arXiv subjects

Ian R. Fisher

Publications and source records attributed to Ian R. Fisher.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Microscopic Modeling of the Charge-Density-Waves in the Rare-Earth Tritellurides

Despite being arguably the simplest and best characterized quasi-2D charge-density-wave (CDW) systems, the rare-earth tritellurides ($R$Te$_3$) continue to yield surprising experimental results, including recent evidence suggestive of mirror-symmetry breaking associated with the onset of CDW order. Motivated by this, we consider a 2D electron-phonon model for a single Te square-net plane, which we analyze using mean-field theory. For an appropriate region of parameter space, we find a finite-temperature continuous transition from the normal state to a unidirectional CDW state with an ordering vector matching that observed experimentally. At lower temperatures, we find a second translation-symmetry-breaking transition, similar to what occurs in $R$Te$_3$ compounds with heavier rare-earth elements. In certain parameter regimes, we also find an intervening mirror-symmetry-breaking transition occurring between the two transitions described above. These results reveal an intrinsic susceptibility to mirror-symmetry breaking in the unidirectional CDW phase, which is relevant to understanding recent experiments on the $R$Te$_3$ compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Pressure-tuning of electronic structure of CeTe3 probed by femtosecond collective mode spectroscopy

We use femtosecond optical spectroscopy to study the evolution of coherent order-parameter dynamics in the prototypical charge-density-wave (CDW) system CeTe3 under hydrostatic pressure. The CDW transition temperature decreases from approximately 570 K at ambient pressure to near room temperature at approximately 6 GPa. The pressure dependence of the order-parameter recovery dynamics indicates enhanced electron-phonon coupling with increasing pressure, implying that CDW suppression is driven predominantly by the reduction in Fermi-surface nesting. Above 7 GPa, no evidence of CDW order is observed down to cryogenic temperatures. Concurrently, the relaxation dynamics exhibit significant slowing down at low-temperatures, consistent with emerging heavy-electron behaviour due to pressure-enhanced hybridization between localized Ce 4f levels and itinerant carriers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Emergent Antiphase Stacking in a Transient Charge Density Wave

Photoexcitation can induce novel states in materials that are inaccessible in equilibrium, a recent example being the light-induced charge density wave (CDW) observed in $\text{LaTe}_3$. Here, we investigate this transient CDW using infrared-pump x-ray-probe scattering at a free-electron laser, with high momentum and time resolution. We find that the transient CDW Bragg peak is broad in reciprocal space, indicating a highly disordered state. The ordering wavevector of the transient state is different from the equilibrium orders that develop in this class of materials - the transient peak appears near (2/7, 0, 0) reciprocal lattice units, whereas the equilibrium $a$ order and $c$ order occur at $\approx (5/7, 0, 0)$ and $(0, 0, 2/7)$, respectively. The transient CDW is therefore distinct from the equilibrium $a$ order, differing in the relative phase of the CDW displacement between the two equivalent nearly-square Te-Te nets in the conventional unit cell. Our work highlights how photoexcitation can access states with no equilibrium analog, and how x-ray scattering can provide microscopic insight into such elusive phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Nearly Isotropic Magnon Transport in Epitaxial Lithium Aluminum Ferrite Thin Films

Low-loss magnetic insulating thin films are promising for information transport via magnons, where isotropic in-plane magnon propagation is desirable. We report nonlocal measurements of electrically and thermally generated magnons in epitaxial (001) lithium aluminum ferrite Li$_{0.5}$Al$_{0.7}$Fe$_{1.8}$O$_4$ thin films with pronounced fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy. By measuring the inverse spin Hall signal as a function of the magnon diffusion distance, we deduce magnon diffusion lengths that are nearly identical along the [100] and [110] directions at 250~K. This isotropy is consistent with a nearly isotropic exchange stiffness. These results highlight spinel ferrites as viable platforms for isotropic magnon transport.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Revealing the nature of the charge density wave order of ErTe$_3$ via Raman scattering under anisotropic strain

The nature of the charge density wave (CDW) order of the rare-earth tritelluride ErTe3 is investigated by Raman scattering under anisotropic strain. The CDW state of ErTe3 is unconventional since it is accompanied by an unusual mirror symmetry breaking, whose origin remains to be understood. Studying the polarization-resolved Raman spectrum of the CDW amplitude mode as a function of strain and temperature, we find that the mirror symmetry breakings of the CDW state are not independent, arguing against the recently proposed ferro-axial multi-component CDW order. Instead, we show that a single component CDW order parameter with an ordering wavevector tilted away from the principle crystallographic axis can reproduce the observed mirror symmetry breakings and their manifestation in the Raman spectra.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Orbital glass conceals missing magnetic entropy in a relativistic Mott insulator

Coupling between different degrees of freedom (DOF) in an electronic material leads to exotic phases of matter characterized by complex and competing order parameters as well as emergent excitations. Building a microscopic understanding of these order parameters and their mutual relationship is hindered by the fact that different orders often mask each others' response to conventional experimental probes. Here, we reveal how to disentangle responses from distinct orders that arise from the coupling between the spin and orbital DOF. Our method uses a phase sensitive technique that measures ground state properties by independently resolving interactions of different symmetries. This allows us to directly detect an orbital glass state caused by competing interactions in the $5d^1$ relativistic Mott insulator Ba$_2$NaOsO$_6$. We observe short-range orbital order up to 380 K and a dramatic increase of orbital dispersion near the magnetic phase transition. This orbital dispersion generates a directional ordering, $\textit{i.e.}$, it forms an orbital nematic state which breaks the rotational symmetry of the crystal. We establish that the orbital nematic state induces the magnetic ordering. The presence of this short-range orbital order well above the magnetic phase transition solves the long-standing puzzle of missing entropy in this material.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Evolution of charge-density-wave soft phonon modes in $\mathrm{Pd}_x\mathrm{ErTe}_3$

We investigated the lattice dynamics of quasi-two-dimensional Pd-intercalated $\mathrm{ErTe}_3$ in relation to its charge-density-wave (CDW) transitions by means of x-ray diffuse and meV-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering. In pristine $\mathrm{ErTe}_3$, CDW order develops at orthogonal in-plane wave vectors $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{c} = (0, 0, 0.29)$ (the $c\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$) and $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{2}^{a} = (0.31, 0, 0)$ (the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$), with transition temperatures $T_{1}^{c} = 270$ K and $T_{2}^{a} = 160$ K, respectively. Remarkably, we observe diffuse x-ray scattering already near the higher transition temperature $T_{1}^{c}$ along $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ but at a slightly different wave vector $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a} = (0.29, 0, 0)$. Inelastic x-ray scattering for $\mathrm{Pd}_{0.01}\mathrm{ErTe}_3$ shows that a partial phonon softening at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$, underscoring the strong competition between ordering tendencies along the nearly equivalent in-plane axes of the orthorhombic lattice. For intercalation levels $x \geq 0.02$, the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ state is suppressed. Nevertheless, a similar correlation between phonon softening and diffuse scattering persists along the $[100]$ direction, again observed at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a} = (0.29, 0, 0)$ and $T_{1}^{c}$. These findings suggest that the $a\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$ is fully suppressed for $x \geq 0.02$, and that the residual diffuse scattering at $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$ originates from the partial phonon softening associated with the $c\text{-}\mathrm{CDW}$, reflected by the near equality of the absolute size of $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{c}$ and $\boldsymbol{\mathrm{q}}_{1}^{a}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Evidence for ferroaxial order in 1T-TiSe$_2$ via elastoresistivity measurements

The study of spontaneous symmetry breaking and electronic order is fundamental in condensed matter physics. Hidden order, symmetry-breaking states that elude conventional probes, potentially plays a crucial role in understanding complex quantum phases in a wide range of materials. Ferroaxial order, a state characterized by broken mirror symmetries while maintaining time-reversal and inversion symmetries, is one of the hidden orders that have proven most challenging to detect experimentally. Here, we demonstrate a new approach for investigating both the ferroaxial order parameter and ferroaxial susceptibility using elastoresistivity measurements. We do this for 1T-TiSe$_{2}$, a material that exhibits charge density wave order that has eluded comprehensive understanding for a long time. These measurements reveal an anomalous off-diagonal linear elastoresistivity in the CDW state. We discuss why this provides a smoking gun for ferroaxial order. Furthermore, we construct an appropriate combination of the symmetry-breaking strains $ε_{x^2-y^2}$ and $ε_{xy}$ that acts as an effective conjugate field for the ferroaxial order, and demonstrate how sweeping this effective field in the CDW state results in a hysteretic behavior of the elastoresistivity, associated with the movement of ferroaxial domain walls. Finally, we reveal a divergence of certain nonlinear elastoresistivity coefficients above the critical temperature, and discuss how this is consistent with a divergence of the ferroaxial susceptibility near T$_{\rm{CDW}}$ $\sim$ 200K. Our study also includes detailed elastocaloric measurements, which reveal the presence of an additional phase transition several tens of Kelvin below T$_{\rm{CDW}}$. Our results provide new insight into the symmetry of the ordered state in 1T-TiSe$_2$ and establish elastoresistivity as a powerful probe of hidden order and its symmetry.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Slow spin-lattice relaxation dynamics in YbVO4 revealed by extended thermal impedance spectroscopy from AC susceptibility and AC magnetocaloric measurements

Alternating (AC) magnetic fields can induce not only an alternating magnetization in materials, but also an alternating temperature via the magnetocaloric effect. The latter effect is typically neglected when performing AC susceptibility measurements, but consideration of both effects on an equal footing is necessary in order to reliably distinguish between internal and external causes of magnetic response and accurately extract quantitative information about relaxation processes. In order to address this, we have developed a method to measure the AC magnetocaloric effect that is compatible with AC susceptibility measurements, and also a framework to analyze these data in combination. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach using YbVO4, a material for which strong single-ion anisotropy leads to slow spin-lattice relaxation at low temperatures via a phonon bottleneck effect. We report AC magnetic susceptibility and AC magnetocaloric effect measurements for this material as a function of field and frequency at a temperature of 3 K. We analyze the data using a discretized thermal model, and extract the field-dependence of the intrinsic spin-lattice relaxation rate. This demonstration experiment illustrates a general approach to quantitatively address multiple measured quantities in driven systems using a unified thermal circuit analysis. The thermal analysis methods presented in this report can be extended to study other magnetic, dielectric, and elastic materials exhibiting a complex response to an external driving field in the presence of internal and external relaxation, particularly when an energy dissipation process is within an accessible frequency regime.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Distinct amplitude mode dynamics upon resonant and off-resonant excitation across the charge density wave energy gap in LaTe3 investigated by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Non-equilibrium states generated by ultrafast laser pulses are characterized by specific phenomena that are not accessible in static measurements. Previous time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TARPES) studies on rare-earth tritelluride materials have revealed the laser-driven melting of the charge density wave order as well as its collective amplitude mode excitation. Variation of the excess energy deposited by optical pumping in the material promises pathways to control the dynamic material response. To this end, we use an optical parametric amplifier to generate a tunable pump photon energy. Studying LaTe3 we compare the dynamics driven by pumping resonantly across the charge density wave energy gap with the effect of pumping at a twice higher photon energy in a TARPES pump-probe experiment. We clearly identify a pump photon energy dependent behavior. At the larger pump photon energy, the excess electronic energy generates lattice heating mediated by e-ph coupling and softening of the amplitude mode frequency from 3 to 2 THz. Remarkably, the resonant pumping across the CDW gap results in a time-independent amplitude mode frequency. We conclude that the resonant excitation across the energy gap excites the amplitude mode selectively while additional electronic excess energy deposited at higher pump photon energy modifies the crystal properties transiently by incoherent dissipative processes.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Electro-nuclear quantum phase transition in TmVO$_4$

Hyperfine interactions couple nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom. The present work explores how hyperfine coupling within the Tm ions in TmVO$_4$ single crystals affects an electronic ferroquadrupole ordered ground state and its associated field-tuned quantum phase transition. For temperatures below the hyperfine energy scale, the nuclear moments reduce the critical field for the electronic order, resulting in a dramatic back-bending of the phase boundary delineating the ferroquadrupole order. This behavior is well described by a single-ion semiclassical mean-field model. Moreover, analysis of the effective Hamiltonian leads to a prediction of spontaneous nuclear magnetic order mediated by 4$f$ electrons, which in principle persists with the application of orthogonal antisymmetric strain, yielding a proposed electro-nuclear tetracritical point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Discovery of spontaneous mesoscopic strain waves in nematic domains using dark-field X-ray microscopy

Electronic nematic order is a correlated phase of matter in which low-energy electronic states spontaneously break a discrete rotational symmetry of a crystal lattice. Bilinear coupling between the electronic nematic and strains of the same symmetry yields a single pseudoproper ferroelastic phase transition at which both the nematic and lattice strain onset concurrently. To minimize elastic energy, the crystal forms structural twin domains, each with a distinct orientation of the nematic director (i.e. each with a specific sign of the induced shear strain). While the effects of externally induced strains on these domains are well established, the intrinsic behavior of spontaneous strain fields within individual domains has been hitherto unexplored, largely due to the lack of appropriate experimental tools. Here, we report the discovery of spontaneous mesoscopic strain waves within individual nematic domains of an underdoped iron-based superconductor, observed using dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM). This technique combines high spatial and reciprocal-space resolution with full-field, bulk-sensitive imaging, enabling direct visualization of subdomain strain modulations emerging concurrently with the onset of nematic order. The elastic compatibility relations that govern inhomogeneous strains in continuous solids provide a natural mechanism for the emergent strain waves that we observe. Our findings reveal a broadly relevant form of strain self-organization and position DFXM as a powerful tool for probing the local interplay between lattice strain and electronic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Realization of discretized response in rare-earth vanadates accessed by AC susceptibility and magnetocaloric methods

This report presents a new technique to probe the quantitative dynamical response of the magnetic field induced heating/cooling process in rare-earth vanadium materials. The approach combines AC susceptibility and AC caloric measurements to reveal the intrinsic timescale associated with the magnetic relaxation process of rare-earth ions at low temperatures. Utilizing the well-known crystal field effect in YbVO4, we prove and demonstrate a discretized thermal analysis through a common spin-lattice relaxation phenomenon. The demonstration experiment presented in this study provides a general approach to quantitatively address multiple measured quantities in one unified discretized thermal circuit analysis. It can be extended to study other magnetic, dielectric, and elastic materials exhibiting a complex response to an external driving field in the presence of intrinsic interactions and fluctuations, particularly when an energy dissipation process is within an accessible frequency regime.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Time-domain identification of distinct mechanisms for competing charge density waves in a rare-earth tritelluride

Understanding the origin of phase transitions and the interactions between distinct phases remains a central task in condensed matter physics. Charge density wave (CDW) systems provide an ideal platform for investigating these phenomena. While the dominant CDW phases in many materials can be explained through Fermi surface nesting or electron-phonon interactions, certain CDW phase transitions remain poorly understood, challenging conventional paradigms. One notable example is rare-earth tritelluride ErTe3, which hosts two competing CDW orders. While the dominant CDW phase fits within the electron-phonon coupling framework, the formation mechanism of the subdominant CDW remains enigmatic. In this study, we combine time-and-angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) with time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) theory to establish a time-domain approach for probing phase transitions in solid-state systems. By analyzing the distinct recovery dynamics of the two CDW orders in ErTe3 following light excitation, we reveal a novel nucleation-like growth mechanism that likely drives the secondary CDW phase transition. This work not only uncovers a previously unknown CDW formation mechanism in rare-earth tritellurides but also introduces a non-equilibrium framework for understanding phase transitions and phase competition in quantum materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the dynamic charge susceptibility near the charge density wave transition in ErTe$_3$

A charge density wave (CDW) is a phase of matter characterized by a periodic modulation of the valence electron density accompanied by a distortion of the lattice structure. The microscopic details of CDW formation are closely tied to the dynamic charge susceptibility, $χ(q,ω)$, which describes the behavior of electronic collective modes. Despite decades of extensive study, the behavior of $χ(q,ω)$ in the vicinity of a CDW transition has never been measured with high energy resolution ($\sim$meV). Here, we investigate the canonical CDW transition in ErTe$_3$ using momentum-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (M-EELS), a technique uniquely sensitive to valence band charge excitations. Unlike phonons in these materials, which undergo conventional softening due to the Kohn anomaly at the CDW wavevector, the electronic excitations display purely relaxational dynamics that are well described by a diffusive model. The diffusivity peaks around 250 K, just below the critical temperature. Additionally, we report, for the first time, a divergence in the real part of $χ(q,ω)$ in the static limit ($ω\rightarrow 0$), a phenomenon predicted to characterize CDWs since the 1970s. These results highlight the importance of energy- and momentum-resolved measurements of electronic susceptibility and demonstrate the power of M-EELS as a versatile probe of charge dynamics in materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Effect of disorder on the strain-tuned charge density wave multicriticality in Pd$_x$ErTe$_3$

We explore, through a combination of x-ray diffraction and elastoresistivity measurements, the effect of disorder on the strain-tuned charge density wave and associated multicriticality in Pd$_x$ErTe$_3$ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.026). We focus particularly on the behavior near the strain-tuned bicritical point that occurs in pristine ErTe$_3$ (x=0). Our study reveals that while Pd intercalation somewhat broadens the signatures of the CDW phase transitions, the line of first-order transitions at which the CDW reorients as a function of applied strain persists in the presence of disorder and still seemingly terminates at a critical point. The critical point occurs at a lower temperature and a lower strain compared to pristine ErTe$_3$. Similarly, the nematic elastoresistance of Pd$_x$ErTe$_3$, though suppressed in magnitude and broadened relative to that of ErTe$_3$, has a markedly more symmetric response around the critical point. These observations point to disorder driving a reduction in the system's electronic orthorhombicity even while the material remains irrevocably orthorhombic due to the presence of a glide plane in the crystal structure. Disorder, it would appear, reinforces the emergence of a "pseudo-tetragonal" electronic response in this fundamentally orthorhombic material.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Hydride superconductivity: here to stay

The field of hydride superconductivity has recently been mired in a controversy that might divert attention from the question of central importance: do hydrides support genuine superconductivity or not? We examine some key papers from the field, and conclude that hydride superconductivity is real.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Dynamical Scaling Reveals Topological Defects and Anomalous Evolution of a Photoinduced Phase Transition

Nonequilibrium states of quantum materials can exhibit exotic properties and enable unprecedented functionality and applications. These transient states are inherently inhomogeneous, characterized by the formation of topologically protected structures, requiring nanometer spatial resolution on femtosecond timescales to resolve their evolution. Using ultrafast total x-ray scattering at a free electron laser and a sophisticated scaling analysis, we gain unique access to the dynamics on the relevant mesoscopic lengthscales. Our results provide direct evidence that ultrafast excitation of LaTe$_3$ leads to formation of topological vortex strings of the charge density wave. These dislocations of the charge density wave exhibit anomalous, subdiffusive dynamics, slowing the equilibration process, providing rare insight into the nonequilibrium mesoscopic response in a quantum material. Our findings establish a general framework to investigate properties of topological defects, which are expected to be ubiquitous in nonequilibrium phase transitions and may arrest equilibration and enhance competing orders.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗