arXiv subjects

PeiYu Cai

Publications and source records attributed to PeiYu Cai.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Giant Exfoliation Induced Magnetic Coercivity in Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$

Permanent magnets with strong anisotropy and high coercivity underpin modern information and energy technologies, yet rare-earth-free alternatives remain limited. Here, we show that thickness engineering via mechanical exfoliation induces hard magnetic behavior in the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$. Bulk crystals exhibit Curie temperatures above 350 K but negligible room-temperature coercivity. When thinned below 100 nm, the coercive field is dramatically enhanced, reaching nearly 1 T at room temperature for in-plane fields which is comparable to values of conventional hard magnets. Micromagnetic analysis reveals a crossover in magnetization reversal from domain-mediated processes in bulk samples to quasi-coherent rotation in thin flakes, driven by increased effective anisotropy and suppressed domain formation. This thickness-dependent transition enables tuning of magnetic hardness without chemical modification. Combined with high saturation magnetization and robust room-temperature performance, Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ emerges as a promising rare-earth-free material for spintronic applications. Its layered structure further allows integration into van der Waals heterostructures, where large in-plane coercivity can stabilize magnetic states against perturbations and interlayer coupling, offering potential for high-density nonvolatile memory and domain-wall-based devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Local Inversion Symmetry Breaking and Thermodynamic Evidence for Ferrimagnetism in Fe3GaTe2

The layered compound Fe3GaTe2 is attracting attention due to its high Curie temperature, low dimensionality, and the presence of topological spin textures above room temperature, making Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ a good candidate for applications in spintronics. Here, we show, through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, that Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ single crystals break local inversion symmetry while maintaining global inversion symmetry according to X-ray diffraction. Coupled to the observation of N\'{e}el skyrmions via Lorentz-TEM, our structural analysis provides a convincing explanation for their presence in centrosymmetric materials. Magnetization measurements as a function of the temperature displays a sharp first-order thermodynamic phase-transition leading to a reduction in the magnetic moment. This implies that the ground state of Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ is globally ferrimagnetic and not a glassy magnetic state composed of ferrimagnetic, and ferromagnetic domains as previously claimed. Neutron diffraction studies indicate that the ferromagnetic to ferrimagnetic transition upon reducing the external magnetic field is associated with a change in the magnetic configuration/coupling between Fe1 and Fe2 moments. We observe a clear correlation between the hysteresis observed in both the skyrmion density and the magnetization of Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$. This indicates that its topological spin textures are affected by the development of ferrimagnetism upon cooling. Observation, via magnetic force microscopy, of magnetic bubbles at the magnetic phase boundary suggests skyrmions stabilized by the competition among magnetic phases and distinct exchange interactions. Our study provides an explanation for the observation of N\'eel skyrmions in centrosymmetric systems, while exposing a correlation between the distinct magnetic phases of Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ and topological spin textures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Laser-Induced Topological Toggle Switching at Room Temperature in the van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2

We demonstrate room-temperature nucleation and manipulation of topological spin textures in the van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet, Fe3GaTe2, through laser pulse excitation. By leveraging laser-induced heating and subsequent cooling, we access the skyrmion/bubble state at low fields and achieve toggle switching between two topological spin textures - skyrmion/bubble and labyrinth. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that this switching behaviour arises from laser-induced heating and cooling. Our findings highlight the potential of vdW ferromagnets for room temperature laser-controlled non-volatile memory storage applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Wave functions for high-symmetry, thin microstrip antennas and two-dimensional quantum boxes

For a spinless quantum particle in a one-dimensional box or an electromagnetic wave in a one-dimensional cavity, the respective Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions both lead to non-degenerate wave functions. However, in two spatial dimensions, the symmetry of the box or microstrip antenna is an important feature that has often been overlooked in the literature. In the high-symmetry cases of a disk, square, or equilateral triangle, the wave functions for each of those two boundary conditions are grouped into two distinct classes, which are one- and two-dimensional representations of the respective point groups, $C_{\infty v}$, $C_{4v}$, and $C_{3v}$. Here we present visualizations of representative wave functions for both boundary conditions and both one- and two-dimensional representations of those point groups. For the one-dimensional representations, color contour plots of the wave functions are presented. For the two-dimensional representations, the infinite degeneracies are presented as common nodal points and/or lines, the patterns of which are invariant under all operations of the respective point group. The wave functions with the Neumann boundary conditions have important consequences for the coherent terahertz emission from the intrinsic Josephson junctions in the high-temperature superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$: the enhancement of the output power from electromagnetic cavity resonances is only strong for wave functions that are not degenerate.

cond-mat.supr-con↗