arXiv subjects

Marta Aleszkiewicz

Publications and source records attributed to Marta Aleszkiewicz.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tuning Dirac-Rashba and Double Dirac Cone Surface States of Topological Crystalline Insulator Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$Se by Transition Metal Adsorbate

The electronic structure of topological insulator/magnetic metal (TI/MM) interfaces is of great importance for understanding of exotic spin-dependent phenomena and realization of advanced spin-orbitronic devices. Here, we employ a model system of submonolayer transition metal (TM) deposited on the surface of a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) of Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$Se to systematically map out the modification of the surface electronic structure by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) as a function of coverage. For the polar (111) Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$Se surface, we observe the coexistence of the Dirac topological surface states (TSS) and Rashba-split surface states (RSS) induced by the combined effects of inversion-symmetry breaking, surface band bending and orbital angular momentum effects. In particular, we demonstrate very large Rashba splittings can be obtained and the Rashba parameter ($α_R$) can be tuned over a remarkably wide range from 0 to 3.5 eV ${\cdot}$ $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$, depending on the type and coverage of the TM adatoms. Model-Hamiltonian calculations corroborate the experimental findings and reveal that this coexistence results from the filling of the TSS by the surface doping caused by the TM. In contrast, for the nonpolar (001) surface exhibiting a double Dirac cone topological surface state, the inversion symmetry is preserved and hence no Rashba-split surface states emerge. Instead, surface charge imbalance induces dephasing of the wave functions of the double Dirac cones that diminishes the momentum-space separation between them. These findings shed light on novel phenomena occurring at the topological insulator / transition metal interface, offering a versatile platform for future spintronic and quantum devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic Frustration Enforced Electronic Reconstruction in Ni intercalated NbSe$_{2}$: Suppression of Electronic Orders

We investigate the single crystals of Ni$_{0.19}$NbSe$_2$, revealing that Ni intercalation profoundly alters the physical properties of NbSe$_2$. Magnetic measurements clearly show that the system is magnetically frustrated with antiferromagnetic ordering below 23.5\,K, with an irreversibility temperature near 10\,K, and a magnetic hysteresis with a small net magnetic moment. Overall, the system can be described as an inhomogeneous antiferromagnetic phase with magnetic disorder and magnetic frustration. We found two Curie-Weiss temperatures of -80\,K for the field in the {\it ab}-plane and -137\,K for the field out of plane, which are a consequence of anisotropic interactions in spin space and favor an orientation of the spin along the {\it c}-axis. Temperature-dependent resistivity shows a complete suppression of both charge density waves and superconducting order down to 300\,mK. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy at 84\,K reveals a $\overlineΓ$-centered electron pocket in Ni$_{0.19}$NbSe$_2$, which is absent in pristine NbSe$_2$. The electronic structure results show a shift of the van Hove singularity (VHS), which is the main cause of the suppression of the electronic orders. These results align with recent theoretical predictions that Ni intercalation with cationic disorder favors frustrated antiferromagnetic stripe states, shifts the VHS and reconstructs the Fermi surface in NbSe$_2$. Our findings position Ni$_{0.19}$NbSe$_2$ within a magnetically frustrated, non-superconducting regime, highlighting how partial intercalation and disorder drive complex magnetic order and the Fermi surface reconstruction in low-dimensional quantum materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Size Effect in Optically Active Indium Selenide Crystal Phase Heterostructures Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Indium selenide attracts the interest due to its outstanding electronic and optical properties which are potentially prospective in view of applications in electronic and photonic devices. Most of the polymorphic crystal phases of this semiconductor belong to the family of two-dimensional van der Waals semiconductors. In this study optically active indium selenide crystal phase heterostructures are fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy in a well-controlled manner. It is demonstrated that by changing the growth conditions one may obtain either γ-InSe, or γ-In2Se3, or \b{eta}-yIn2Se3 crystal phases. The most promising crystal phase heterostructures from the point of view of photonic applications is found to be the γ-InSe/γ-In2Se3 heterostructure. An intense optical emission from this heterostructure appears in the near infrared spectral range. The emission energy can be tuned over 250 meV by changing γ-InSe layer thickness which is explained by the quantum size effect. The optically active indium selenide crystal phase heterostructures represent, therefore, an interesting platform for the design of light sources and detectors in the near infra-red. The use of molecular beam epitaxy for this purpose ensures that the structures are fabricated on large surfaces opening the possibility for the design of device prototypes by using lithography methods

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

3D Topological Semimetal Phases of Strained $α$-Sn on Insulating Substrate

$α$-Sn is an elemental topological material, whose topological phases can be tuned by strain and magnetic field. Such tunability offers a substantial potential for topological electronics. However, InSb substrates, commonly used to stabilize $α$-Sn allotrope, suffer from parallel conduction, restricting transport investigations and potential applications. Here, the successful MBE growth of high-quality $α$-Sn layers on insulating, hybrid CdTe/GaAs(001) substrates, with bulk electron mobility approaching 20000 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$ is reported. The electronic properties of the samples are systematically investigated by independent complementary techniques, enabling thorough characterization of the 3D Dirac (DSM) and Weyl (WSM) semimetal phases induced by the strains and magnetic field, respectively. Magneto-optical experiments, corroborated with band structure modeling, provide an exhaustive description of the bulk states in the DSM phase. The modeled electronic structure is directly observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which reveals linearly dispersing bands near the Fermi level. The first detailed study of negative longitudinal magnetoresistance relates this effect to the chiral anomaly and, consequently, to the presence of WSM. Observation of the $π$ Berry phase in Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations agrees with the topologically non-trivial nature of the investigated samples. Our findings establish $α$-Sn as an attractive topological material for exploring relativistic physics and future applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Spin-polarization of topological crystalline and normal insulator Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Se (111) epilayers probed by photoelectron spectroscopy

The helical spin texture on the surface of topological crystalline insulators (TCI) makes these materials attractive for application in spintronics. In this work, spin-polarization and electronic structure of surface states of (111)-oriented Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Se TCI epitaxial films are examined by angle -- as well as spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SR-ARPES). High-quality epilayers with various Sn content are grown by the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method. Topological-normal insulator transition manifesting itself as band gap opening is observed. It is shown that the gap opening can be induced not only by changing the Sn content of the epilayer but also depositing a transition metal (TM) on its surface. In the latter case, the observed gaping of the surface states is caused by change in surface composition and not by magnetism. We also show that helical spin polarization is present not only for samples of topological composition but also for trivial ones (with an open band gap). The observed spin polarization reaches a value of 30 % for the in-plane spin component and is almost absent for the out-of-plane one. We believe that our work will pave the way for the application of surface states not only of topological but also normal insulators based on lead-tin chalcogenides in spin-charge conversion devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Signatures of dephasing by mirror-symmetry breaking in weak-antilocalization magnetoresistance across the topological transition in Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$Se

Many conductors, including recently studied Dirac materials, show saturation of coherence length on decreasing temperature. This surprising phenomenon is assigned to external noise, residual magnetic impurities or two-level systems specific to non-crystalline solids. Here, by considering the SnTe-class of compounds as an example, we show theoretically that breaking of mirror symmetry deteriorates Berry's phase quantization, leading to additional dephasing in weak-antilocalization magnetoresistance (WAL-MR). Our experimental studies of WAL-MR corroborate these theoretical expectations in (111) Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Se thin film with Sn contents $x$ corresponding to both topological crystalline insulator and topologically trivial phases. In particular, we find the shortening of the phase coherence length in samples with intentionally broken mirror symmetry. Our results indicate that the classification of quantum transport phenomena into universality classes should encompass, in addition to time-reversal and spin-rotation invariances, spatial symmetries in specific systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗