arXiv subjects

K. I. Kugel

Publications and source records attributed to K. I. Kugel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Altermagnetism without a long-range order

The Kugel-Khomskii spin-pseudospin model, originally developed for transition-metal compounds with orbital degrees of freedom, has recently been reinterpreted in the context of altermagnetism. In this work, we theoretically investigate the emergence of altermagnetic behavior in the absence of long-range magnetic or orbital order. Using the rotation-invariant Green's function method for the SU(2) x SU(2) symmetric model on a square lattice and on a linear chain, we analyze spin-spin and spin-pseudospin correlation functions, excitation spectra, heat capacity, and susceptibilities. We show that beyond a critical intersubsystem exchange Kc(T), a composite state arises with nonzero spin-pseudospin correlations, even though the average spin and pseudospin at each site are zero. The excitation spectrum splits into acoustic and optical branches, with nodal lines along qx = qy - a direct signature of altermagnetic symmetry. A peak in heat capacity and a jump in susceptibility are observed at the phase boundary. In 1D, the phase boundary is nonmonotonic and demonstrates reentrant transition. These results establish the concept of an "altermagnetic paramagnet" or "altermagnetic liquid" without long-range order, relevant for low-dimensional and strongly fluctuating systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Nesting-driven ferromagnetism of itinerant electrons

We theoretically investigate a model with electrons and holes whose Fermi surfaces are perfectly nested. The fermions are assumed to be interacting, both with each other and with the lattice. To suppress inhomogeneous states, a sufficiently strong long-range Coulomb repulsion is included into the model. Using the mean field approximation, one can demonstrate that in the absence of doping, the ground state of such a model is insulating and possesses a density-wave order, either SDW, or CDW. Upon doping, a finite ferromagnetic polarization emerges. It is argued that the mechanism driving the ferromagnetism is not of the Stoner type. A phase diagram of the model is constructed, and various properties of the ordered phases, such as half-metallicity and cone magnetic structure, are studied.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Electronic localization on the structural inhomogeneities formed due to Bi and Te deficiency in the MBE grown films of AFM topological insulator MnBi2Te4: Evidence from spectroscopic ellipsometry and infrared studies

The intrinsic substitutional and antisite defects cause unintentional doping and shift of the E_F position above the conduction band minimum in the AFM topological insulator (TI) MnBi2Te4. This prevents measurements of the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAH) and investigation of the topological Dirac states. In the present study, the Mn-Bi-Te films grown by the MBE technique onto Si(111) substrates with decreasing Bi and Te contents and increasing Mn content were investigated by 0.5-6.5 eV spectroscopic ellipsometry. In addition, the 0.004-0.9 eV infrared (IR) transmittance spectra were examined. An effective medium model was used to reproduce the measured ellipsometric angles, Psi(omega) and Delta(omega), of the Mn-Bi-Te films in terms of the constructed model, including film thickness, surface roughness, and volume fractions of two (MnTe and Bi2Te3) or three constituents, the latter being associated with the structural inhomogeneities contribution. The results obtained for the inhomogeneous Mn-Bi-Te films using the three-phase EMA model indicate that the defect-associated optical response systematically shifts to higher photon energies from ~1.95 to ~2.43 eV with decreasing Te and Bi contents and increasing Mn content, pointing out that the electrons become more deeply localized in the formed structural inhomogeneities. The obtained results indicate that the structure of the non-stoichiometric Mn-Bi-Te films is not continuous but represented by regions of nearly stoichiometric MnBi2Te4 phase, which includes hollows or quantum anti-dots (QADs). The measured FIR transmittance spectra for the non-stoichiometric Mn-Bi-Te films show substantially reduced (or absent) contribution(s) from free charge carriers, which supports the relevance of localization effects.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Anomalous superconductivity and unusual normal state properties of bilayer and twisted graphene (Brief review)

It has been shown that the Kohn--Luttinger superconductivity mechanism interplaying with other types of ordering can be implemented in systems with a hexagonal lattice. A number of unusual properties of such systems in the normal phase have also been considered. Our previous results on Kohn--Luttinger superconductivity with $p$-, $d$-, and $f$-wave pairing in monolayer and AB bilayer graphene, obtained disregarding the effect of substrate potential and impurities, have been presented in the first part. Then, the interplay of the superconducting Kohn--Luttinger state with the spin density wave state in actual AB, AA, and twisted bilayer graphene has been discussed in detail. In the last parts, a number of anomalous properties in the normal phase and the appearance of nematic superconductivity alongside with the spin density wave in the twisted bilayer graphene have been presented.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Evidence for spin droplets (ferrons) formation in the heavy fermion metal CeB$_6$ with dynamic charge stripes

The presented studies of resistivity (R), thermal conductivity (k) and specific heat (C) at low temperature 1.8-7 K in magnetic field up to 90 kOe made it possible to detect for the first time the exponential field dependences R(H), 1/k(H), $C(H) \sim \exp(-μ_{\rm eff}H/kBT)$ of the charge transport and thermal characteristics in the so-called antiferroquadrupole (AFQ) phase of the archetypal heavy-fermion CeB$_6$ hexaboride. From magnetoresistance measurements it is shown that in the AFQ state the effective magnetic moment varies in the range $μ_{\rm eff}(T) = 1.4$-1.9$μ$B, and its value is very close to $μ_{\rm eff}(τ)(T) = 2μ$B, derived from the field dependence of the relaxation time $|tau(H)$ observed in the heat capacity and thermal conductivity experiments. The phenomenological model proposed here allowed us to attribute the magnetic moments to spin droplets (ferrons), that appear in the bulk AFQ phase of CeB$_6$ crystals. The relevant electron phase separation at the nanoscale, manifested by dynamic charge stripes, that leads to the formation of ferrons, was revealed from the analysis of low-temperature X-ray diffraction experiments using the maximum entropy method. We argue that the Jahn-Teller collective mode of B$_6$ clusters is responsible for the charge stripe formation, which subsequently induces transverse quasi-local vibrations of Ce ions in the form of pairs and triples. These lead to 4f-5d spin fluctuations providing spin-polarons (ferrons) in the CeB$_6$ matrix.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Fingerprints of the Jahn-Teller and superexchange physics in optical spectra of manganites

Transition metal oxides incorporating Jahn-Teller (JT) ions Mn3+ (3d4) in manganites and Cu2+ (3d9) in cuprates exhibit outstanding magnetic and electronic properties, including colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC). The physics of these compounds is associated with the orbitally-degenerate electronic states of JT ions, leading to the linear electron-lattice interaction, complemented by the entirely electronic superexchange (SE) interaction. Here, we discuss the fingerprints of the JT and SE physics in the temperature-dependent complex dielectric function spectra and multi-order Raman scattering spectra measured in a detwinned LaMnO3 crystal, which is a famous compound exhibiting cooperative JT effect, being also a progenitor of magnetic materials exhibiting CMR effect. In accordance with the obtained experimental evidence, the associated effective parameters characterizing the JT and SE physics in manganites are presented.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Effects of anisotropy on the high field magnetoresistance of Weyl semimetals

We study the effects of anisotropy on the magnetoresistance of Weyl semimetals (WSMs) in the ultraquantum regime. We utilize the fact that many Weyl semimetals are approximately axially anisotropic. We find that anisotropy manifests itself in the strong dependence of the magnetoresistance on the polar and azimuthal angles determining the orientation of the anisotropy axis with respect to the applied magnetic field and electric current. We also predict that the ratio of magnetoresistances in the geometries, where the magnetic field and anisotropy axes are aligned and where they are orthogonal, scales as $(v_\bot/v_\parallel)^2$ where $v_\bot$ and $v_\parallel$ are the corresponding Fermi velocities.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Formation of droplets of the order parameter and superconductivity in inhomogeneous Fermi-Bose mixtures (Brief review)

The studies of a number of systems treated in terms of an inhomogeneous (spatially separated) Fermi-Bose mixture with superconducting clusters or droplets of the order parameter in a host medium with unpaired normal states are reviewed. A spatially separated Fermi-Bose mixture is relevant to superconducting BaKBiO3 bismuth oxides. Droplets of the order parameter can occur in thin films of a dirty metal, described in the framework of the strongly attractive two-dimensional Hubbard model at a low electron density with a clearly pronounced diagonal disorder. The Bose-Einstein condensate droplets are formed in mixtures and dipole gases with an imbalance in the densities of the Fermi and Bose components. The Bose-Einstein condensate clusters also arise at the center or at the periphery of a magnetic trap involving spin-polarized Fermi gases. Exciton and plasmon collapsing droplets can emerge in the presence of the exciton-exciton or plasmon-plasmon interaction. The plasmon contribution to the charge screening in MgB2 leads to the formation of spatially modulated inhomogeneous structures. In metallic hydrogen and metal hydrides, droplets can be formed in shock-wave experiments at the boundary of the first-order phase transition between the metallic and molecular phases. In a spatially separated Fermi-Bose mixture arising in an Aharonov-Bohm interference ring with a superconducting bridge in a topologically nontrivial state, additional Fano resonances may appear and collapse due to the presence of edge Majorana modes in the system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Bismuth layer properties in the ultrathin Bi-FeNi multilayer films probed by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Using wide-band (0.5-6.5 eV) spectroscopic ellipsometry we study ultrathin [Bi(0.6-2.5 nm)-FeNi(0.8,1.2 nm)]N multilayer films grown by rf sputtering deposition, where the FeNi layer has a nanoisland structure and its morphology and magnetic properties change with decreasing the nominal layer thickness. From the multilayer model simulations of the ellipsometric angles, Psi(omega) and Delta(omega), the complex (pseudo)dielectric function spectra of the Bi layer were extracted. The obtained results demonstrate that the Bi layer can possess the surface metallic conductivity, which is strongly affected by the morphology and magnetic properties of the nanoisland FeNi layer in the GMR-type Bi-FeNi multilayer structures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Quantum magnetoresistance of Weyl semimetals with strong Coulomb disorder

We study the effects a strong Coulomb disorder on the transverse magnetoresistance in Weyl semimetals at low temperatures. Using the diagrammatic technique and the Keldysh model to sum up the leading terms in the diagrammatic expansion, we find that the linear magnetoresistance exhibits a strong renormalization due to the long-range nature of the Coulomb interaction $ρ_{xx} \propto H\ln(eH\hbar v^2/cT^2_{\rm imp}),\ \ Ωα^{-1/6}\ll T_{\rm imp}\ll Ω/α^{-3/4}$, where $Ω= v\sqrt{2eH\hbar/c}$ is the distance between the zeroth and the first Landau levels, $T_{\rm imp}=\hbar vn^{1/3}_{\rm imp}$ measures the strength of the impurity potential in terms of the impurity concentration $n$ and the Fermi velocity $v$, and $α= e^2/\hbar v$ is the effective fine structure constant of the material. As disorder becomes even stronger (but still in the parametric range, where the Coulomb interaction can be treated as a long-range one), we find that the magnetoresistivity becomes quadratic in the magnetic field $ρ_{xx}\propto H^2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Moir{é}-like superlattice generated van Hove singularities in strained CuO$_2$ double layer

While it is known that the double-layer Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+y}$ (BSCCO) cuprate superconductor exhibits a one-dimensional (1D) incommensurate superlattice (IS), the effect of IS on the electronic structure remains elusive. Following the recent shift of the interest from underdoped to optimum and overdoped phase in BSCCO by increasing the hole doping $x$, controlled by the oxygen interstitials concentration $y$, here we focus on the multiple splitting of the density of states (DOS) peaks and emergence of higher order van Hove singularities (VHS) due to the 1D incommensurate superlattice. It is known that 1D incommensurate wave vector $\textbf{q} = ε\textbf{b}$ (where $\textbf{b}$ is the reciprocal lattice vector of the orthorhombic lattice) is controlled by the misfit strain between different atomic layers in the range $0.209$ - $0.215$ in BSCCO and in the range $0.209$ - $0.25$ in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{1-x}$Y$_x$Cu$_2$O$_{8+y}$ (BSCYCO). This work reports the theoretical calculation of a complex pattern of VHS due to the 1D incommensurate superlattice with large 1D quasi-commensurate supercells with the wave vector $ε=9/η$ in the range $36 > η> 43$. The similarity of the complex VHS splitting and appearing of higher order VHS in a mismatched CuO$_2$ bilayer with VHS due to the moir{é} lattice in strained twisted bilayer graphene is discussed. This makes mismatched CuO$_2$ bilayer quite promising for constructing quantum devices with tuned physical characteristics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Interplay of the Jahn--Teller Effect and Spin-Orbit Coupling: The Case of Trigonal Vibronic Modes

We study an interplay between the orbital degeneracy and spin-orbit coupling giving rise to spin-orbital entangled states. As a specific example, we analyze the interaction of electrons occupying triply degenerate single-ion $t_{2g}$ levels with trigonal vibronic modes (the $t\otimes T$ problem). A more general problem of the electron-lattice interaction involving both tetragonal and trigonal vibrations is also considered. It is shown that the result of such interaction crucially depends on the occupation of $t_{2g}$ levels leading to either the suppression or enhancement of the Jahn-Teller effect by the spin-orbit coupling.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

The resistance of quantum entanglement to temperature in the Kugel-Khomskii model

The Kugel--Khomskii model with entangled spin and orbital degrees of freedom is a good testing ground for many important features in quantum information processing, such as robust gaps in the entanglement spectra. Here, we demonstrate that the entanglement can be also robust under effect of temperature within a wide range of parameters. It is shown, in particular, that the temperature dependence of entanglement often exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior. Namely, there turn out to be ranges of the model parameters, where entanglement is absent at zero temperature, but then, with an increase in temperature, it appears, passes through a maximum, and again vanishes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Localization effects in the disordered Ta interlayer of multilayer Ta-FeNi films: Evidence from dc transport and spectroscopic ellipsometry study

Using dc transport and wide-band spectroscopic ellipsometry techniques, we study localization effects in the disordered metallic Ta interlayer of different thickness in the multilayer films (MLFs) (Ta - FeNi)_N grown by rf sputtering deposition. In the grown MLFs, the FeNi layer was 0.52 nm thick, while the Ta layer thickness varied between 1.2 and 4.6 nm. The Ta layer dielectric function was extracted from the Drude-Lorentz simulation. The dc transport study of the MLFs implies non-metallic (dr/dT<0) behavior, with negative temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR). The TCR absolute value increases upon increasing the Ta interlayer thickness, indicating enhanced electron localization. With that, the free charge carrier Drude response decreases. Moreover, the pronounced changes occur at the extended spectral range, involving the higher-energy Lorentz bands. The Drude dc conductivity drops below the weak localization limit for the thick Ta layer. The global band structure reconstruction may indicate the formation of a nearly localized many-body electron state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Electronic phase separation: recent progress in the old problem

We consider the nanoscale electronic phase separation in a wide class of different materials, mostly in strongly correlated electron systems. The phase separation turns out to be quite ubiquitous manifesting itself in different situations, where the itineracy of charge carriers competes with their tendency toward localization. The latter is often related to some specific type of magnetic ordering, e.g. antiferromagnetic in manganites and low-spin states in cobaltites. The interplay between the localization-induced lowering of potential energy and metallicity (which provides the gain in the kinetic energy) favors an inhomogeneous ground state such as nanoscale ferromagnetic droplets in an antiferromagnetic insulating background. The present review article deals with the advances in the subject of electronic phase separation and formation of different types of nanoscale ferromagnetic (FM) metallic droplets (FM polarons or ferrons) in antiferromagnetically ordered (AFM), charge-ordered (CO), or orbitally-ordered (OO) insulating matrices, as well as the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) effect and tunneling electron transport in the nonmetallic phase-separated state of complex magnetic oxides. It also touches upon the compounds with spin-state transitions, inhomogeneous phase-separated state in strongly correlated multiband systems, and electron polaron effect. A special, attention is paid to the systems with the imperfect Fermi surface nesting such as chromium alloys, iron-based pnictides, and AA stacked graphene bilayers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Quantum entanglement, local indicators and effect of external fields in the Kugel-Khomskii model

Using the exact diagonalization technique, we determine the energy spectrum and wave functions for finite chains described by the two-spin (Kugel--Khomskii) model with different types of intersubsystem exchange terms. The found solutions provide a possibility to address the problem of quantum entanglement inherent to this class of models. We put the main emphasis on the calculations of the concurrence treated as an adequate numerical measure of the entanglement. We also analyze the behavior of two-site correlation functions considered as a local indicator of entanglement. We construct the phase diagrams of the models involving the regions of nonzero entanglement. The pronounced effect of external fields, conjugated to both spin variables on the regions with entanglement, could both enhance and weaken the entanglement depending on the parameters of the models.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Control of Mooij correlations at the nanoscale in the disordered metallic Ta - nanoisland FeNi multilayers

Localisation phenomena in highly disordered metals close to the extreme conditions determined by the Mott-Ioffe-Regel (MIR) limit when the electron mean free path is approximately equal to the interatomic distance is a challenging problem. Here, to shed light on these localisation phenomena, we studied the dc transport and optical conductivity properties of nanoscaled multilayered films composed of disordered metallic Ta and magnetic FeNi nanoisland layers, where ferromagnetic FeNi nanoislands have giant magnetic moments of 10^3-10^5 Bohr magnetons (μ_B). In these multilayered structures, FeNi nanoisland giant magnetic moments are interacting due to the indirect exchange forces acting via the Ta electron subsystem. We discovered that the localisation phenomena in the disordered Ta layer lead to a decrease in the Drude contribution of free charge carriers and the appearance of the low-energy electronic excitations in the 1-2 eV spectral range characteristic of electronic correlations, which may accompany the formation of electronic inhomogeneities. From the consistent results of the dc transport and optical studies we found that with an increase in the FeNi layer thickness across the percolation threshold evolution from the superferromagnetic to ferromagnetic behaviour within the FeNi layer leads to the delocalisation of Ta electrons from the associated localised electronic states. On the contrary, we discovered that when the FeNi layer is discontinuous and represented by randomly distributed superparamagnetic FeNi nanoislands, the Ta layer normalized dc conductivity falls down below the MIR limit by about 60%. The discovered effect leading to the dc conductivity fall below the MIR limit can be associated with non-ergodicity and purely quantum (many-body) localisation phenomena, which need to be challenged further.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Effect of disorder on the transverse magnetoresistance of Weyl semimetals

We study the effect of random potential created by different types of impurities on the transverse magnetoresistance of Weyl semimetals. It is shown that the magnetic field and temperature dependence of magnetoresistance is strongly affected by the type of impurity potential. Two limiting cases are analyzed in detail: ($i$) the ultra-quantum limit, when the applied magnetic field is so high that only the zeroth and first Landau levels contribute to the magnetotransport, and ($ii$) the semiclassical situation, for which a large number of Landau levels comes into play. A formal diagrammatic approach allowed us to obtain expressions for the components of the electrical conductivity tensor in both limits. In contrast to the oversimplified case of the $δ$-correlated disorder, the long-range impurity potential (including that of Coulomb impurities) introduces an additional length scale, which changes the geometry and physics of the problem. It is shown that the magnetoresistance can deviate from the linear behavior as a function of magnetic field for a certain class of impurity potentials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗