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Oliver Rader

Publications and source records attributed to Oliver Rader.

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Large Jahn-Teller shifts and splittings observed in halide perovskite CsPbBr3

Despite the fundamental role of Jahn-Teller effects of first and second order in shaping structural and electronic properties, there is hardly any observation in angle-resolved photoemission of solids. In oxide and halide perovskites, band structure replicas have occasionally been reported as fingerprints of Jahn-Teller effects, but no accompanying energy shifts or splittings that would allow a conclusion about their origin. In CsPbBr3, we uncover both key signatures: Upon cooling, orthorhombic replica bands emerge which had eluded earlier studies. This includes an extra valence band maximum at {\Gamma} which can even be distinguished at room temperature. Most importantly, band narrowing along {\Gamma}-M, a splitting at {\Gamma}, and the lifting of degeneracy between nonequivalent M points, all of several 100 meV, become apparent. Temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction, used as input for band structure calculations, links these effects directly to tilts and rotations of the PbBr6 octahedra. Our results uncover a strong electron-lattice interaction which is at the heart of so-far unresolved questions concerning polaronic transport, dynamic disorder, and exciton trapping in halide perovskites.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Halide Perovskites as Spin-1 Dirac Materials

Halide perovskites are a promising class of materials for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications, exhibiting high power conversion efficiency due to strong light absorption and long carrier diffusion lengths. While various aspects of their crystal and electronic structure have been studied, we identify a fundamental property previously overlooked that may significantly impact their efficiency. We demonstrate that halide perovskites realize a three-dimensional (3D) Lieb lattice, giving rise to a gapped 3D Dirac cone of spin-1 fermions. This leads to a fivefold reduction in effective mass compared to a conventional cubic structure and suppressed carrier backscattering due to Klein tunneling. Our conclusions are supported by band structure calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy from CsPbBr$_3$ and CsSnBr$_3$. In particular, we reveal the transformation of the flat band of the Lieb lattice and the emergence of a dark corridor effect in photoemission from the Dirac cone, which increases as the band gap is decreased from CsPbBr$_3$ to CsSnBr$_3$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Angle-resolved photoemission of topological materials

Topological materials have gained significant attention in condensed matter physics due to their unique electronic and transport properties. Three-dimensional (3D) topological materials are characterized by robust electronic states that are protected by symmetries and exhibit peculiar spin textures. They offer a rich platform for for future information technology including spintronics and topological quantum computing. Here, we review the investigation by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) of topological phases such as strong topological insulators, topological crystalline insulators, magnetic topological insulators, and 3D Dirac, Weyl, nodal, and chiral semimetals and address the status of correlated topological insulators and topological superconductors. A special emphasis is laid on examples from the transition metal dichalcogenide family. Moreover, insights from ultrafast pump-probe experiments are reviewed and a brief outlook is provided.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Orbital-selective effect of spin reorientation on the Dirac fermions in a non-charge-ordered kagome ferromagnet Fe$_3$Ge

Kagome magnets provide a fascinating platform for the realization of correlated topological quantum phases under various magnetic ground states. However, the effect of the magnetic spin configurations on the characteristic electronic structure of the kagome lattice layer remains elusive. Here, utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, we report the spectroscopic evidence for the spin-reorientation effect of a kagome ferromagnet Fe$_3$Ge, which is composed solely of kagome planes. As the Fe moments cant from the $c$ axis into the $ab$ plane upon cooling, the two kinds of kagome-derived Dirac fermions respond quite differently. The one with less-dispersive bands ($k_z$ $\sim$ 0) containing the $3d_{z^2}$ orbitals evolves from gapped into nearly gapless, while the other with linear dispersions ($k_z$ $\sim$ $\pi$) embracing the $3d_{xz}$/$3d_{yz}$ components remains intact, suggesting that the effect of spin reorientation on the Dirac fermions has an orbital selectivity. Moreover, we demonstrate that there is no signature of charge order formation in Fe$_3$Ge, contrasting with its sibling compound FeGe, a newly established charge-density-wave kagome magnet.

cond-mat.str-el

One-dimensional electronic structure of phosphorene chains

Phosphorene, a 2D allotrope of phosphorus, is technologically very appealing because of its semiconducting properties and narrow band gap. Further reduction of the phosphorene dimensionality may spawn exotic properties of its electronic structure, including lateral quantum confinement and topological edge states. Phosphorene atomic chains self-assembled on Ag(111) have recently been characterized structurally but were found by angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) to be electronically 2D. We show that these chains, although aligned equiprobably to three <$1 \bar{1} 0$> directions of the Ag(111) surface, can be characterized by ARPES because the three rotational variants are separated in the angular domain. The dispersion of the phosphorus band measured along and perpendicular to the chains reveals pronounced electronic confinement resulting in a 1D band, flat and dispersionless perpendicular to the chain direction in momentum space. Our density functional theory calculations reproduce the 1D band for the experimentally determined structure of P/Ag(111). We predict a semiconductor-to-metal phase transition upon increasing the density of the chain array so that a 2D structure would be metallic.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Suppression of nematicity by tensile strain in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ films

The nematicity in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ films has been previously suggested to be enhanced with decreasing film thickness. Motivated by this, there have been many discussions about the competing relation between nematicity and superconductivity. However, the criterion for determining the nematicity strength in FeSe remains highly debated. The understanding of nematicity and its relation to superconductivity in FeSe films is therefore still controversial. Here, we fabricate multilayer FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ films using molecular beam epitaxy and study the nematic properties by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. We unambiguously demonstrate that, near the interface, the nematicity is suppressed by the SrTiO$_3$-induced tensile strain; in the bulk region further away from the interface, the strength of nematicity recovers to the bulk value. Our results not only solve the controversy about the nematicity in multilayer FeSe films, but also offer valuable insights into the relationship between nematicity and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con

Is there a polaron signature in angle-resolved photoemission of CsPbBr3?

The formation of large polarons has been proposed as reason for the high defect tolerance, low mobility, low charge carrier trapping and low nonradiative recombination rates of lead halide perovskites. Recently, direct evidence for large-polaron formation has been reported from a 50% effective mass enhancement in angle-resolved photoemission of CsPbBr3 over theory for the orthorhombic structure. We present in-depth band dispersion measurements of CsPbBr3 and GW calculations which lead to almost identical effective masses at the valence band maximum of 0.203+/-0.016 m0 in experiment and 0.226 m0 in orthorhombic theory. We argue that the effective mass can be explained solely on the basis of electron-electron correlation and large-polaron formation cannot be concluded from photoemission data.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Probing the magnetic band gap of the ferromagnetic topological insulator MnSb$_2$Te$_4$

Mn-rich MnSb$_2$Te$_4$ is a ferromagnetic topological insulator with yet the highest Curie temperature T_C = 45-50 K. It exhibits a magnetic gap at the Dirac point of the topological surface state that disappears above T_C. By scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we probe this gap at different magnetic fields and temperatures. We firstly reveal that the gap size shrinks, when an in-plane magnetic field of up to B = 3 T is applied, but does not close completely as the magnetization is only partially rotated in-plane. This corroborates the magnetic origin of the gap and the complex magnetic structure. In addition, we demonstrate significant spatiotemporal fluctuations of the gap size at temperatures as low as T_C/2, above which the remanent magnetization indeed decays. This temperature is close to the antiferromagnetic transition temperature observed for bulk-type single crystals of MnSb$_2$Te$_4$, highlighting the important role of competing magnetic orders in the formation of the favorable ferromagnetic topological insulator. Our study, thus, provides crucial insights into the complex magnetic gap opening of topological insulators that is decisive for quantum anomalous Hall devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Mapping the band structure of GeSbTe phase change alloys around the Fermi level

Phase change alloys are used for non-volatile random access memories exploiting the conductivity contrast between amorphous and metastable, crystalline phase. However, this contrast has never been directly related to the electronic band structure. Here, we employ photoelectron spectroscopy to map the relevant bands for metastable, epitaxial GeSbTe films. The constant energy surfaces of the valence band close to the Fermi level are hexagonal tubes with little dispersion perpendicular to the (111) surface. The electron density responsible for transport belongs to the tails of this bulk valence band, which is broadened by disorder, i.e., the Fermi level is 100 meV above the valence band maximum. This result is consistent with transport data of such films in terms of charge carrier density and scattering time. In addition, we find a state in the bulk band gap with linear dispersion, which might be of topological origin.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

High-temperature quantum oscillations of the Hall resistance in bulk Bi$_2$Se$_3$

Helically spin-polarized Dirac fermions (HSDF) in protected topological surface states (TSS) are of high interest as a new state of quantum matter. In three-dimensional (3D) materials with TSS, electronic bulk states often mask the transport properties of HSDF. Recently, the high-field Hall resistance and low-field magnetoresistance indicate that the TSS may coexist with a layered two-dimensional electronic system (2DES). Here, we demonstrate quantum oscillations of the Hall resistance at temperatures up to 50 K in bulk Bi$_2$Se$_3$ with a high electron density $n$ of about $2\!\cdot\!10^{19}$ cm$^{-3}$. From the angular and temperature dependence of the Hall resistance and the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations we identify 3D and 2D contributions to transport. Angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy proves the existence of TSS. We present a model for Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and suggest that the coexistence of TSS and 2D layered transport stabilizes the quantum oscillations of the Hall resistance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

2D layered transport properties from topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ single crystals and micro flakes

Low-field magnetotransport measurements of topological insulators such as Bi$_2$Se$_3$ are important for revealing the nature of topological surface states by quantum corrections to the conductivity, such as weak-antilocalization. Recently, a rich variety of high-field magnetotransport properties in the regime of high electron densities ($\sim10^{19}$ cm$^{-3}$) were reported, which can be related to additional two-dimensional layered conductivity, hampering the identification of the topological surface states. Here, we report that quantum corrections to the electronic conduction are dominated by the surface states for a semiconducting case, which can be analyzed by the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka model for two coupled surfaces in the case of strong spin-orbit interaction. However, in the metallic-like case this analysis fails and additional two-dimensional contributions need to be accounted for. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and quantized Hall resistance prove as strong indications for the two-dimensional layered metallic behavior. Temperature-dependent magnetotransport properties of high-quality Bi$_2$Se$_3$ single crystalline exfoliated macro and micro flakes are combined with high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, confirming the structure and stoichiometry. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy proves a single-Dirac-cone surface state and a well-defined bulk band gap in topological insulating state. Spatially resolved core-level photoelectron microscopy demonstrates the surface stability.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Observation of Quantum-Tunneling Modulated Spin Texture in Ultrathin Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 Films

Understanding the spin-texture behavior of boundary modes in ultrathin topological insulator films is critically essential for the design and fabrication of functional nano-devices. Here by using spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with p-polarized light in topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films, we report tunneling-dependent evolution of spin configuration in topological insulator thin films across the metal-to-insulator transition. We observe strongly binding energy- and wavevector-dependent spin polarization for the topological surface electrons in the ultra-thin gapped-Dirac-cone limit. The polarization decreases significantly with enhanced tunneling realized systematically in thin insulating films, whereas magnitude of the polarization saturates to the bulk limit faster at larger wavevectors in thicker metallic films. We present a theoretical model which captures this delicate relationship between quantum tunneling and Fermi surface spin polarization. Our high-resolution spin-based spectroscopic results suggest that the polarization current can be tuned to zero in thin insulating films forming the basis for a future spin-switch nano-device.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Evidence for topological band inversion of the phase change material Ge2Sb2Te5

We present an angle-resolved photoemission study of a ternary phase change material, namely Ge2Sb2Te5, epitaxially grown on Si(111) in the metastable cubic phase. The observed upper bulk valence band shows a minimum at Gamma-bar being 0.3 eV below the Fermi level E_F and a circular Fermi contour around Gamma-bar with a dispersing diameter of 0.27-0.36 Anstroms^-1. This is in agreement with density functional theory calculations of the Petrov stacking sequence in the cubic phase which exhibits a topological surface state. The topologically trivial cubic KH stacking shows a valence band maximum at Gamma in line with all previous calculations of the hexagonal stable phase exhibiting the valence band maximum at Gamma for a trivial Z_2 topological invariant nu_0 and away from Gamma for non-trivial nu_0. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy exhibits a band gap of 0.4 eV around E_F.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Hedgehog Spin-texture and Berry's Phase tuning in a Magnetic Topological Insulator

Understanding and control of spin degrees of freedom on the surfaces of topological materials are key to future applications as well as for realizing novel physics such as the axion electrodynamics associated with time-reversal (TR) symmetry breaking on the surface. We experimentally demonstrate magnetically induced spin reorientation phenomena simultaneous with a Dirac-metal to gapped-insulator transition on the surfaces of manganese-doped Bi2Se3 thin films. The resulting electronic groundstate exhibits unique hedgehog-like spin textures at low energies, which directly demonstrate the mechanics of TR symmetry breaking on the surface. We further show that an insulating gap induced by quantum tunnelling between surfaces exhibits spin texture modulation at low energies but respects TR invariance. These spin phenomena and the control of their Fermi surface geometrical phase first demonstrated in our experiments pave the way for the future realization of many predicted exotic magnetic phenomena of topological origin.

cond-mat.mes-hall