arXiv subjects

Lili Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Lili Wang.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Thickness dependence of superconductivity and superconductor-insulator transition in ultrathin FeSe films on SrTiO3(001) substrate

Interface-enhanced high-temperature superconductivity in one unit-cell (UC) FeSe film on SrTiO3(001) (STO) substrate has recently attracted much attention in condensed matter physics and material science. Here, by ex situ transport measurements, we report on the superconductivity in FeSe ultra-thin films with different thickness on STO substrate. We find that the onset superconducting transition temperature (Tc) decreases with increasing film thickness of FeSe, which is opposite to the behavior usually observed in traditional superconductor films. By systematic post-annealing of 5 UC FeSe films, we observe an insulator to superconductor transition, which is accompanied with a sign change of the dominated charge carriers from holes to electrons at low temperatures according to the corresponding Hall measurement.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Probing Dirac Fermion Dynamics in Topological Insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ Films with Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy have been used to investigate the femtosecond dynamics of Dirac fermions in the topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ ultrathin films. At two-dimensional limit, bulk electrons becomes quantized and the quantization can be controlled by film thickness at single quintuple layer level. By studying the spatial decay of standing waves (quasiparticle interference patterns) off steps, we measure directly the energy and film thickness dependence of phase relaxation length $l_ϕ$ and inelastic scattering lifetime $τ$ of topological surface-state electrons. We find that $τ$ exhibits a remarkable $(E-E_F)^{-2}$ energy dependence and increases with film thickness. We show that the features revealed are typical for electron-electron scattering between surface and bulk states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Spectral analysis of linear time series in moderately high dimensions

This article is concerned with the spectral behavior of $p$-dimensional linear processes in the moderately high-dimensional case when both dimensionality $p$ and sample size $n$ tend to infinity so that $p/n\to0$. It is shown that, under an appropriate set of assumptions, the empirical spectral distributions of the renormalized and symmetrized sample autocovariance matrices converge almost surely to a nonrandom limit distribution supported on the real line. The key assumption is that the linear process is driven by a sequence of $p$-dimensional real or complex random vectors with i.i.d. entries possessing zero mean, unit variance and finite fourth moments, and that the $p\times p$ linear process coefficient matrices are Hermitian and simultaneously diagonalizable. Several relaxations of these assumptions are discussed. The results put forth in this paper can help facilitate inference on model parameters, model diagnostics and prediction of future values of the linear process.

math.ST↗

arXiv2015

Molecular beam epitaxy growth and scanning tunneling microscopy study of TiSe$_2$ ultrathin films

Molecular beam epitaxy is used to grow TiSe2 ultrathin films on graphitized SiC(0001) substrate. TiSe2films proceed via a nearly layer-by-layer growth mode and exhibit two dominant types of defects, identified as Se vacancy and interstitial, respectively. By means of scanning tunneling microscopy, we demonstrate that the well-established charge density waves can survive in single unit-cell (one triple layer) regime, and find a gradual reduction in their correlation length as the density of surface defects in TiSe2 ultrathin films increases. Our findings offer important insights into the nature of charge density wave in TiSe2, and also pave a material foundation for potential applications based on the collective electronic states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Superconducting LiFeAs Film on SrTiO3(001) Substrate

The stoichiometric "111" iron-based superconductor, LiFeAs, has attacted great research interest in recent years. For the first time, we have successfully grown LiFeAs thin film by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on SrTiO3(001) substrate, and studied the interfacial growth behavior by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (LT-STM). The effects of substrate temperature and Li/Fe flux ratio were investigated. Uniform LiFeAs film as thin as 3 quintuple-layer (QL) is formed. Superconducting gap appears in LiFeAs films thicker than 4 QL at 4.7 K. When the film is thicker than 13 QL, the superconducting gap determined by the distance between coherence peaks is about 7 meV, close to the value of bulk material. The ex situ transport measurement of thick LiFeAs film shows a sharp superconducting transition around 16 K. The upper critical field, Hc2(0)=13.0 T, is estimated from the temperature dependent magnetoresistance. The precise thickness and quality control of LiFeAs film paves the road of growing similar ultrathin iron arsenide films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Disentangling the magnetoelectric and thermoelectric transport in topological insulator thin films

We report transport studies on (Bi,Sb)2Te3 topological insulator thin films with tunable electronic band structure. We find a doping and temperature regime in which the Hall coefficient is negative indicative of electron-type carriers, whereas the Seebeck coefficient is positive indicative of hole-type carriers. This sign anomaly is due to the distinct transport behaviors of the bulk and surface states: the surface Dirac fermions dominate magnetoelectric transport while the thermoelectric effect is mainly determined by the bulk states. These findings may inspire new ideas for designing topological insulator-based high efficiency thermoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Ultrafast Dynamics Evidence of High Temperature Superconductivity in Single Unit Cell FeSe on SrTiO3

The recent observation of high-temperature superconductivity in one unit cell thick FeSe on SrTiO3 (1UC FeSe/STO)1 initiated a new pathway to realizing even higher transition temperature (Tc) superconductors and established a promising different paradigm to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity2-10. However, independent confirmation on the high Tc value, the role of capping layer in reducing Tc, and the underlying mechanism of the novel superconductivity remain open questions11. Here we report a time-resolved study of the excited state ultrafast dynamics of 1UC FeSe/STO protected by 2UC FeTe capping layer, and identify the superconducting Tc to be 68 (-5/+2) K. We found a coherent acoustic phonon mode in the capping layer, which provides an additional decay channel to the gluing bosons and explains the reduced Tc value. Our investigation supports the phonon pairing scenario.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Detection of a superconducting phase in a two-atom layer of hexagonal Ga film grown on semiconducting GaN(0001)

The recent observation of superconducting state at atomic scale has motivated the pursuit of exotic condensed phases in two-dimensional (2D) systems. Here we report on a superconducting phase in two-monolayer crystalline Ga films epitaxially grown on wide band-gap semiconductor GaN(0001). This phase exhibits a hexagonal structure and only 0.552 nm in thickness, nevertheless, brings about a superconducting transition temperature Tc as high as 5.4 K, confirmed by in situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and ex situ electrical magneto-transport and magnetization measurements. The anisotropy of critical magnetic field and Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless-like transition are observed, typical for the 2D superconductivity. Our results demonstrate a novel platform for exploring atomic-scale 2D superconductor, with great potential for understanding of the interface superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Electrically tuned magnetic order and magnetoresistance in a topological insulator

The Dirac-like surface states of the topological insulators (TIs) are protected by time reversal symmetry (TRS) and exhibit a host of novel properties. Introducing magnetism into TI, which breaks the TRS, is expected to create exotic topological magnetoelectric effects. A particularly intriguing phenomenon in this case is the magnetic field dependence of electrical resistance, or magnetoresistance (MR). The intricate interplay between topological protection and broken-TRS may lead to highly unconventional MR behaviour that can find unique applications in magnetic sensing and data storage. However, so far the MR of TI with spontaneously broken TRS is still poorly understood, mainly due to the lack of well-controlled experiments. In this work, we investigate the magneto transport properties of a ferromagnetic TI thin film fabricated into a field effect transistor device. We observe an unusually complex evolution of MR when the Fermi level (EF) is tuned across the Dirac point (DP) by gate voltage. In particular, MR tends to be positive when EF lies close to the DP but becomes negative at higher energies. This trend is opposite to that expected from the Berry phase picture for localization, but is intimately correlated with the gate-tuned magnetic order. We show that the underlying physics is the competition between the topology-induced weak antilocalization and magnetism-induced negative MR. The simultaneous electrical control of magnetic order and magneto transport facilitates future TI-based spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Graded Index Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibers for Terahertz Applications

Graded index microstructured polymer optical fiber incorporating a specially designed air-hole array featuring variable air-hole diameters and inter-hole separation is proposed, fabricated and characterized in view of the fiber potential applications in low-loss, low-dispersion terahertz guidance. The proposed fiber features simultaneously low chromatic and intermodal dispersions, as well as low loss in the terahertz spectral range. We then experimentally demonstrate that proposed fibers exhibit smaller pulse distortion, larger bandwidth and more reliable excitation when compared to the porous fibers of comparable geometry.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Charge-Stripe Order in a Parent Compound of Iron-based Superconductors

Charge ordering is one of the most intriguing and extensively studied phenomena in correlated electronic materials because of its strong impact on electron transport properties including superconductivity. Despite its ubiquitousness in correlated systems, the occurrence of charge ordering in iron-based superconductors is still unresolved. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to reveal a long-range charge-stripe order and a highly anisotropic dispersion of electronic states in the ground state of stoichiometric FeTe, the parent compound of the Fe(Te, Se, S) superconductor family. The formation of charge order in a strongly correlated electron system with integer nominal valence (here Fe$^{2+}$) is unexpected and suggests that the iron-based superconductors may exhibit more complex charge dynamics than originally expected. We show that the present observations can be attributed to the surpassing of the role of local Coulomb interaction by the poorly screened longer-range Coulomb interactions, facilitated by large Hund's rule coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Direct observation of quantum confinement of massless Dirac fermions in a topological insulator

Since the discovery of topological insulators (TIs)1,2, the peculiar nature of their chiral surface states has been experimentally demonstrated both in bulk and in film materials with open boundaries3,4. Closed boundary on a TI surface may intrigue more interesting phenomena such as quantum confinement of massless Dirac fermions (DFs), which is analogous to the quantum corral (QC) for massive free electrons on a metal surface5-10. To date, it keeps a highly stringent challenge to realize a true Dirac QC due to the unusual transmitting power of a massless fermion. Through heteroepitaxially growing a Bi bilayer on the Bi2Te3 surface with appropriate coverage, here we demonstrate the realization of a true Dirac QC. Specifically, spectacular maps of quantum interference in equilateral triangle-shaped QCs surrounded by Bi bilayers are directly visualized by using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The present success is ascribed to a perfect orientation matching between the QC boundary and the stationary-phase scattering of massless DFs. In addition, the quasiparticle lifetime of the confined DFs is also systematically measured and analyzed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

High temperature superconducting FeSe films on SrTiO3 substrates

Interface enhanced superconductivity at two dimensional limit has become one of most intriguing research directions in condensed matter physics. Here, we report the superconducting properties of ultra-thin FeSe films with the thickness of one unit cell (1-UC) grown on conductive and insulating SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. For the 1-UC FeSe on conductive STO substrate (Nb-STO), the magnetization versus temperature (M-T) measurement shows a diamagnetic signal at 85 K, suggesting the possibility of superconductivity appears at this high temperature. For the FeSe films on insulating STO substrate, systematic transport measurements were carried out and the sheet resistance of FeSe films exhibits Arrhenius TAFF behavior with a crossover from a single-vortex pinning region to a collective creep region. More intriguing, sign reversal of Hall resistance with temperature is observed, demonstrating a crossover from hole conduction to electron conduction above Tc in 1-UC FeSe films.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Imaging the Electron-Boson Coupling in Superconducting FeSe

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy has been used to reveal signatures of a bosonic mode in the local quasiparticle density of states of superconducting FeSe films. The mode appears below Tc as a 'dip-hump' feature at energy Ω~ 4.7 kBTc beyond the superconducting gap Δ. Spectra on strained regions of the FeSe films reveal simultaneous decreases in Δand Ω. This contrasts with all previous reports on other high-Tc superconductors, where Δlocally anti-correlates with Ω. A local strong coupling model is found to reconcile the discrepancy well, and to provide a unified picture of the electron-boson coupling in unconventional superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Dichotomy of Electronic Structure and Superconductivity between Single-Layer and Double-Layer FeSe/SrTiO3 Films

The latest discovery of possible high temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe film grown on a SrTiO3 substrate, together with the observation of its unique electronic structure and nodeless superconducting gap, has generated much attention. Initial work also found that, while the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film exhibits a clear signature of superconductivity, the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film shows an insulating behavior. Such a dramatic difference between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films is surprising and the underlying origin remains unclear. Here we report our comparative study between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films by performing a systematic angle-resolved photoemission study on the samples annealed in vacuum. We find that, like the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film, the as-prepared double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film is insulating and possibly magnetic, thus establishing a universal existence of the magnetic phase in the FeSe/SrTiO3 films. In particular, the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film shows a quite different doping behavior from the single-layer film in that it is hard to get doped and remains in the insulating state under an extensive annealing condition. The difference originates from the much reduced doping efficiency in the bottom FeSe layer of the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film from the FeSe-SrTiO3 interface. These observations provide key insights in understanding the origin of superconductivity and the doping mechanism in the FeSe/SrTiO3 films. The property disparity between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films may facilitate to fabricate electronic devices by making superconducting and insulating components on the same substrate under the same condition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Experimental observation of Dirac-like surface states and topological phase transition in Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te(111) films

The surface of a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) carries an even number of Dirac cones protected by crystalline symmetry. We epitaxially grew high quality Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te(111) films and investigated the TCI phase by in-situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te(111) films undergo a topological phase transition from trivial insulator to TCI via increasing the Sn/Pb ratio, accompanied by a crossover from n-type to p-type doping. In addition, a hybridization gap is opened in the surface states when the thickness of film is reduced to the two-dimensional limit. The work demonstrates an approach to manipulating the topological properties of TCI, which is of importance for future fundamental research and applications based on TCI.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Electronic Evidence of an Insulator-Superconductor Transition in Single-Layer FeSe/SrTiO3 Films

In high temperature cuprate superconductors, it is now generally agreed that the parent compound is a Mott insulator and superconductivity is realized by doping the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. In the iron-based superconductors, however, the parent compound is mostly antiferromagnetic metal, raising a debate on whether an appropriate starting point should go with an itinerant picture or a localized picture. It has been proposed theoretically that the parent compound of the iron-based superconductors may be on the verge of a Mott insulator, but so far no clear experimental evidence of doping-induced Mott transition has been available. Here we report an electronic evidence of an insulator-superconductor transition observed in the single-layer FeSe films grown on the SrTiO3 substrate. By taking angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the electronic structure and energy gap, we have identified a clear evolution of an insulator to a superconductor with the increasing doping. This observation represents the first example of an insulator-superconductor transition via doping observed in the iron-based superconductors. It indicates that the parent compound of the iron-based superconductors is in proximity of a Mott insulator and strong electron correlation should be considered in describing the iron-based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Direct observation of high temperature superconductivity in one-unit-cell FeSe films

Heterostructure based interface engineering has been proved an effective method for finding new superconducting systems and raising superconductivity transition temperature (TC). In previous work on one unit-cell (UC) thick FeSe films on SrTiO3 (STO) substrate, a superconducting-like energy gap as large as 20 meV, was revealed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) further revealed a nearly isotropic gap of above 15 meV, which closes at a temperature of ~ 65 K. If this transition is indeed the superconducting transition, then the 1-UC FeSe represents the thinnest high TC superconductor discovered so far. However, up to date direct transport measurement of the 1-UC FeSe films has not been reported, mainly because growth of large scale 1-UC FeSe films is challenging and the 1-UC FeSe films are too thin to survive in atmosphere. In this work, we successfully prepared 1-UC FeSe films on insulating STO substrates with non-superconducting FeTe protection layers. By direct transport and magnetic measurements, we provide definitive evidence for high temperature superconductivity in the 1-UC FeSe films with an onset TC above 40 K and a extremely large critical current density JC ~ 1.7*106 A/cm2 at 2 K. Our work may pave the way to enhancing and tailoring superconductivity by interface engineering.

cond-mat.supr-con↗