arXiv subjects

Huibo Cao

Publications and source records attributed to Huibo Cao.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Flatband-Induced Itinerant Ferromagnetism in RbCo$_2$Se$_2$

$A$Co$_2$Se$_2$ ($A$=K,Rb,Cs) is a homologue of the iron-based superconductor, $A$Fe$_2$Se$_2$. From a comprehensive study of RbCo$_2$Se$_2$ via measurements of magnetization, transport, neutron diffraction, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and first-principle calculations, we identify a ferromagnetic order accompanied by an orbital-dependent spin-splitting of the electronic dispersions. Furthermore, we identify the ordered moment to be dominated by a $d_{x^2-y^2}$ flatband near the Fermi level, which exhibits the largest spin splitting across the ferromagnetic transition, suggesting an itinerant origin of the ferromagnetism. In the broader context of the iron-based superconductors, we find this $d_{x^2-y^2}$ flatband to be a common feature in the band structures of both iron-chalcogenides and iron-pnictides, accessible via heavy electron doping.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Field-tunable toroidal moment in a chiral-lattice magnet

A toroidal dipole moment appears independent of the electric and magnetic dipole moment in the multipole expansion of electrodynamics. It arises naturally from vortex-like arrangements of spins. Observing and controlling spontaneous long-range orders of toroidal moments are highly promising for spintronics but remain challenging. Here we demonstrate that a vortex-like spin configuration with a staggered arrangement of toroidal moments, a ferritoroidal state, is realized in a chiral triangular-lattice magnet BaCoSiO4. Upon applying a magnetic field, we observe multi-stair toroidal transitions correlating directly with metamagnetic transitions. We establish a first-principles microscopic Hamiltonian that explains both the formation of toroidal states and the metamagnetic toroidal transition as a combined effect of the magnetic frustration and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions allowed by the crystallographic chirality in BaCoSiO4.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Neutron scattering investigation of proposed Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions in the triangular-lattice Ising antiferromagnet TmMgGaO4

The transverse-field Ising model on the triangular lattice is expected to host an intermediate finite-temperature Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) phase through a mapping of the spins on each triangular unit to a complex order parameter. TmMgGaO$_4$ is a candidate material to realize such physics due to the non-Kramers nature of Tm$^{3+}$ ion and the resulting two-singlet single-ion ground state. Using inelastic neutron scattering, we confirm this picture by determining the leading parameters of the low-energy effective Hamiltonian of TmMgGaO$_4$. Subsequently, we track the predicted KT phase and related transitions by inspecting the field and temperature dependence of the ac susceptibility. We further probe the spin correlations in both reciprocal space and real space via single crystal neutron diffraction and magnetic total scattering techniques, respectively. Magnetic pair distribution function analysis provides evidence for the formation of vortex-antivortex pairs that characterize the proposed KT phase around 5~K. Although structural disorder influences the field-induced behavior of TmMgGaO$_4$, the magnetism in zero field appears relatively free from these effects. These results position TmMgGaO$_4$ as a strong candidate for a solid-state realization of KT physics in a dense spin system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Neutron diffraction study of magnetism in van der Waals layered MnBi$_{2n}$Te$_{3n+1}$

Two-dimensional van der Waals MnBi$_{2n}$Te$_{3n+1}$ (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) compounds have been recently found to be intrinsic magnetic topological insulators rendering quantum anomalous Hall effect and diverse topological states. Here, we summarize and compare the crystal and magnetic structures of this family, and discuss the effects of chemical composition on their magnetism. We found that a considerable fraction of Bi occupies at the Mn sites in MnBi$_{2n}$Te$_{3n+1}$ (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) while Mn is no detectable at the non-magnetic atomic sites within the resolution of neutron diffraction experiments. The occupancy of Mn monotonically decreases with the increase of n. The polarized neutron diffraction on the representative MnBi$_{4}$Te$_{7}$ reveals that its magnetization density is exclusively accumulated at the Mn site, in good agreement with the results from the unpolarized neutron diffraction. The defects of Bi at the Mn site naturally explain the continuously reduced saturated magnetic moments from n = 1 to n = 4. The experimentally estimated critical exponents of all the compounds generally suggest a three-dimensional character of magnetism. Our work provides material-specified structural parameters that may be useful for band structure calculations to understand the observed topological surface states and for designing quantum magnetic materials through chemical doping.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Reentrance of spin-driven ferroelectricity through rotational tunneling of ammonium

Quantum effects fundamentally engender exotic physical phenomena in macroscopic systems, which advance next-generation technological applications. Rotational tunneling that represents the quantum phenomenon of the librational motion of molecules is ubiquitous in hydrogen-contained materials. However, its direct manifestation in realizing macroscopic physical properties is elusive. Here we report an observation of reentrant ferroelectricity under low pressure that is mediated by the rotational tunneling of ammonium ions in molecule-based (NH$_4$)$_2$FeCl$_5 \cdot$H$_2$O. Applying a small pressure leads to a transition from spin-driven ferroelectricity to paraelectricity coinciding with the stabilization of a collinear magnetic phase. Such a transition is attributed to the hydrogen bond fluctuations via the rotational tunneling of ammonium groups as supported by theoretical calculations. Higher pressure lifts the quantum fluctuations and leads to a reentrant ferroelectric phase concomitant with another incommensurate magnetic phase. These results demonstrate that the rotational tunneling emerges as a new route to control magnetic-related properties in soft magnets, opening avenues for designing multi-functional materials and realizing potential quantum control.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Magnetic order and fluctuations in quasi-two-dimensional planar magnet Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$

We use neutron scattering to investigate spin excitations in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$, which has a $c$-axis incommensurate helical structure of the two-dimensional (2D) in-plane ferromagnetic (FM) ordered layers for $0.013\leq x \leq 0.25$. By comparing the wave vector and energy dependent spin excitations in helical ordered Sr(Co$_{0.9}$Ni$_{0.1}$)$_2$As$_2$ and paramagnetic SrCo$_2$As$_2$, we find that Ni-doping, while increasing lattice disorder in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$, enhances quasi-2D FM spin fluctuations. However, our band structure calculations within the combined density functional theory and dynamic mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) failed to generate a correct incommensurate wave vector for the observed helical order from nested Fermi surfaces. Since transport measurements reveal increased in-plane and $c$-axis electrical resistivity with increasing Ni-doping and associated lattice disorder, we conclude that the helical magnetic order in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$ may arise from a quantum order-by-disorder mechanism through the itinerant electron mediated Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Tuning quantum transport by controlling spin reorientations in Dirac semimetal candidates Eu$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnSb$_{2}$

Magnetic topological semimetals have attracted intense attention recently since these materials carry a great promise for potential applications in novel spintronic devices. Here, we report an intimate interplay between lattice, Eu magnetic order and topological semimetallic behavior in Eu$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnSb$_{2}$ driven by nonmagnetic Sr doping on magnetic Eu site. Different types of Eu spin reorientations are controllable by the Sr concentration, temperature or magnetic field, and coupled to the quantum transport properties of Dirac fermions generated by the 2D Sb layers. Our study opens a new pathway to achieving exotic magnetic order and topological semimetallic state via controlling spin reorientation. The effective strategy of substituting rare-earth site by nonmagnetic element demonstrated here may be applicable to the AMnCh$_{2}$ (A=rare-earth elements; Ch=Bi/Sb) family and a wide variation of other layered compounds involving spatially separated rare-earth and transition metal layers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Vacancy defect control of colossal thermopower in FeSb2

Iron diantimonide is a material with the highest known thermoelectric power. By combining scanning transmission electron microscope study with electronic transport neutron, X-ray scattering and first principle calculation we identify atomic defects that control colossal thermopower magnitude and nanoprecipitate clusters with Sb vacancy ordering which induce additional phonon scattering and substantially reduce thermal conductivity. Defects are found to cause rather weak but important monoclinic distortion of the unit cell Pnnm to Pm. The absence of Sb along [010] for high defect concentration forms conducting path due to Fe d orbital overlap. The connection between atomic defect anisotropy and colossal thermopower in FeSb2 paves the way for the understanding and tailoring of giant thermopower in related materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Competition of three-dimensional magnetic phases in Ca$_2$Ru$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$O$_4$: A structural perspective

The crystalline and magnetic structures of Ca$_2$Ru$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$O$_4$ (x=0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.12) have been studied using neutron and X-ray diffraction. The Fe-doping reduces the Ru-O bond length in both apical and planar directions. The smaller Ru(Fe)O$_6$ octahedron leads to its reduced distortion. The $Pbca$ space group is maintained in all the Fe-dopings, so is the octahedral flattening. Warming has a similar effect on the lattice to that of the Fe-doping in releasing the distorted octahedra but precipitates an abrupt octahedral elongation near the N$\acute{e}$el temperature. Two competing antiferromagnetic orders, $A$- and $B$-centered phases have been observed. The Fe-doping-relaxed crystal structure prefers the latter to the former. As the doping increases, the $B$-centered phase continuously grows at the cost of the $A$-centered one and eventually replaces it at x=0.12. The absence of the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic critical fluctuations above the magnetic transition temperature and the three-dimensional magnetic correlation below the transition, together with the anomalous lattice response, point to an important role of orbital degree of freedom in driving the magnetic phase competition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Structural distortion and incommensurate noncollinear magnetism in EuAg4As2

Layered pnictide materials have provided a fruitful platform to study various emergent phenomena, including superconductivity, magnetism, charge density waves, etc. Here we report the observation of structural distortion and noncollinear magnetism in layered pnictide EuAg$_4$As$_2$ via transport, magnetization, single crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction data. EuAg$_4$As$_2$ single crystal shows a structural distortion at 120 K, where two sets of superlattice peaks with the propagation vectors of $q_1=\pm$(0, 0.25, 0.5) and $q_2=\pm$(0.25, 0, 1) emerge. Between 9 K to 15 K, the hexagonal Eu$^{2+}$ sub-lattice enters an unpinned state, with magnetic Bragg reflections pictured as circular-sectors. Below 9 K, it orders in an incommensurate noncollinear antiferromagnetic state with a well-defined propagation wavevector of (0, 0.1, 0.12), where the magnetic structure is helical along the $c$ axis and cycloidal along the $b$ axis with a moment of 6.4 $μ_B$/Eu$^{2+}$. Furthermore, rich magnetic phases under magnetic fields, large magnetoresistance, and strong coupling between charge carriers and magnetism in EuAg$_4$As$_2$ are revealed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

A Néel-type antiferromagnetic order in the spin 1/2 rare-earth honeycomb YbCl$_3$

Most of the searches for Kitaev materials deal with $4d/5d$ magnets with spin-orbit-coupled ${J=1/2}$ local moments such as iridates and $α$-RuCl$_3$. Here we propose the monoclinic YbCl$_3$ with a Yb$^{3+}$ honeycomb lattice for the exploration of Kiteav physics. We perform thermodynamic, $ac$ susceptibility, angle-dependent magnetic torque and neutron diffraction measurements on YbCl$_3$ single crystal. We find that the Yb$^{3+}$ ion exhibits a Kramers doublet ground state that gives rise to an effective spin ${J_{\text{eff}}=1/2}$ local moment. The compound exhibits short-range magnetic order below 1.20 K, followed by a long-range Néel-type antiferromagnetic order at 0.60 K, below which the ordered Yb$^{3+}$ spins lie in the $ac$ plane with an angle of 16(11)$^{\circ}$ away from the $a$ axis. These orders can be suppressed by in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields at around 6 and 10 T, respectively. Moreover, the Néel temperature varies non-monotonically under the out-of-plane magnetic fields. The in-plane magnetic anisotropy and the reduced order moment 0.8(1) $μ_B$ at 0.25 K indicate that YbCl$_3$ could be a two-dimensional spin system to proximate the Kitaev physics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Canted antiferromagnetic order in the monoaxial chiral magnets V$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ and V$_{1/3}$NbS$_{2}$

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction is present in the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) magnets of form $M_{1/3}T$S$_{2}$ ($M$ $=$ 3d transition metal, $T$ $\in$ {Nb, Ta}), given that the intercalants $M$ form $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}$ superlattices within the structure of the parent materials $T$S$_2$ and break the centrosymmetry. Competition between the DM and ferromagnetic exchange interactions in these systems has been shown to stabilize a topological defect known as a chiral soliton in select intercalated TMDCs, initiating interest both in terms of fundamental physics and the potential for technological applications. In the current article, we report on our study of the materials V$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ and V$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$, using a combination of x-ray powder diffraction, magnetization and single crystal neutron diffraction. Historically identified as ferromagnets, our diffraction results instead reveal that vanadium spins in these compounds are arranged into an A-type antiferromagnetic configuration at low temperatures. Refined moments are 1.37(6)$μ_{B}$ and 1.50(9)$μ_{B}$ for V$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ and V$_{1/3}$NbS$_2$, respectively. Transition temperatures $T_{c}$~$=$~32K for V$_{1/3}$TaS$_{2}$ and 50K for V$_{1/3}$NbS$_{2}$ are obtained from the magnetization and neutron diffraction results. We attribute the small net magnetization observed in the low-temperature phases to a subtle ($\sim$2$^{\circ}$) canting of XY-spins in the out-of-plane direction. These new results are indicative of dominant antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the vanadium moments in adjacent ab-planes, likely eliminating the possibility of identifying stable chiral solitons in the current materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Crystal and magnetic structures of magnetic topological insulators MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and MnBi$_4$Te$_7$

Using single crystal neutron diffraction, we present a systematic investigation of the crystal structure and magnetism of van der Waals topological insulators MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and MnBi$_4$Te$_7$, where rich topological quantum states have been recently predicted and observed. Structural refinements reveal that considerable Bi atoms occupied on the Mn sites in both materials, distinct from the previously reported antisite disorder. We show unambiguously that MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ orders antiferromagnetically below 24 K featured by a magnetic symmetry $R_I$-${3c}$ while MnBi$_{4}$Te$_{7}$ is antiferromagnetic below 13 K with a magnetic space group $P_c$-${3c1}$. They both present antiferromagnetically coupled ferromagnetic layers with spins along the $c$-axis. We put forward a stacking rule for the crystal structure of an infinitely adaptive series MnBi$_{2n}$Te$_{3n+1}$ (n$\geq$1) with the building unit of [Bi$_2$Te$_3$]. A comparison of magnetic properties between MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$ and MnBi$_{4}$Te$_{7}$, together with the recent density-functional theory calculations, enables us to draw that a two-dimensional magnetism limit might be realized in the derivatives. Our work may promote the theoretical studies of topological magnetic states in the series of MnBi$_{2n}$Te$_{3n+1}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Successive dielectric anomalies and magnetoelectric coupling in honeycomb Fe$_4$Nb$_2$O$_9$

By combining single crystal x-ray and neutron diffraction, and the magnetodielectric measurements on single crystal Fe4Nb2O9, we present the magnetic structure and the symmetry-allowed magnetoelectric coupling in Fe4Nb2O9. It undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at TN=93 K, followed by a displacive transition at TS=70 K. The temperature-dependent dielectric constant of Fe4Nb2O9 is strongly anisotropic with the first anomaly at 93 K due to the exchange striction as a result of the long range spin order, and the second one at 70 K emanating from the structural phase transition primarily driven by the O atomic displacements. Magneticfield induced magnetoelectric coupling was observed in single crystal Fe4Nb2O9 and is compatible with the solved magnetic structure that is characteristic of antiferromagnetically arranged ferromagnetic chains in the honeycomb plane. We propose that such magnetic symmetry should be immune to external magnetic fields to some extent favored by the freedom of rotation of moments in the honeycomb plane, laying out a promising system to control the magnetoelectric properties by magnetic fields.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Noncollinear magnetic structure and magnetoelectric coupling in buckled honeycomb Co$_4$Nb$_2$O$_9$:A single crystal neutron diffraction study

Through analysis of single crystal neutron diffraction data, we present the magnetic structures of magnetoelectric Co4Nb2O9 under various magnetic fields. In zero-field, neutron diffraction experiments below TN=27 K reveal that the Co2+ moments order primarily along the a* direction without any spin canting along the c axis, manifested by the magnetic symmetry C2/c'. The moments of nearest neighbor Co atoms order ferromagnetically with a small cant away from the next nearest neighbor Co moments along the c axis. In the applied magnetic field H//a, three magnetic domains were aligned with their major magnetic moments perpendicular to the magnetic field with no indication of magnetic phase transitions. The influences of magnetic fields on the magnetic structures associated with the observed magnetoelectric coupling are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Noncoplanar ferrimagnetism and local crystalline-electric-field anisotropy in the quasicrystal approximant Au$_{70}$Si$_{17}$Tb$_{13}$

Neutron scattering experiments have been performed to elucidate magnetic properties of the quasicrystal approximant Au$_{70}$Si$_{17}$Tb$_{13}$, consisting of icosahedral spin clusters in a body-centered-cubic lattice. Bulk magnetic measurements performed on the single crystalline sample unambiguously confirm long-range ordering at $T_{\rm C} = 11.6 \pm 1$ K. In contrast to the simple ferromagnetic response in the bulk measurements, single crystal neutron diffraction confirms a formation of intriguing non-collinear and non-coplanar magnetic order. The magnetic moment direction was found to be nearly tangential to the icosahedral cluster surface in the local mirror plane, which is quite similar to that recently found in the antiferromagnetic quasicrystal approximant Au$_{72}$Al$_{14}$Tb$_{14}$. Inelastic neutron scattering on the powdered sample exhibits a very broad peak centered at $\hbar ω\simeq 4$ meV. The observed inelastic spectrum was explained by the crystalline-electric-field model taking account of the chemical disorder at the fractional Au/Si sites. The resulting averaged anisotropy axis for the crystalline-electric-field ground state is consistent with the ordered moment direction determined in the magnetic structure analysis, confirming that the non-coplanar magnetic order is stabilized by the local uniaxial anisotropy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

An in-plane hexagonal antiferromagnet in the Cu-Mn-As system, Cu$_{0.82}$Mn$_{1.18}$As

We report the single-crystal growth and characterization of a new hexagonal phase, Cu$_{0.82}$Mn$_{1.18}$As, in the Cu-Mn-As system. This compound contains the same square-pyramidal MnAs$_5$ units as the tetragonal and orthorhombic polymorphs of CuMnAs. Calorimetry, magnetometry, and neutron diffraction measurements reveal antiferromagnetic ordering at 270 K. The magnetic structure consists of a triangular arrangement of spins in the $ab$ plane. Hexagonal Cu$_{0.82}$Mn$_{1.18}$As shows resistivity that varies only weakly from 5 K to 300 K, and is many times higher than tetragonal CuMnAs, indicative of a strongly-scattering metal. First-principles calculations confirm the metallic band structure with a small density of states at the Fermi energy. The neutron-refined magnetic ground state is close to the computationally-determined minimum energy configuration. This compound should serve as a clear control when disentangling the effects of current-driven Néel switching of metallic antiferromagnets since it exhibits in-plane spins but the magnetic ordering does not break degeneracy along the $a$ and $b$ directions, unlike tetragonal CuMnAs.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

A van der Waals antiferromagnetic topological insulator with weak interlayer magnetic coupling

Magnetic topological insulators (TI) provide an important material platform to explore quantum phenomena such as quantized anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and Majorana modes, etc. Their successful material realization is thus essential for our fundamental understanding and potential technical revolutions. By realizing a bulk van der Waals material MnBi4Te7 with alternating septuple [MnBi2Te4] and quintuple [Bi2Te3] layers, we show that it is ferromagnetic in plane but antiferromagnetic along the c axis with an out-of-plane saturation field of ~ 0.22 T at 2 K. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and first-principles calculations further demonstrate that MnBi4Te7 is a Z2 antiferromagnetic TI with two types of surface states associated with the [MnBi2Te4] or [Bi2Te3] termination, respectively. Additionally, its superlattice nature may make various heterostructures of [MnBi2Te4] and [Bi2Te3] layers possible by exfoliation. Therefore, the low saturation field and the superlattice nature of MnBi4Te7 make it an ideal system to investigate rich emergent phenomena.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗