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Pei-Hao Fu

Publications and source records attributed to Pei-Hao Fu.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Universal transverse diode effects in superconducting unconventional magnet hybrids

We demonstrate that superconducting unconventional magnet junctions harbor transverse spin and charge diode effects with perfect rectification efficiencies. This nonreciprocal transverse transport is governed by the interplay of mirror reflections and spin rotation with respect to the Néel vector, a mechanism that is universally applicable to all unconventional magnets. Interestingly, the transverse spin diode features pure spin currents, while the charge diode yields spin-polarized charge currents, both exhibiting highly controllable rectification functionalities at vanishing net magnetization. Our results position superconducting unconventional magnets at the forefront of orthogonal engineering in next-generation transverse superconducting spintronics.

cond-mat.supr-con

Efficient two-color Floquet control of the RKKY interaction in altermagnets

Magnetic impurities in real materials can mask the intrinsic spin-dependent properties of hosts. They interact indirectly through the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) mechanism, which limits the use of isolated impurity spins in applications such as qubits and spintronics. By suppressing the RKKY interaction, an effective control scheme should therefore enable access to the host's unperturbed behavior while simultaneously isolating the impurity spins for functional use. Although beyond static approaches, single-color laser driving can suppress the RKKY interaction, it typically requires strong fields that may be impractical or destabilizing. To overcome these limitations, we show that two-color laser driving provides efficient and tunable control over all components of the RKKY interaction using two weak laser fields. Focusing on two-dimensional Rashba altermagnets, we show that interference between one- and two-photon processes produces altermagnet-specific Floquet corrections. These include additional AC Stark shifts, magnetizations, spin-orbit renormalization, and emergent in-plane Zeeman fields, which are absent under single-color driving and in non-altermagnetic systems. Notably, two-color driving induces a finite $z$-component of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, stabilizing in-plane chiral magnetism and related textures in Rashba altermagnets. These effects enable tunable, near-complete on-off switching of the Heisenberg, Ising, and DM interactions through a Lifshitz-like modulation of the Fermi surface. We also show that the tuning process is highly sensitive to the chirality of both beams. We further map out phase diagrams for ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic alignment of impurities with clockwise and counterclockwise canting as a function of Rashba coupling and altermagnetic order. Finally, we discuss candidate material platforms and experimental feasibility.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Intrinsic Nonreciprocity in Electron-Phonon Interaction Driven Thermoelectric Diodes

We study an electron-phonon interaction driven thermoelectric diode. The nonreciprocity in this diode arises from the asymmetry between the probabilities of phonon emission and absorption in the electron-phonon interaction, as well as the structural reflection asymmetry. We reveal the intrinsic nature of this nonreciprocity, as the forward and backward electron transport remains asymmetric even when the applied temperature difference is not reversed. This intrinsic nonreciprocity gives rise to two novel transport phenomena. One is a novel thermoelectric effect which is driven by the temperature difference between the leads and the central device region, rather than the conventional temperature difference between the two leads. The second, and more significant, phenomenon is the suppression of electronic backscattering in the load resistor. This suppression decreases the resistance of the load resistor, which leads to the breakdown of Ohm's addition law. Under suitable conditions, the presence of electron-phonon interaction can yield a larger thermoelectric current compared to the case without it. This intrinsic nonreciprocity opens up a new pathway for low-power electronics besides topology and superconductivity, and for nonreciprocal thermoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Time reversal reserved spin valve and spin transistor based on unconventional $p$-wave magnets

The anisotropic spin splitting in unconventional magnets opens new opportunities for realizing spintronic functionalities without relying on net magnetization or relativistic spin-orbit coupling. Here, we propose a spin valve and a spin transistor based on unconventional $p$-wave magnets (UPMs). The spin valve is realized in a junction where a normal metal is sandwiched between two UPMs whose exchange-field strength vectors are oriented transverse to the junction direction. The conductance of such a device is governed by the spin alignment between two UPMs: when their strength vectors are parallel, the spin-state alignment enables efficient electron transmission, leading to a high-conductance state; in contrast, the antiparallel configuration suppresses the conductance owing to the opposite spin orientations. Furthermore, the spin-valve can be extended to a spin transistor by replacing the central normal metal with another UPM with a longitudinally oriented strength vector and a perpendicular spin polarization axis. The central UPM enables uniform spin precession with the same precession frequency for all transverse modes. Both devices can be electrically controlled by modulating the strength vectors of UPMs. These findings establish UPMs as a promising platform for developing spintronic devices without net magnetization or relativistic spin-orbit coupling.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Perfect spin nonreciprocity in gated superconducting altermagnetic heterostructures

We consider a superconducting altermagnet heterostructure and demonstrate that the interplay between altermagnetism and a selective filter of transverse momentum channels enables perfect nonreciprocal spin-polarized currents. We demonstrate that this nonreciprocity manifests in both local and nonlocal spin currents, signalling the emergence of directionally selective local and nonlocal spin behaviors. We show that the selective filter of transverse momentum channels is realized by gating a finite normal region between the superconducting altermagnet and the metallic reservoir, which then directionally selects transport channels that match the momentum-dependent spin-split superconducting altermagnetic states, allowing for nonreciprocal spin-polarized currents. We discover that the local and nonlocal spin nonreciprocity features a highly tunable polarity and nearly perfect quality factors, respectively, which is achieved by means of gate voltages and by varying the length of the finite region. Moreover, we find that local and nonlocal charge currents also develop a nonreciprocal behavior, whose quality factors can also reach perfect values. In all cases, the spin and charge currents are sensitive to variations of the altermagnetic field, a functional dependence that can be exploited to identify the type of altermagnetism. Our findings put forward an electrically controllable route towards nonreciprocal superconducting spintronic devices based on altermagnets.

cond-mat.supr-con

Intrinsic Spin Filter Effect in a $d$-wave altermagnet KV$_2$Se$_2$O with Open Fermi Surface

Altermagnets offer a unique pathway to functional spintronics by combining vanishing magnetization with large spin splitting. Here, we demonstrate that the canonical d-wave altermagnet KV2Se2O can deliver giant tunneling magnetoresistance through orientation-dependent spin filtering. By analyzing the crystallographic spin segregation, we show that transport along specific crystallographic axes is nearly fully spin-polarized within the symmetry-protected ballistic channels. We implement this mechanism in a lattice-matched KV2Se2O/Bi2O2Se/KV2Se2O magnetic tunnel junction, which achieves a robust half-metallic transport regime. The symmetry-protected spectral gap in the parallel/anti-parallel configuration ensures a high tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, resulting in substantial tunneling magnetoresistance, robust thermally driven spin filtering, and spin Seebeck effect at room temperature. These findings provide a path of altermagnetic heterostructures as a high-performance platform for scalable, field-free, and thermally stable spin logic.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Light-induced Floquet spin-triplet Cooper pairs in unconventional magnets

The recently predicted unconventional magnets offer a new ground for exploring the formation of nontrivial spin states due to their inherent nonrelativistic momentum-dependent spin splitting. In this work, we consider unconventional magnets with $d$- and $p$-wave parities, and investigate the effect of time-periodic light drives for inducing the formation of spin-triplet phases in the normal and superconducting states. In particular, we consider unconventional magnets without and with conventional superconductivity under linearly and circularly polarized light drives and treat the time-dependent problem within Floquet formalism, which naturally unveils photon processes and Floquet bands determining the emergent phenomena. We demonstrate that the interplay between unconventional magnetism and light gives rise to a non-trivial light-matter coupling which governs the emergence of Floquet spin-triplet states with and without superconductivity that are absent otherwise. We find that photon-assisted processes promote the formation of spin-triplet densities and spin-triplet Cooper pairs between different Floquet sidebands. More precisely, the Floquet sidebands offer an additional quantum number, the Floquet index, which considerably broadens the classification of superconducting correlations that lead to Floquet spin-triplet Cooper pairs as an entirely dynamical phenomenon due to the interplay between light and unconventional magnetism. Furthermore, we discuss how the number of photons is connected to the symmetry of Cooper pairs and also explore how the distinct light drives can be used to manipulate them and probe the angular symmetry of unconventional magnets. Our results therefore unveil the potential of unconventional magnets for realizing nontrivial light-induced superconducting states.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Floquet engineering spin triplet states in unconventional magnets

We consider unconventional magnets with and without spin-singlet $s$-wave superconductivity and demonstrate the emergence of spin triplet states due to light drives. In particular, we find that a high-frequency linearly polarized light drive induces a spin-triplet density in $d$-wave altermagnets which does not exist in the static regime and can directly reveal the strength of the altermagnetic field. In this high-frequency regime, we also show that linearly polarized light enables the formation of odd-frequency spin-triplet superconducting correlations possessing $d$-wave and $s$-wave parities, which can be controlled by the light drive and accessed by measuring the spin density. Moreover, for low-frequency linearly and circularly polarized light drives, we obtain that the types of superconducting correlations are broadened due to the presence of Floquet bands, enabling spin-triplet pairs in $d$- and $p$-wave unconventional magnets, which are absent in the undriven phase.

cond-mat.supr-con

All-electrically controlled spintronics in altermagnetic heterostructures

The recent discovery of altermagnets, which exhibit spin splitting without net magnetization, opens new directions for spintronics beyond the limits of ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, and spin orbit coupled systems. We investigate spin selective quantum transport in heterostructures composed of a normal metal and a two dimensional d-wave altermagnet, and identify a universal mechanism for achieving perfect spin polarization. The mechanism is dictated by Fermi surface geometry: closed Fermi surfaces in weak altermagnets yield partial and oscillatory spin filtering, whereas open Fermi surfaces in strong altermagnets intrinsically enforce fully spin polarized conductance. Exploiting these distinct transport regimes, we propose all electrical spin filter and spin valve architectures, where resonant tunneling produces highly spin polarized conductance tunable by gate voltage and interface transparency. Altermagnets with open Fermi surfaces further support gate reversible perfect spin polarization that remains robust against interface scattering, disorder, and temperature. We also demonstrate an electrically controlled spin valve that reproduces the functionality of magnetic tunnel junctions without magnetic fields or relativistic mechanisms. d-wave altermagnets with open Fermi surfaces thus provide a promising platform for low dissipation, scalable, and magnetic field free spintronic devices with potential for integration into next generation quantum and CMOS compatible technologies.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Josephson diode effect with Andreev and Majorana bound states

Superconductor-semiconductor hybrids are useful for realizing the Josephson diode effect, where nonreciprocity in the supercurrents occurs due to the interplay of the Josephson effect and applied magnetic fields. These junctions can host Andreev and Majorana states with the same ingredients, though their interplay with the Josephson diode effect is unclear. In this work, we consider short Josephson junctions based on superconductor-semiconductor systems under homogeneous Zeeman fields and investigate the Josephson diode effect in the presence of Andreev and Majorana states. Under generic conditions, the Zeeman field component parallel to the spin-orbit axis promotes an asymmetric low-energy spectrum as a function of the superconducting phase, which persists in the trivial and topological phases hosting Andreev and Majorana bound states, respectively. Interestingly, this asymmetry creates supercurrents that are not odd functions of the phase difference, leading to a nonreciprocal behaviour and the Josephson diode effect. We show that the Josephson diode effect is particularly promoted under the presence of both zero-energy Andreev and Majorana bound states, revealing that Josephson diodes can be realized in the trivial and topological phases of superconductor-semiconductor hybrids. We then demonstrate that the Zeeman field evolution of the diode's efficiencies can map the topological phase transition and the formation of Majorana bound states via an oscillatory behavior that becomes more visible in long superconductors. While Josephson diodes generally exist in the trivial and topological phases of Josephson junctions, we discover that in the tunneling regime only a Josephson diode effect in the topological phase remains due to the finite contribution of Majorana bound states. Our findings clarify the Josephson diode effect and aid in realizing Majorana-only Josephson diodes.

cond-mat.supr-con

Valley Gapless Semiconductor: Models and Applications

The emerging field of valleytronics harnesses the valley degree of freedom of electrons, akin to how electronic and spintronic devices utilize the charge and spin degrees of freedom of electrons respectively. The engineering of valleytronic devices typically relies on the coupling between valley and other degrees of freedom such as spin, giving rise to valley-spintronics where an external magnetic field manipulates the information stored in valleys. Here, the valley gapless semiconductor is proposed as a potential electrically controlled valleytronic platform because the valley degree of freedom is coupled to the carrier type, i.e., electrons and holes. The valley degree of freedom can be electrically controlled by tuning the carrier type via the device gate voltage. We demonstrate the proposal for realizing a valley gapless semiconductor in the honeycomb lattice with the Haldane and modified Haldane models. The system's valley-carrier coupling is further studied for its transport properties in an all-electrically controlled valley filter device setting. Our work highlights the significance of the valley gapless semiconductor for valleytronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Floquet engineering of topological phase transitions in quantum spin Hall $α$-$T_{3}$ system

Floquet engineering of topological phase transitions driven by a high-frequency time-periodic field is a promising approach to realizing new topological phases of matter distinct from static states. Here, we theoretically investigate Floquet engineering topological phase transitions in the quantum spin Hall $α$-$T_{3}$ system driven by an off-resonant circularly polarized light. In addition to the quantum spin (anomalous) Hall insulator phase with multiple helical (chiral) edge states, spin-polarized topological metallic phases are observed, where the bulk topological band gap of one spin sub-band overlaps with the other gapless spin sub-band. Moreover, with a staggered potential, the topological invariants of the system depend on whether the middle band is occupied because of the breaking of symmetry with respect to the center of energy-momentum plane. Our work highlights the significance of Floquet engineering in realizing new topological phases in $α$-$T_{3}$ lattices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Transverse Cooper-Pair Rectifier

Non-reciprocal devices are key components in modern electronics covering broad applications ranging from transistors to logic circuits thanks to the output rectified signal in the direction parallel to the input. In this work, we propose a transverse Cooper-pair rectifier in which a non-reciprocal current is perpendicular to the driving field, when inversion, time reversal, and mirror symmetries are broken simultaneously. The Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism is developed to describe the transverse current-voltage relation in a normal-metal/superconductor tunneling junction, where symmetry constraints are achieved by an effective built-in supercurrent manifesting in an asymmetric and anisotropic Andreev reflection. The asymmetry in the Andreev reflection is induced when inversion and time reversal symmetry are broken by the supercurrent component parallel to the junction while the anisotropy occurs when the mirror symmetry with respect to the normal of the junction interface is broken by the perpendicular supercurrent component to the junction. Compared to the conventional longitudinal one, the transverse rectifier supports fully polarized diode efficiency and colossal nonreciprocal conductance rectification, completely decoupling the path of the input excitation from the output rectified signal. This work provides a formalism for realizing transverse non-reciprocity in superconducting junctions, which is expected to be achieved by modifying current experimental setups and may pave the way for future low-dissipation superconducting electronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Two-dimensional Weyl nodal-line semimetal and antihelical edge states in a modified Kane-Mele model

The Kane-Mele model has been modified to achieve versatile topological phases. Previous work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 156402 (2018)] introduced a staggered intrinsic spin-orbit coupling effect to generate pseudohelical edge states, with Rashba spin-orbit coupling facilitating spin flips in alternating sublattices. Our study demonstrates that, in the absence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling, the modified Kane-Mele model with staggered intrinsic spin-orbit coupling evolves into a $Z_{2}$ class topological metal, specifically a two-dimensional Weyl nodal-line semimetal. In a nanoribbon geometry, we predict the emergence of antihelical edge states, which support spin-polarized currents flowing in the same direction along parallel boundaries. Unlike pseudohelical edge states, antihelical edge states can be viewed as a superposition of two antichiral edge states related by time-reversal symmetry. However, the spin Hall conductance from antihelical edge states is not quantized due to the presence of gapless bulk states. Additionally, we examine the robustness of helical, pseudohelical, and antihelical edge states in the presence of nonmagnetic disorders, highlighting the particular fragility of antihelical edge states. Our findings enhance the understanding of the modified Kane-Mele model, providing new insights into its topological properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Field-Effect Josephson Diode via Asymmetric Spin-Momentum-Locking States

Recent breakthroughs in Josephson diodes dangle the possibility of extending conventional non-reciprocal electronics into the realm of superconductivity. While a strong magnetic field is recognized for enhancing diode efficiency, it concurrently poses a risk of undermining the essential superconductivity required for non-dissipative devices. To circumvent the need for magnetic-based tuning, we propose a field-effect Josephson diode based on the electrostatic gate control of finite momentum Cooper pairs in asymmetric spin-momentum-locking states. We propose two possible implementations of our gate-controlled mechanism: (i) a topological field-effect Josephson diode in time-reversal-broken quantum spin Hall insulators; and (ii) semiconductor-based field-effect Josephson diodes attainable in current experimental setups involving a Zeeman field and spin-orbit coupling. Notably, the diode efficiency is highly enhanced in the topological field-effect Josephson diode because the current carried by the asymmetric helical edge states is topologically protected and can be tuned by local gates. In the proposed Josephson diode, the combination of gates and asymmetric spin-momentum-locking nature is equivalent to that of a magnetic field, thus providing an alternative electrical operation in designing nonreciprocal superconducting devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Interplay between Haldane and modified Haldane models in $α$-$T_{3}$ lattice: Band structures, phase diagrams and edge states

We study the topological properties of the Haldane and modified Haldane models in $α$-$T_{3}$ lattice. The band structures and phase diagrams of the system are investigated. Individually, each model undergoes a distinct phase transition: (i) the Haldane-only model experiences a topological phase transition from the Chern insulator ($\mathcal{C} = 1$) phase to the higher Chern insulator ($\mathcal{C} = 2$) phase; while (ii) the modified-Haldane-only model experiences a phase transition from the topological metal ($\mathcal{C} = 2$) phase to the higher Chern insulator ($\mathcal{C} = 2$) phase and we show that $\mathcal{C}$ is insufficient to characterize this system because $\mathcal{C}$ remains unchanged before and after the phase transition. By plotting the Chern number and $\mathcal{C}$ phase diagram, we show that in the presence of both Haldane and modified Haldane models in the $α$-$T_{3}$ lattice, the interplay between the two models manifests three distinct topological phases, namely the $\mathcal{C} = 1$ Chern insulator (CI) phase, $\mathcal{C} = 2$ higher Chern insulator (HCI) phase and $\mathcal{C} = 2$ topological metal (TM) phase. These results are further supported by the $α$-$T_{3}$ zigzag edge states calculations. Our work elucidates the rich phase evolution of Haldane and modified Haldane models as $α$ varies continuously from $0$ to $1$ in an $α$-$T_3$ model.

cond-mat.str-el

Photoninduced Weyl half-metal phase and spin filter effect from topological Dirac semimetals

Recently discovered Dirac semimetals (DSMs) with two Dirac nodes, such as Na$_{3}$Bi and Cd$_{2}$As$_{3}$, are regarded to carry the $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ topological charge in addition to the chiral charge. Here, we study the Floquet phase transition of $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ topological DSMs subjected to a beam of circularly polarized light. Due to the resulting interplay of the chiral and $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ charges, the Weyl nodes are not only chirality-dependent but also spin-dependent, which constrains the behaviors in creation and annihilation of the Weyl nodes in pair. Interestingly, we find a novel phase: One spinband is in Weyl semimetal phase while the other spinband is in insulator phase, and we dub it Weyl half-metal (WHM) phase. We further study the spin-dependent transport in a Dirac-Weyl semimetal junction and find a spin filter effect as a fingerprint of existence of the WHM phase. The proposed spin filter effect, based on the WHM bulk band, is highly tunable in a broad parameter regime and robust against magnetic disorder, which is expected to overcome the shortcomings of the previously proposed spin filter based on the topological edge/surface states. Our results offer a unique opportunity to explore the potential applications of topological DSMs in spintronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall