arXiv subjects

Ningning Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Ningning Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Spin-mediated hysteretic switching of unidirectional charge density waves by rotating magnetic fields

Charge density waves (CDWs) are a widespread collective electronic order in quantum materials, furnishing key insights into symmetry breaking and competing phases. However, their dynamic control with external fields remains a pivotal challenge. Here, we report deterministic and hysteretic switching of unidirectional CDW orientation via in-plane magnetic field rotation in magnetic kagome metal GdTi3Bi4. Atomically resolved spectroscopy shows two types of 3a0*1a0 CDW domains, Q1 and Q2 oriented 60 degree apart along two distinct crystallographic directions and separated by atomically sharp domain walls. Rotating the magnetic field drives reversible transitions between these CDW configurations, exhibiting a robust C2-symmetric phase diagram with pronounced hysteresis. This hysteretic switching is mediated by a field-dependent reorientation of underlying antiferromagnetic spins, revealing a tunable energy landscape with stable and metastable states and modulates the electronic charge order via spin-lattice coupling. Our findings not only demonstrate the switching of CDW configurations by in-plane magnetic field but also reveal the mechanism of coupling between CDW and magnetic fields, offering new insights into CDW manipulation and versatile platform for developing a spin-mediated multistate spin-charge coupling memory and programmable quantum devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Superconductivity under pressure in the two-dimensional van der Waals heavy-fermion metal CeSiI

CeSiI is a newly discovered exfoliable van der Waals (vdW) heavy-fermion metal featured by a long-range antiferromagnetic (AF) order (TN =7.5 K) inside the Kondo coherent state below T* = 50 K. To gain a more profound understanding of the intriguing physics of this material and to uncover novel phenomena driven by quantum criticality, it is imperative to construct the phase diagram of CeSiI detailing the evolutions of T* and TN as a function of external tuning parameters such as pressure (P).In this study, we employ high pressure as an effective tuning knob to investigate this system, thereby generating a comprehensive T-P phase diagram of CeSiI. This diagram is characterized by an unusual V-shaped nonmonotonic evolution of T*(P) and the emergence of a superconducting dome with Tcmax = 240 mK upon suppression of AF order at Pc = 6 GPa, coinciding with the minimum of T*(P).The close proximity of the superconductivity (SC) to the AF instability and an unusually large upper critical field Bc2(0) exceeding 4-7 times the Pauli paramagnetic limit, suggests an unconventional pairing mechanism in CeSiI. Further analyses of normal-state transport properties provide evidence of quantum criticality, i.e., non-Fermi-liquid behavior and divergence of quasiparticle effective mass near Pc = 7 GPa. Our findings not only establish CeSiI as the first vdW heavy-fermion superconductor but also highlight an unconventional nature for the Kondo coherent state at T* at ambient pressure, hence opening a new avenue to study the interplay of strong electron correlation, Kondo hybridization, magnetism, and unconventional SC in the vdW heavy-fermion systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Interstitial oxygen order and its competition with superconductivity in La$_2$PrNi$_2$O$_{7+\delta}$

High-temperature superconductivity in bilayer nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure has attracted significant interest in condensed matter physics. While early samples exhibited limited superconducting volume fractions, Pr substitution for La enabled bulk superconductivity in polycrystals under pressure and enhanced transition temperatures in thin films at ambient pressure. Beyond rare-earth doping, moderate oxygen or ozone annealing improves superconductivity by mitigating oxygen vacancies, whereas high-pressure oxygen annealing leads to a trivial, non-superconducting metallic state across all pressure regimes. These findings highlight the need to elucidate both the individual and combined effects of Pr doping and oxygen stoichiometry in modulating superconductivity in bilayer nickelates. Here, using multislice electron ptychography and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of as-grown La$_2$PrNi$_2$O$_7$ and high-pressure-oxygen-annealed La$_2$PrNi$_2$O$_{7+\delta}$ polycrystals. We find that Pr dopants preferentially occupy outer La sites, effectively eliminating inner-apical oxygen vacancies and ensuring near-stoichiometry in as-grown La$_2$PrNi$_2$O$_7$ that is bulk-superconducting under pressure. In contrast, high-pressure oxygen annealing induces a striped interstitial oxygen order, introducing quasi-1D lattice potentials and excess hole carriers into p-d hybridized orbitals, ultimately suppressing superconductivity. This behavior starkly contrasts with cuprate superconductors, where similar interstitial oxygen ordering enhances superconductivity instead. Our findings reveal a competition between striped interstitial oxygen order and superconductivity in bilayer nickelates, offering key insights into their distinct pairing mechanisms and providing a roadmap for designing more robust superconducting phases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Efficient Agents: Building Effective Agents While Reducing Cost

The remarkable capabilities of Large Language Model (LLM)-driven agents have enabled sophisticated systems to tackle complex, multi-step tasks, but their escalating costs threaten scalability and accessibility. This work presents the first systematic study of the efficiency-effectiveness trade-off in modern agent systems, addressing the critical need for cost-effective designs without sacrificing performance. We investigate three key questions: (1) How much complexity do agentic tasks inherently require? (2) When do additional modules yield diminishing returns? (3) How much efficiency can be gained through the design of efficient agent frameworks? Through an empirical analysis on the GAIA benchmark, we evaluate the impact of LLM backbone selection, agent framework designs, and test-time scaling strategies. Using the cost-of-pass metric, we quantify the efficiency-performance trade-off across these dimensions. Our findings inform the development of Efficient Agents , a novel agent framework that has an optimal complexity to task requirements. Efficient Agents retains 96.7% of the performance of OWL, one leading open-source agent framework, while reducing operational costs from $0.398 to $0.228, resulting in a 28.4% improvement in cost-of-pass. Our work provides actionable insights for designing efficient, high-performing agent systems, advancing the accessibility and sustainability of AI-driven solutions.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2025

OAgents: An Empirical Study of Building Effective Agents

Recently, Agentic AI has become an increasingly popular research field. However, we argue that current agent research practices lack standardization and scientific rigor, making it hard to conduct fair comparisons among methods. As a result, it is still unclear how different design choices in agent frameworks affect effectiveness, and measuring their progress remains challenging. In this work, we conduct a systematic empirical study on GAIA benchmark and BrowseComp to examine the impact of popular design choices in key agent components in a fair and rigorous manner. We find that the lack of a standard evaluation protocol makes previous works, even open-sourced ones, non-reproducible, with significant variance between random runs. Therefore, we introduce a more robust evaluation protocol to stabilize comparisons. Our study reveals which components and designs are crucial for effective agents, while others are redundant, despite seeming logical. Based on our findings, we build and open-source OAgents, a new foundation agent framework that achieves state-of-the-art performance among open-source projects. OAgents offers a modular design for various agent components, promoting future research in Agentic AI.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2025

Protocol-agnostic and Data-free Backdoor Attacks on Pre-trained Models in RF Fingerprinting

While supervised deep neural networks (DNNs) have proven effective for device authentication via radio frequency (RF) fingerprinting, they are hindered by domain shift issues and the scarcity of labeled data. The success of large language models has led to increased interest in unsupervised pre-trained models (PTMs), which offer better generalization and do not require labeled datasets, potentially addressing the issues mentioned above. However, the inherent vulnerabilities of PTMs in RF fingerprinting remain insufficiently explored. In this paper, we thoroughly investigate data-free backdoor attacks on such PTMs in RF fingerprinting, focusing on a practical scenario where attackers lack access to downstream data, label information, and training processes. To realize the backdoor attack, we carefully design a set of triggers and predefined output representations (PORs) for the PTMs. By mapping triggers and PORs through backdoor training, we can implant backdoor behaviors into the PTMs, thereby introducing vulnerabilities across different downstream RF fingerprinting tasks without requiring prior knowledge. Extensive experiments demonstrate the wide applicability of our proposed attack to various input domains, protocols, and PTMs. Furthermore, we explore potential detection and defense methods, demonstrating the difficulty of fully safeguarding against our proposed backdoor attack.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2025

Kongzi: A Historical Large Language Model with Fact Enhancement

The capabilities of the latest large language models (LLMs) have been extended from pure natural language understanding to complex reasoning tasks. However, current reasoning models often exhibit factual inaccuracies in longer reasoning chains, which poses challenges for historical reasoning and limits the potential of LLMs in complex, knowledge-intensive tasks. Historical studies require not only the accurate presentation of factual information but also the ability to establish cross-temporal correlations and derive coherent conclusions from fragmentary and often ambiguous sources. To address these challenges, we propose Kongzi, a large language model specifically designed for historical analysis. Through the integration of curated, high-quality historical data and a novel fact-reinforcement learning strategy, Kongzi demonstrates strong factual alignment and sophisticated reasoning depth. Extensive experiments on tasks such as historical question answering and narrative generation demonstrate that Kongzi outperforms existing models in both factual accuracy and reasoning depth. By effectively addressing the unique challenges inherent in historical texts, Kongzi sets a new standard for the development of accurate and reliable LLMs in professional domains.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2025

Optical Convolutional Spectrometer

Optical spectrometers are fundamental across numerous disciplines in science and technology. However, miniaturized versions, while essential for in situ measurements, are often restricted to coarse identification of signature peaks and inadequate for metrological purposes. Here, we introduce a new class of spectrometer, leveraging the convolution theorem as its mathematical foundation. Our convolutional spectrometer offers unmatched performance for miniaturized systems and distinct structural and computational simplicity, featuring a centimeter-scale footprint for the fully packaged unit, low cost (~$10) and a 2400 cm-1 (approximately 500 nm) bandwidth. We achieve excellent precision in resolving complex spectra with sub-second sampling and processing time, demonstrating a wide range of applications from industrial and agricultural analysis to healthcare monitoring. Specifically, our spectrometer system classifies diverse solid samples, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, coffee, flour and tea, with 100% success rate, and quantifies concentrations of aqueous and organic solutions with detection accuracy surpassing commercial benchtop spectrometers. We also realize the non-invasive sensing of human biomarkers, such as skin moisture (mean absolute error; MAE = 2.49%), blood alcohol (1.70 mg/dL), blood lactate (0.81 mmol/L), and blood glucose (0.36 mmol/L), highlighting the potential of this new class of spectrometers for low-cost, high-precision, portable/wearable spectral metrology.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

New phase space of hardness materials and synergic enhancement of hardness and toughness in superconducting Ti2Co and Ti4Co2X (X = B, C, N, O)

Compared to traditional superhard materials with high electron density and strong covalent bonds, alloy materials mainly composed of metallic bonding structures typically have great toughness and lower hardness. Breaking through the limits of alloy materials is a preface and long term topic, which is of great significance and value for improving the comprehensive mechanical properties of alloy materials. Here, we report on the discovery of a cubic alloy semiconducting material Ti2Co with large Vickers of hardness Hvexp = 6.7 GPa and low fracture toughness of KICexp =1.51 MPa m0.5. Unexpectedly, the former value is nearly triple of the Hvcal = 2.66 GPa predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the latter value is about one or two orders of magnitude smaller than that of ordinary titanium alloy materials (KICexp = 30-120 MPa m0.5).These specifications place Ti2Co far from the phase space of the known alloy materials, but close to medium hardness materials such as MgO or TiO2. Upon incorporation of oxygen into structural void positions, both values were simultaneously improved for Ti4Co2O to = 9.7 GPa and 2.19 MPa m0.5, respectively. Further DFT calculations on the electron localization function of Ti4Co2X (X = B, C, N, O) vs. the interstitial elements indicate that these simultaneous improvements originate from the coexistence of Ti-Co metallic bonds, the emergence of newly oriented Ti-X covalent bonds, and the increase of electron concentration. Moreover, the large difference between Hvexp and Hvcal of Ti2Co suggests underlying mechanism concerning the absence of the O(16d) or Ti2-O bonds in the O-(Ti2)6 octahedron.Our discovery expands the phase space of alloy materials and illuminates the path of exploring superconducting materials with excellent mechanical performances.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Imaging the Meissner effect in pressurized bilayer nickelate with integrated multi-parameter quantum sensor

Recent reports on the signatures of high-temperature superconductivity with a critical temperature Tc close to 80 K have triggered great research interest and extensive follow-up studies. Although the zero resistance has been successfully achieved under improved hydrostatic pressure conditions, the Meissner effect of $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7-\delta}}$ under high pressure remains controversial. Here, using shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers implanted on the culet of diamond anvils as in-situ quantum sensors, we observe compelling evidence for the Meissner effect in polycrystalline bilayer nickelate samples: the magnetic field expulsion during both field cooling and field warming processes. In particular, we explore the multiparameter measurement capacity of the diamond quantum sensors to extract the weak demagnetization signal of $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7-\delta}}$. The correlated measurements of Raman spectra and magnetic imaging indicate an incomplete structural transformation related to the displacement of oxygen ions emerging in the non-superconducting region. Our work clarifies the controversy about the Meissner effect of $\mathrm{La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7-\delta}}$ and contributes to the development of quantum sensing of weak signals under high-pressure conditions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Chemical versus physical pressure effects on the structure transition of bilayer nickelates

The observation of high-$T_c$ superconductivity (HTSC) in concomitant with pressure-induced orthorhombic-tetragonal structural transition in the bilayer La$_{3}$Ni$_2$O$_7$ has sparked hopes of achieving HTSC by stabilizing the tetragonal phase at ambient pressure. To mimic the effect of external physical pressures, the application of chemical pressure via replacing La$^3$$^+$ with smaller rare-earth R$^3$$^+$ has been considered as a potential route. Here we clarify the distinct effects of chemical and physical pressures on the structural transition of bilayer nickelates through a combined experimental and theoretical investigation. Contrary to general expectations, we find that substitutions of smaller R$^3$$^+$ for La$^3$$^+$ in La$_{3-x}$R$_x$Ni$_2$O$_{7-\delta}$, despite of an overall lattice contraction, produce stronger orthorhombic structural distortions and thus require higher pressures to induce the structural transition. We established a quantitative relationship between the critical pressure $P_c$ for structural transition and the average size of $A$-site cations. A linear extrapolation of $P_c$ versus <$r_A$> yields a putative critical value of <$r_A$>$_c$ ~ 1.23 angstrom for $P_c$ ~ 1 bar. The negative correlation between $P_c$ and <$r_A$> indicates that it is unlikely to reduce $P_c$ to ambient by replacing La$^3$$^+$ with smaller R$^3$$^+$ ions. Instead, partial substitution of La$^3$$^+$ with larger cations such as alkaline-earth Sr$^2$$^+$ or Ba$^2$$^+$ might be a feasible approach. Our results provide valuable guidelines in the quest of ambient-pressure HTSC in bilayer nickelates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Bulk high-temperature superconductivity in the high-pressure tetragonal phase of bilayer La2PrNi2O7

The Ruddlesden-Popper (R-P) bilayer nickelate, La3Ni2O7, was recently found to show signatures of high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) at pressures above 14 GPa. Subsequent investigations achieved zero resistance in single- and poly-crystalline samples under hydrostatic pressure conditions. Yet, obvious diamagnetic signals, the other hallmark of superconductors, are still lacking owing to the filamentary nature with low superconducting volume fraction. The presence of a novel "1313" polymorph and competing R-P phases obscured proper identification of the phase for HTSC. Thus, achieving bulk HTSC and identifying the phase at play are the most prominent tasks at present. Here, we address these issues in the praseodymium (Pr)-doped La2PrNi2O7 polycrystalline samples. We find that the substitutions of Pr for La effectively inhibits the intergrowth of different R-P phases, resulting in nearly pure bilayer structure. For La2PrNi2O7, pressure-induced orthorhombic-to-tetragonal structural transition takes place at Pc ~ 11 GPa, above which HTSC emerges gradually upon further compression. The superconducting transition temperatures at 18-20 GPa reach Tconset = 82.5 K and Tczero = 60 K, which are the highest values among known nickelate superconductors. More importantly, bulk HTSC was testified by detecting clear diamagnetic signals below ~75 K corresponding to an estimated superconducting volume fraction ~ 57(5)% at 20 GPa. Our results not only resolve the existing controversies but also illuminate directions for exploring bulk HTSC in the bilayer nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Unveiling a Novel Metal-to-Metal Transition in LuH2: Critically Challenging Superconductivity Claims in Lutetium Hydrides

Following the recent report by Dasenbrock-Gammon et al. (2023) of near-ambient superconductivity in nitrogen-doped lutetium trihydride (LuH3-δNε), significant debate has emerged surrounding the composition and interpretation of the observed sharp resistance drop. Here, we meticulously revisit these claims through comprehensive characterization and investigations. We definitively identify the reported material as lutetium dihydride (LuH2), resolving the ambiguity surrounding its composition. Under similar conditions (270-295 K and 1-2 GPa), we replicate the reported sharp decrease in electrical resistance with a 30% success rate, aligning with Dasenbrock-Gammon et al.'s observations. However, our extensive investigations reveal this phenomenon to be a novel, pressure-induced metal-to-metal transition intrinsic to LuH2, distinct from superconductivity. Intriguingly, nitrogen doping exerts minimal impact on this transition. Our work not only elucidates the fundamental properties of LuH2 and LuH3 but also critically challenges the notion of superconductivity in these lutetium hydride systems. These findings pave the way for future research on lutetium hydride systems while emphasizing the crucial importance of rigorous verification in claims of ambient temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Strain mediated phase crossover in Ruddlesden Popper nickelates

Recent progress on the signatures of pressure-induced high temperature superconductivity in Ruddlesden Popper (RP) nickelates (Lan+1NinO3n+1) has attracted growing interest in both theoretical calculations and experimental efforts. The fabrication of high-quality single crystalline RP nickelate thin films is critical for possible reducing the superconducting transition pressure and advancing applications in microelectronics in the future. In this study, we report the observations of an active phase transition in RP nickelate films induced by misfit strain. We found that RP nickelate films favor the perovskite structure (n = infinite) under tensile strains, while compressive strains stabilize the La3Ni2O7 (n = 2) phase. The selection of distinct phases is governed by the strain dependent formation energy and electronic configuration. In compressively strained La3Ni2O7, we experimentally determined splitting energy is ~0.2 eV and electrons prefer to occupy in-plane orbitals. First principles calculations unveil a robust coupling between strain effects and the valence state of Ni ions in RP nickelates, suggesting a dual driving force for the inevitable phase co-existence transition in RP nickelates. Our work underscores the sensitivity of RP nickelate formation to epitaxial strain, presenting a significant challenge in fabricating pure-phase RP nickelate films. Therefore, special attention to stacking defects and grain boundaries between different RP phases is essential when discussing the pressure-induced superconductivity in RP nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Observation of high-temperature superconductivity in the high-pressure tetragonal phase of La2PrNi2O7-δ

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the Ruddlesden-Popper phase La3Ni2O7 under high pressure marks a significant breakthrough in the field of 3d transition-metal oxide superconductors. For an emerging novel class of high-Tc superconductors, it is crucial to find more analogous superconducting materials with a dedicated effort toward broadening the scope of nickelate superconductors. Here, we report on the observation of high-Tc superconductivity in the high-pressure tetragonal I4/mmm phase of La2PrNi2O7 above ~10 GPa, which is distinct from the reported orthorhombic Fmmm phase of La3Ni2O7 above 14 GPa. For La2PrNi2O7, the onset and the zero-resistance temperatures of superconductivity reach Tconset = 78.2 K and Tczero = 40 K at 15 GPa. This superconducting phase shares the samilar structural symmetry as many cuprate superconductors, providing a fresh platform to investigate underlying mechanisms of nickelate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Pressure-induced superconductivity in polycrystalline La3Ni2O7

We synthesized polycrystalline La3Ni2O7 samples by using the sol-gel method without post-annealing under high oxygen pressure, and then measured temperature-dependent resistivity under various hydrostatic pressures up to 14.5 GPa in a cubic anvil cell apparatus. We find that the density-wave-like anomaly in resistivity is progressively suppressed with increasing pressure and the resistivity drop corresponding to the onset of superconductivity emerges at pressure as low as 7 GPa. Zero resistivity is achieved at 9 GPa below 6.6 K, which increases quickly with pressure to 35.6 K at 14.5 GPa. The observation of zero-resistance state in the polycrystalline La3Ni2O7 samples under high pressures not only corroborates the recent report of superconductivity in the pressurized La3Ni2O7 crystals but also facilitates further studies on this emerging family of nickelate high-Tc superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Observation of Flat Band and Van Hove Singularity in Non-superconducting Nitrogen-doped Lutetium Hydride

Hydrogen-rich materials offer a compelling avenue towards room temperature superconductivity, albeit under ultra-high pressure. However, the experimental investigation of the electronic band structure remains elusive, due to the inherent instability of most of the hydrogen-rich materials upon pressure release. Very recently, nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride was claimed to host room temperature superconductivity under near ambient pressure but was disproven by following works. Upon decompression, nitrogen doped lutetium hydride manifests a stable metallic phase with dark blue color. Moreover, high temperature superconductivity has been reported in lutetium hydrides Lu4H23 (~71 K) under around 200 GPa. These properties engender an unprecedented opportunity, allowing for the experimental investigation of the electronic band structure intrinsic to hydrogen-rich material. In this work, using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the non-superconducting nitrogen doped lutetium hydride, we observed significant flat band and Van Hove singularity marginally below the Fermi level. These salient features, identified as critical elements, proffer potential amplifiers for the realization of heightened superconductivity, as evidenced by prior research. Our results not only unveil a confluence of potent strong correlation effects and anisotropy within the Lu-H-N compound, but also provide a prospect for engineering high temperature superconductivity through the strategic manipulation of flat band and the VHS, effectively tailoring their alignment with the Fermi energy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Constructing MSR codes with subpacketization $2^{n/3}$ for $k+1$ helper nodes

Wang et al. (IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 62, no. 8, 2016) proposed an explicit construction of an $(n=k+2,k)$ Minimum Storage Regenerating (MSR) code with $2$ parity nodes and subpacketization $2^{k/3}$. The number of helper nodes for this code is $d=k+1=n-1$, and this code has the smallest subpacketization among all the existing explicit constructions of MSR codes with the same $n,k$ and $d$. In this paper, we present a new construction of MSR codes for a wider range of parameters. More precisely, we still fix $d=k+1$, but we allow the code length $n$ to be any integer satisfying $n\ge k+2$. The field size of our code is linear in $n$, and the subpacketization of our code is $2^{n/3}$. This value is slightly larger than the subpacketization of the construction by Wang et al. because their code construction only guarantees optimal repair for all the systematic nodes while our code construction guarantees optimal repair for all nodes.

cs.IT↗