arXiv subjects

Leiqiang Li

Publications and source records attributed to Leiqiang Li.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Alternating-Chiral Charge Density Waves and Hybrid Ferrimagnetism in Monolayered NbTe2

Intertwining of different quantum degrees of freedom manifests exotic quantum phenomena in many-body systems, especially in reduced dimensionality. Here we show that monolayered NbTe2 serves as an ideal platform where lattice, charge, and spin degrees of freedom manifest cooperatively, leading to a new and threading order of chirality. By using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we reveal that the root19 * root19 phase of NbTe2 is encoded with both alternating-chiral atomic displacements and charge density waves, characterized by two chiral units of opposite handedness within the reconstructed cell. We show unambiguous evidence for emergent spin polarizations spreading over the primitive cell, with the magnetization orientation synchronized with alternating handedness of chiral order. Our first-principles studies identify the origin of intertwined orders being correlation driven, with the threading order of chirality emerging when the on-site Coulomb repulsion exceeds a critical value. The spin ordering is further shown to be of hybrid ferrimagnetic nature, contributed by the itinerant electrons and localized d-orbitals. Collectively, these findings expand the realm of chiral order in correlated electron systems, and facilitate an appealing platform for chiral spintronic and related applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Hydrogen-assisted layer-by-layer growth and robust nontrivial topology of stanene films on Bi(111)

Ever since the first successful synthesis of stanene via epitaxial growth, numerous efforts have been devoted to improving its overall quality and exploring its topological and other exotic properties under different growth conditions. Here, using first-principles approaches, we reveal the atomistic growth mechanisms and robust topological properties of few-layer stanene on Bi(111). We first show that monolayer stanene grown on Bi(111) follows a highly desirable nucleation-and-growth mechanism, characterized by attractive interaction of the Sn adatoms. More importantly, we reveal that surface passivation by the residual hydrogen is essential in achieving layer-by-layer growth of high-quality few-layer stanene, with the hydrogen functioning as a surfactant in stabilizing the growing films. Furthermore, we investigate systematically the dependence of the topological properties of stanene on the film thickness, hydrogen passivation, and substrate, and obtain robust quantum spin Hall effects under diverse physical conditions. The robustness of the nontrivial topology is attributable to the strong spin-orbit coupling of the Bi substrate. The atomistic growth mechanisms and nontrivial topology of stanene as presented here are also discussed in connection with recent experimental findings.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Chiral topological superconducting state with Chern number $\mathcal{C} =-2$ in Pb$_3$Bi/Ge(111)

Materials realization of chiral topological superconductivity is a crucial condition for observing and manipulating Majorana fermions in condensed matter physics. Here we develop a tight-binding description of Pb$_3$Bi/Ge(111), identified recently as an appealing candidate system for realizing chiral $p$-wave topological superconductivity [Nat. Phys. 15, 796 (2019)]. We first show that our phenomenological model can capture the two main features of the electronic band structures obtained from first-principles calculations, namely, the giant Rashba splitting and type-II van Hove singularity. Next, when the $s$-wave superconducting property of the parent Pb system is explicitly considered, we find the alloyed system can be tuned into a chiral topological superconductor with Chern number $\mathcal{C} = -2$, resulting from the synergistic effect of a sufficiently strong Zeeman field and the inherently large Rashba spin-orbit coupling. The nontrivial topology with $\mathcal{C} = -2$ is further shown to be detectable as two chiral Majorana edge modes propagating along the same direction of the system with proper boundaries. We finally discuss the physically realistic conditions to establish the predicted topological superconductivity and observe the corresponding Majorana edge modes, including the influence of the superconducting gap, Landé $g$-factor, and critical magnetic field. The present study provides useful guides in searching for effective $p$-wave superconductivity and Majorana fermions in two-dimensional or related interfacial systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗