare earth size in CDW formation in the $R$V$_6$Sn$_6$ compounds. Magnetization measurements on our single crystals of (Sc,Lu)V$_6$Sn$_6$ and (Sc,Y)V$_6$Sn$_6$ establish that the CDW is suppressed by substitution of Sc by larger Lu or Y. Single crystal x-ray diffraction reveals that compressible Sn-Sn bonds accommodate the larger rare earth atoms within loosely packed $R$-Sn-Sn chains without significantly expanding the lattice. We propose that Sc provides the extra room in these chains crucial to CDW formation in ScV$_6$Sn$_6$. Our rattling chain model explains why both physical pressure and substitution by larger rare earths hinder CDW formation despite opposite impacts on lattice size. We emphasize the cooperative effect of pressure and rare earth size by demonstrating that pressure further suppresses the CDW in a Lu-doped ScV$_6$Sn$_6$ crystal. Our model not only addresses why a CDW only forms in the $R$V$_6$Sn$_6$ materials with tiny Sc, it also advances to our understanding of why unusual CDWs form in the kagome metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗