arXiv subjects

Kaushik Sen

Publications and source records attributed to Kaushik Sen.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Negative thermal expansion, lattice dynamics, and complex magnetism in TbFeO$_3$

We report a temperature-dependent investigation of orthoferrite TbFeO$_3$ using x-ray diffraction, DC magnetization, and Raman scattering, complemented by room-temperature x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction reveals negative thermal expansion over 5-300 K, with a small but systematic increase in unit-cell volume upon cooling in the absence of any structural phase transition. Raman scattering measurements identify the Raman-active phonon modes and show clear deviations from the conventional Klemens anharmonic decay model, particularly in phonon frequencies, indicating the presence of spin-phonon coupling. Two modes of $A_g$ and $B_{1g}$ symmetry exhibit a crossover from Gaussian-dominated line shapes at low temperatures to mixed Gaussian-Lorentzian profiles at higher temperatures, reflecting a transition from inhomogeneous broadening to lifetime-driven dynamics. High-energy Raman spectra reveal two-magnon excitations associated with the Fe sublattice, consistent with linear spin-wave theory, whose spectral weight shows only weak temperature dependence. In addition, a broad Raman mode emerging below $\sim 175$ K exhibits an order-parameter-like temperature evolution and coincides with the onset of phonon anomalies, while no corresponding strong anomaly is observed in the two-magnon response. Taken together, these results establish TbFeO$_3$ as a system with pronounced interplay among lattice dynamics, spin correlations, and emergent local magnetic-lattice anomalies.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Non-adiabatic phonon renormalization in metallic versus insulating rutile oxides

We present a comparative Raman scattering study of metallic rutile oxides (RuO$_2$ and IrO$_2$) and insulating rutiles (TiO$_2$ and SnO$_2$). Temperature-dependent Raman spectra reveal that the metallic compounds exhibit pronounced phonon frequency hardening, $\omega(11~\mathrm{K})-\omega(300~\mathrm{K})=\Delta\omega \approx 6$-$10~\mathrm{cm}^{-1}$, whereas the insulating rutiles show only modest hardening, $\Delta\omega \approx 1$-$3~\mathrm{cm}^{-1}$. In contrast, the linewidth changes, $\Delta\Gamma \approx 1$--$7~\mathrm{cm}^{-1}$, do not display a systematic metallic-insulating classification. Fits with the conventional Klemens anharmonic decay model reproduce the overall temperature trends but yield inconsistent anharmonic parameters for the metallic compounds when benchmarked against insulating rutile analogues. A modified Klemens framework, incorporating an additional $T^{2}$ correction to the phonon frequency arising from the electronic contribution to the phonon self-energy, quantitatively accounts for the enhanced renormalization observed in metallic systems. These results establish finite non-adiabatic electron-phonon coupling in metallic rutiles and demonstrate that phonon renormalization can be identified even in the absence of observable Fano asymmetry in the phonon line shapes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Potential of Raman scattering in probing magnetic excitations and their coupling to lattice dynamics

Raman scattering is an excellent method for simultaneously determining the dynamics of lattice, spin, and charge degrees of freedom. Furthermore, polarization selection rules in Raman scattering enable momentum-resolved quasiparticle dynamics. In this review, we highlight the potential of Raman scattering in probing magnetic quasiparticles or excitations in various magnetic materials. We demonstrate how temperature-dependent Raman scattering data can confirm the existence of magnons in long-range ordered magnets and fractionalized excitations in Kitaev spin liquid candidates. To make this review easily understandable to novices, we provide background information on magnons and fractionalized excitations, and explain how they become visible in the Raman scattering process. We also show how to estimate magnetic exchange interactions from the data. For both types of magnetic materials, we discuss the impact of spin-phonon coupling on the lineshape of the phonon modes. In terms of materials, we present magnetic Raman scattering data of antiferromagnetic Sr2IrO4 and La2CuO4, ferromagnetic CrI3 monolayers, and Kitaev spin liquid candidates {\alpha}-RuCl3 and \b{eta}-Li2IrO3. Overall, our review demonstrates the versatility of the Raman scattering technique in probing quasiparticles in magnetic quantum materials. The review aims to inform young experimental researchers about the potential of Raman scattering, thereby motivating them to use this technique in their research.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Magnetic domain walls of the van der Waals material Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$

Among two-dimensional materials, Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ has come to occupy a very important place owing to its ferromagnetic nature with one of the highest Curie temperatures among known van der Waals materials and the potential for hosting skyrmions. In this combined experimental and theoretical work, we investigate the magnetic bubble domains as well as the microscopic domain wall profile using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy in combination with atomistic spin-dynamics simulations performed with parameters from density functional theory calculations. We find a weak magneto-electric effect influencing the domain wall width by the electric field in the tunneling junction and determine the critical magnetic field for the collapse of the bubble domains. Our findings shed light on the origins of complex magnetism that Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ exhibits.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

In-plane Isotropy of the Low Energy Phonon Anomalies in YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+x}$

We study the temperature dependence of the low energy phonons in the $(H, 0, L)$ reciprocal plane of the highly ordered ortho-II YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.55}$ cuprate high temperature superconductor by means of high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering. Anomalies associated with the emergence of long-range charge density wave (CDW) fluctuations are observed, and are qualitatively similar to those previously observed in the $(0, K, L)$ plane. This confirms the unconventional nature of this bi-dimensional CDW, which is not soft-phonon driven. With the support of first principles calculations, the symmetry of the anomalous phonon is identified and is found to match that of the charge modulation. This suggests in turn that these anomalies originate from a direct coupling between the phonons and the collective CDW excitations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Strange semimetal dynamics in SrIrO$_3$

The interplay of electronic correlations, multi-orbital excitations, and strong spin-orbit coupling is a fertile ground for new states of matter in quantum materials. Here, we report on a confocal Raman scattering study of momentum-resolved charge dynamics from a thin film of semimetallic perovskite $\mathbf{SrIrO_3}$. We demonstrate that the charge dynamics, characterized by a broad continuum, is well described in terms of the marginal Fermi liquid phenomenology. In addition, over a wide temperature regime, the inverse scattering time is for all momenta close to the Planckian limit $\mathbf{τ^{-1}_{\hbar}=k_{\rm B} T/\hbar}$. Thus, $\mathbf{SrIrO_3}$ is a semimetallic multi-band system that is as correlated as, for example, the cuprate superconductors. The usual challenge to resolve the charge dynamics in multi-band systems with very different mobilities is circumvented by taking advantage of the momentum space selectivity of polarized electronic Raman scattering. The Raman responses of both hole- and electron-pockets display an electronic continuum extending far beyond 1000\icm ($\sim$125 meV), much larger than allowed by the phase space for creating particle-hole pairs in a regular Fermi liquid. Analyzing this response in the framework of a memory function formalism, we are able to extract the frequency dependent scattering rate and mass enhancement factor of both types of charge carriers, which in turn allows us to determine the carrier-dependent mobilities and electrical resistivities. The results are well consistent with transport measurement and demonstrate the potential of this approach to investigate the charge dynamics in multi-band systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Terahertz ellipsometry study of the soft mode behavior in ultrathin SrTiO3 films

We present a combined study with conventional far-infrared and time-domain terahertz ellipsometry of the temperature dependent optical response of SrTiO3 thin films (85 and 8.5 nm) that are grown by pulsed-laser deposition on LSAT substrates. We demonstrate that terahertz ellipsometry is very sensitive to the optical response of these thin films, in particular, to the soft mode of SrTiO3. We show that for the 85 nm film the eigenfrequency of the soft mode is strongly reduced by annealing at 1200 C, whereas for the 8.5 nm film it is hardy affected. For the latter, after annealing the mode remains at 125 cm-1 at 300 K and exhibits only a weak softening to about 90 cm-1 at 10 K. This suggests that this ultrathin film undergoes hardly any relaxation of the compressive strain due to the LSAT substrate.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗