arXiv subjects

P. Thalmeier

Publications and source records attributed to P. Thalmeier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Investigation of CeRh$_2$As$_2$ order parameters via ultrasound propagation anomalies

Unconventional superconductors with nearly degenerate pairing states are rare. CeRh$_2$As$_2$ has recently emerged as one of the few existing multi-phase superconductors. It exhibits a first-order phase transition between two distinct superconducting states when a magnetic field is applied along the crystallographic $c$-axis. While this behavior has been linked to locally broken inversion symmetry, a phase diagram based on a multi-component superconducting order parameter remains a possibility. Furthermore, superconductivity appears to coexist with an ordered state (phase I). Despite being the subject of many studies, little is known about the nature of the order parameters in both superconducting phases and phase I. Here, we use ultrasound-propagation measurements at low temperatures, in high magnetic fields and under hydrostatic pressure to address this issue. Our results strongly suggest that the superconducting order parameter in both phases is single-component, corroborating the role of local non-centrosymmetry in the development of multi-phase superconductivity in CeRh$_2$As$_2$. In addition, analysis of the elastic anomalies within the Landau framework of phase transitions strongly suggests the presence of an incommensurate magnetic order parameter in phase I.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Field-angle resolved magnetic excitations as a probe of hidden-order symmetry in CeB6

In contrast to magnetic order formed by electrons' dipolar moments, ordering phenomena associated with higher-order multipoles (quadrupoles, octupoles, etc.) are more difficult to characterize because of the limited choice of experimental probes that can distinguish different multipolar moments. The heavy-fermion compound CeB6 and its La-diluted alloys are among the best-studied realizations of the long-range-ordered multipolar phases, often referred to as "hidden order". Previously the hidden order in phase II was identified as primary antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) and field-induced octupolar (AFO) order. Here we present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of collective excitations in the phase II of CeB6. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) in fields up to 16.5 T reveals a new high-energy mode above 14 T in addition to the low-energy magnetic excitations. The experimental dependence of their energy on the magnitude and angle of the applied magnetic field is compared to the results of a multipolar interaction model. The magnetic excitation spectrum in rotating field is calculated within a localized approach using the pseudo-spin presentation for the Gamma8 states. We show that the rotating-field technique at fixed momentum can complement conventional INS measurements of the dispersion at constant field and holds great promise for identifying the symmetry of multipolar order parameters and the details of inter-multipolar interactions that stabilize hidden-order phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magneto-structural properties of the layered quasi-2D triangular-lattice antiferromagnets Cs$_2$CuCl$_{4-x}$Br$_x$ for ${x}$ = 0,1,2 and 4

We present a study of the magnetic susceptibility $χ_{mol}$ under variable hydrostatic pressure on single crystals of Cs$_2$CuCl$_{4-x}$Br$_x$. This includes the border compounds \textit{x} = 0 and 4, known as good realizations of the distorted triangular-lattice spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet, as well as the isostructural stoichiometric systems Cs$_2$CuCl$_{3}$Br$_1$ and Cs$_2$CuCl$_{2}$Br$_2$. For the determination of the exchange coupling constants $J$ and $J^{\prime}$, $χ_{mol}$ data were fitted by a $J-J^{\prime}$ model \cite{Schmidt2015}. Its application, validated for the border compounds, yields a degree of frustration $J^{\prime}$/$J$ = 0.47 for Cs$_2$CuCl$_3$Br$_1$ and $J^{\prime}$/$J$ $\simeq$ 0.63 - 0.78 for Cs$_2$CuCl$_2$Br$_2$, making these systems particular interesting representatives of this family. From the evolution of the magnetic susceptibility under pressure up to about 0.4\,GPa, the maximum pressure applied, two observations were made for all the compounds investigated here. First, we find that the overall energy scale, given by $J_c = (J^2$ + $J^{\prime 2}$)$^{1/2}$, increases under pressure, whereas the ratio $J^{\prime}$/$J$ remains unchanged in this pressure range. These experimental observations are in accordance with the results of DFT calculations performed for these materials. Secondly, for the magnetoelastic coupling constants, extraordinarily small values are obtained. We assign these observations to a structural peculiarity of this class of materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Specific Heat Study of 1D and 2D Excitations in the Layered Frustrated Quantum Antiferromagnets Cs$_2$CuCl$_{4-x}$Br$_x$

We report an experimental and theoretical study of the low-temperature specific heat $C$ and magnetic susceptibility $χ$ of the layered anisotropic triangular-lattice spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnets Cs$_2$CuCl$_{4-x}$Br$_x$ with $x$ = 0, 1, 2, and 4. We find that the ratio $J'/J$ of the exchange couplings ranges from 0.32 to $\approx 0.78$, implying a change (crossover or quantum phase transition) in the materials' magnetic properties from one-dimensional (1D) behavior for $J'/J < 0.6$ to two-dimensional (2D) behavior for $J'/J \approx 0.78$ behavior. For $J'/J < 0.6$, realized for $x$ = 0, 1, and 4, we find a magnetic contribution to the low-temperature specific heat, $C_{\rm m} \propto T$, consistent with spinon excitations in 1D spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnets. Remarkably, for $x$ = 2, where $J'/J \approx 0.78$ implies a 2D magnatic character, we also observe $C_{\rm m} \propto T$. This finding, which contrasts the prediction of $C_{\rm m} \propto T^2$ made by standard spin-wave theories, shows that Fermi-like statistics also plays a significant role for the magnetic excitations in frustrated spin-1/2 2D antiferromagnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Bulk and surface electronic properties of SmB6: a hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study

We have carried out bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) measurements on in-situ cleaved and ex-situ polished SmB6 single crystals. Using the multiplet-structure in the Sm 3d core level spectra, we determined reliably that the valence of Sm in bulk SmB6 is close to 2.55 at ~5 K. Temperature dependent measurements revealed that the Sm valence gradually increases to 2.64 at 300 K. From a detailed line shape analysis we can clearly observe that not only the J=0 but also the J=1 state of the Sm 4f 6 configuration becomes occupied at elevated temperatures. Making use of the polarization dependence, we were able to identify and extract the Sm 4f spectral weight of the bulk material. Finally, we revealed that the oxidized or chemically damaged surface region of the ex-situ polished SmB6 single crystal is surprisingly thin, about 1 nm only.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Quantitative study of valence and configuration interaction parameters of the Kondo semiconductors CeM2Al10 (M = Ru, Os and Fe) by means of bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The occupancy of the 4f^n contributions in the Kondo semiconductors CeM2Al10(M = Ru, Os and Fe) has been quantitatively determined by means of bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) on the Ce 3d core levels. Combining a configuration interaction scheme with full multiplet calculations allowed to accurately describe the HAXPES data despite the presence of strong plasmon excitations in the spectra. The configuration interaction parameters obtained from this analysis -- in particular the hybridization strength V_eff and the effective f binding energy Delta_f -- indicate a slightly stronger exchange interaction in CeOs2Al10 compared to CeRu2Al10, and a significant increase in CeFe2Al10. This verifies the coexistence of a substantial amount of Kondo screening with magnetic order and places the entire CeM2Al10 family in the region of strong exchange interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Correlation effects in CaCu3Ru4O12

We have investigated the electronic structure of CaCu3Ru4O12 and LaCu3Ru4O12 using soft x-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy together with band structure and cluster configuration interaction calculations. We found the Cu to be in a robust divalent ionic state while the Ru is more itinerant in character and stabilizes the metallic state. Substitution of Ca by La predominantly affects the Ru states. We observed strong correlation effects in the Cu 3d states affecting the valence band line shape considerably. Using resonant photoelectron spectroscopy at the Cu L3 edge we were able to unveil the position of the Zhang-Rice singlet states in the one-electron removal spectrum of the Cu with respect to the Ru-derived metallic bands in the vicinity of the chemical potential.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Rabi Oscillations in Landau-Quantized Graphene

We investigate the relation between the canonical model of quantum optics, the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian and Dirac fermions in quantizing magnetic field. We demonstrate that Rabi oscillations are observable in the optical response of graphene, providing us with a transparent picture about the structure of optical transitions. While the longitudinal conductivity reveals chaotic Rabi oscillations, the Hall component measures coherent ones. This opens up the possibility of investigating a microscopic model of a few quantum objects in a macroscopic experiment with tunable parameters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Moment screening in the correlated Kondo lattice model

The magnetic correlations, local moments and the susceptibility in the correlated 2D Kondo lattice model at half filling are investigated. We calculate their systematic dependence on the control parameters J_K/t and U/t. An unbiased and reliable exact diagonalization (ED) approach for ground state properties as well as the finite temperature Lanczos method (FTLM) for specific heat and the uniform susceptibility are employed for small tiles on the square lattice. They lead to two major results: Firstly we show that the screened local moment exhibits non-monotonic behavior as a function of U for weak Kondo coupling J_K. Secondly the temperature dependence of the susceptibility obtained from FTLM allows to extract the dependence of the characteristic Kondo temperature scale T* on the correlation strength U. A monotonic increase of T* for small U is found resolving the ambiguity from earlier investigations. In the large U limit the model is equivalent to the 2D Kondo necklace model with two types of localized spins. In this limit the numerical results can be compared to those of the analytical bond operator method in mean field treatment and excellent agreement for the total paramagnetic moment is found, supporting the reliability of both methods.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking in superconducting PrPt4Ge12

Zero and longitudinal field muon spin rotation (muSR) experiments were performed on the superconductors PrPt4Ge12 and LaPt4Ge12. In PrPt4Ge12 below Tc a spontaneous magnetization with a temperature variation resembling that of the superfluid density appears. This observation implies time-reversal symmetry (TRS) breaking in PrPt4Ge12 below Tc = 7.9 K. This remarkably high Tc for an anomalous superconductor and the weak and gradual change of Tc and of the related specific heat anomaly upon La substitution in La_(1-x)Pr_xPt_4Ge_(12) suggests that the TRS breaking is due to orbital degrees of freedom of the Cooper pairs.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Acoustic Faraday effect in Tb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$

The transverse acoustic wave propagating along the [100] axis of the cubic Tb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ (acoustic $c_{44}$ mode) is doubly degenerate. A magnetic field applied in the direction of propagation lifts this degeneracy and leads to the rotation of the polarization vector - the magneto-acoustic Faraday rotation. Here, we report on the observation and analysis of the magneto-acoustic Faraday-effect in Tb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ in static and pulsed magnetic fields. We present also a theoretical model based on magnetoelastic coupling of 4$f$ electrons to both, acoustic and optical phonons and an effective coupling between them. This model explains the observed linear frequency dependence of the Faraday rotation angle.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Two dimensional frustrated magnets in high magnetic field

Frustrated magnets in high magnetic field have a long history of offering beautiful surprises to the patient investigator. Here we present the results of extensive classical Monte Carlo simulations of a variety of models of two dimensional magnets in magnetic field, together with complementary spin wave analysis. Striking results include (i) a massively enhanced magnetocaloric effect in antiferromagnets bordering on ferromagnetic order, (ii) a route to an $m=1/3$ magnetization plateau on a square lattice, and (iii) a cascade of phase transitions in a simple model of AgNiO$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Field dependent mass enhancement in Pr_{1-x}La_xOs_4Sb_12 from aspherical Coulomb scattering

The scattering of conduction electrons by crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations may enhance their effective quasiparticle mass similar to scattering from phonons. A wellknown example is Pr metal where the isotropic exchange scattering from inelastic singlet-singlet excitations causes the mass enhancement. An analogous mechanism may be at work in the skutterudite compounds Pr_{1-x}La_xOs_4Sb_12 where close to x=1 the compound develops heavy quasiparticles with a large linear specific heat coefficient. There the low lying CEF states are singlet ground state and a triplet at 8 K. Due to the tetrahedral CEF the main scattering mechanism must be the aspherical Coulomb scattering. We derive the expression for mass enhancement in this model including also the case of dispersive excitations. We show that for small to moderate dispersion there is a strongly field dependent mass enhancement due to the field induced triplet splitting. It is suggested that this effect may be seen in Pr_{1-x}La_xOs_4Sb_12 with suitably large x when the dispersion is small.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Spin fluctuations probed by NMR in paramagnetic spinel LiV$_2$O$_4$: a self-consistent renormalization theory

Low frequency spin fluctuation dynamics in paramagnetic spinel LiV$_2$O$_4$, a rare 3$d$-electron heavy fermion system, is investigated. A parametrized self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory of the dominant AFM spin fluctuations is developed and applied to describe temperature and pressure dependences of the low-$T$ nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ in this material. The experimental data for $1/T_1$ available down to $\sim 1$K are well reproduced by the SCR theory, showing the development of AFM spin fluctuations as the paramagnetic metal approaches a magnetic instability under the applied pressure. The low-$T$ upturn of $1/T_1T$ detected below 0.6 K under the highest applied pressure of 4.74 GPa is explained as the nuclear spin relaxation effect due to the spin freezing of magnetic defects unavoidably present in the measured sample of LiV$_2$O$_4$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Feedback spin resonance in superconducting CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ and CeCoIn$_5$

We show that the recently observed spin resonance modes in heavy-fermion superconductors CeCoIn$_5$ and CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ are magnetic excitons originating from superconducting quasiparticles. The wave vector ${\bf Q}$ of the resonance state leads to a powerful criterion for the symmetry and node positions of the unconventional gap function. The detailed analysis of the superconducting feedback on magnetic excitations reveals that the symmetry of the superconducting gap corresponds to a singlet $d_{x^2-y^2}$ state symmetry in both compounds. In particular this resolves the long-standing ambiguity of the gap symmetry in CeCoIn$_5$. We demonstrate that in both superconductors the resonance peak shows a significant dispersion away from ${\bf Q}$ that should be observed experimentally. Our results suggest a unifying nature of the resonance peaks in the two heavy-fermion superconductors and in layered cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Self-consistent renormalization theory of spin fluctuations in paramagnetic spinel LiV2O4

A phenomenological description for the dynamical spin susceptibility $χ({\bf q},ω;T)$ observed in inelastic neutron scattering measurements on powder samples of LiV$_2$O$_4$ is developed in terms of the parametrized self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory of spin fluctuations. Compatible with previous studies at $T\to 0$, a peculiar distribution in ${\bf q}$-space of strongly enhanced and slow spin fluctuations at $q \sim Q_c \simeq$ 0.6 $Å^{-1}$ in LiV$_2$O$_4$ is involved to derive the mode-mode coupling term entering the basic equation of the SCR theory. The equation is solved self-consistently with the parameter values found from a fit of theoretical results to experimental data. For low temperatures, $T \lesssim 30$K, where the SCR theory is more reliable, the observed temperature variations of the static spin susceptibility $χ(Q_c;T)$ and the relaxation rate $Γ_Q(T)$ at $q\sim Q_c$ are well reproduced by those suggested by the theory. For $T\gtrsim 30$K, the present SCR is capable in predicting only main trends in $T$-dependences of $χ(Q_c;T)$ and $Γ_Q(T)$. The discussion is focused on a marked evolution (from $q \sim Q_c$ at $T\to 0$ towards low $q$ values at higher temperatures) of the dominant low-$ω$ integrated neutron scattering intensity $I(q; T)$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Green's function approach to quantum criticality in the anisotropic Kondo-necklace model

We have studied the quantum phase transition between the antiferromagnetic and spin liquid phase for the two dimensional anisotropic Kondo-necklace model. The bond operator formalism has been implemented to transform the spin Hamiltonian to a bosonic one. We have used the Green's function approach including a hard core repulsion to find the low energy excitation spectrum of the model. The bosonic excitations become gapless at the quantum critical point where the phase transition from the Kondo singlet state to long range antiferromagnetic order takes place. We have studied the effect of both inter-site (delta) and local (Delta) anisotropies on the critical point and on the critical exponent of the excitation gap in the paramagnetic phase. We have also compared our results with previous bond operator mean field calculations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Quantum fluctuations in high field magnetization of 2D square lattice J1-J2 antiferromagnets

The J1-J2 square lattice Heisenberg model with spin S=1/2 has three phases with long-range magnetic order and two unconventionally ordered phases depending on the ratio of exchange constants. It describes a number of recently found layered vanadium oxide compounds. A simple means of investigating the ground state is the study of the magnetization curve and high-field susceptibility. We discuss these quantities by using the spin-wave theory and the exact diagonalization in the whole J1-J2 plane. We compare both results and find good overall agreement in the sectors of the phase diagram with magnetic order. Close to the disordered regions the magnetization curve shows strong deviations from the classical linear behaviour caused by large quantum fluctuations and spin-wave approximation breaks down. On the FM side (J1<0) where one approaches the quantum gapless spin nematic ground state this region is surprisingly large. We find that inclusion of second order spin-wave corrections does not lead to fundamental improvement. Quantum corrections to the tilting angle of the ordered moments are also calculated. They may have both signs, contrary to the always negative first order quantum corrections to the magnetization. Finally we investigate the effect of the interlayer coupling and find that the quasi-2D picture remains valid up to |J_\perp/J1| ~ 0.3.

cond-mat.str-el↗