arXiv subjects

Paul Zeiger

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Zeiger.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Systematic Absences of Optical Phonon Modes in Phonon Dispersion Measured by Electron Microscopy

Phonon dispersion is widely used to elucidate the vibrational properties of materials. As an emerging technique, momentum-resolved vibrational spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) offers an unparalleled approach to explore q-dependent phonon behavior at local structures. In this study, we systematically investigate the phonon dispersion of monolayer graphene across several Brillouin zones (BZs) using momentum-resolved vibrational spectroscopy and find that the optical phonon signals vanish at the {\Gamma} points with indices (hk0) satisfying h+2k=3n (n denoted integers). Theoretical analysis reveals that the observed phenomena arise from the complete destructive interference of the scattered waves from different basis atoms. This observation, corroborated by the study of diamond, should be a general characteristic of materials composed of symmetrically equivalent pairs of the same elements. Moreover, our results emphasize the importance of multiple scattering in interpreting the vibrational signals in bulk materials. We demonstrate that the systematic absences and dynamic effects, which have not been much appreciated before, offer new insights into the experimental assessment of local vibrational properties of materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Dynamical theory of angle-resolved electron energy loss and gain spectroscopies of phonons and magnons in transmission electron microscopy including multiple scattering effects

We present a method for computing angle-resolved electron-energy-loss and gain spectroscopies for phonon and magnon excitations in transmission electron microscopy. Fractional scattering intensities are derived from the temperature-dependent time auto-correlation of the electron beam wave function. This method captures both single and multiple scattering processes, as well as dynamical diffraction effects. Our method remains computationally efficient, and it is easy to parallelize.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Inelastic electron scattering at large angles: the phonon polariton contribution

We explore the inelastic electron scattering in SrTiO3, PbTiO3, and SiC in their phonon energy range, challenging the assumption that phonon polaritons are excluded at large angles in high-resolution transmission electron energy-loss spectroscopy. We demonstrate that through multiple scattering, the electron beam can excite both phonons and phonon polaritons, and the relative proportion of each varies depending on the structure factor and scattering angle. Integrating dielectric theory, density functional theory, and multi-slice simulations, we provide a comprehensive framework for understanding these interactions in materials with polar optical phonons.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Control of the phonon band gap with isotopes in hexagonal boron nitride

The isotopic mass of constituent elements of materials has a well-known effect on the energy of vibrational modes. By means of monochromated scanning transmission electron microscopy we have experimentally studied the phonon bandstructure of hexagonal BN, where a phonon band gap appears between in-plane optical phonon modes and the lower energy part of the phonon spectrum. The size of the phonon band gap can be manipulated by the isotopic mass of the boron. While in $^{11}$BN the phonon band gap is about 7 meV wide, in $^{10}$BN the gap nearly closes, being an order of magnitude smaller (below 0.5 meV). This opens exciting options for manipulating terahertz wave propagation through isotopically structured devices having otherwise no interfaces between chemically distinct components.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Unveiling the impact of temperature on magnon diffuse scattering detection in the transmission electron microscope

Magnon diffuse scattering (MDS) signals could be studied with high spatial resolution in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), thanks to recent technological progress in electron energy loss spectroscopy. However, detecting MDS signals in STEM is challenging due to their overlap with stronger thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) signals. In bcc Fe at 300 K, MDS signals greater than or comparable to TDS signals occur under the central Bragg disk, into a currently inaccesible energy-loss region. Therefore, to detect MDS in STEM, it is necessary to find conditions in which TDS and MDS signals can be separated. Temperature may be a key factor due to the distinct thermal signatures of magnon and phonon signals. In this work, we present a study on the effects of temperature on MDS and TDS in bcc Fe -- considering a detector outside the central Bragg disk and a fixed convergent electron probe -- using the frozen phonon and frozen magnon multislice methods. Our study reveals that neglecting the effects of atomic vibrations causes the MDS signal to grow approximately linearly up to the Curie temperature of Fe, after which it exhibits less variation. The MDS signal displays an alternating behavior due to dynamical diffraction, instead of increasing monotonically as a function of thickness. Including the effects of atomic vibrations through a complex atomic electrostatic potential causes the linear growth of the MDS signal to change to a non-linear behavior that exhibits a predominant peak for a sample of thickness 16.072 nm at 1100 K. In contrast, the TDS signal grows more linearly than the MDS signal but still exhibits appreciable dynamical diffraction effects. An analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) shows that the MDS signal can be a statistically significant contribution to the total scattering intensity under realizable measurement conditions and acquisition times.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Simulations of magnetic Bragg scattering in transmission electron microscopy

We have simulated the magnetic Bragg scattering in transmission electron microscopy in two antiferromagnetic compounds, NiO and LaMnAsO. This weak magnetic phenomenon was experimentally observed in NiO by Loudon. We have computationally reproduced Loudon's experimental data, and for comparison we have performed calculations for the LaMnAsO compound as a more challenging case, containing lower concentration of magnetic elements and strongly scattering heavier non-magnetic elements. We have also described thickness and voltage dependence of the intensity of the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot for both compounds. We have considered lattice vibrations within two computational approaches, one assuming a static lattice with Debye-Waller smeared potentials, and another explicitly considering the atomic vibrations within the quantum excitations of phonons model (thermal diffuse scattering). The structural analysis shows that the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot appears in between (111) and (000) reflections for NiO, while for LaMnAsO the antiferromagnetic Bragg spot appears at the position of the (010) reflection in the diffraction pattern, which corresponds to a forbidden reflection of the crystal structure. Calculations predict that the intensity of the magnetic Bragg spot in NiO is significantly stronger than thermal diffuse scattering at room temperature. For LaMnAsO, the magnetic Bragg spot is weaker than the room-temperature thermal diffuse scattering, but its detection can be facilitated at reduced temperatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Magnon diffuse scattering in scanning transmission electron microscopy

We present a theory and a simulation of thermal diffuse scattering due to the excitation of magnons in scanning transmission electron microscopy. The calculations indicate that magnons can present atomic contrast when detected by electron energy-loss spectroscopy using atomic-size electron beams. The results presented here indicate that the intensity of the magnon diffuse scattering in bcc iron at 300~K is 4 orders of magnitude weaker than the intensity of thermal diffuse scattering arising from atomic vibrations. In an energy range where the phonon and magnon dispersions do not overlap, a monochromated scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with direct electron detectors for spectroscopy is expected to resolve the magnon spectral signatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗