arXiv subjects

Piotr Wiśniewski

Publications and source records attributed to Piotr Wiśniewski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Magnetotransport and electronic band structure of EuNi$_2$As$_2$ antiferromagnet

We investigated the magnetotransport properties of single-crystals of tetragonal van der Waals compound EuNi$_2$As$_2$, that orders antiferromagnetically below 14.6 K in an incommensurate helical structure. Metamagnetic transitions are revealed by the magnetization measured in the magnetic field applied transverse to the axis of the helix, and are clearly reflected in the magnetoresistance. Overall, the magnetoresistance is small, but shows complex changes with the temperature, the strength, and the angle of the applied magnetic field. In magnetically ordered state, magnetoresistance shows prominent anomalies related to the metamagnetic transitions. For temperatures above the Néel point the negative magnetoresistance can be modeled very well with de Gennes-Friedel mechanism of the spin-disorder-scattering reduction. Hall resistivity data indicate hole-dominated multi-band conductivity in antiferromagnetic state and single-band one above the Néel temperature, with carrier concentrations of the order of 10$^{22}$cm$^{-3}$. This metallic character of the compound seems to obscure the plausible topological contribution to the Hall resistivity. Our \textit{ab-initio} calculations of electronic band structure showed that the electronic structure changes very strongly upon magnetic ordering, but the density of states at the Fermi level differs by a factor smaller than two, in agreement with experimental Hall resistivity data. Meaningful changes in the density of states, magnetic moments, and screening length of Eu-4$f$ orbitals are discussed in terms of the effects of Hubbard corrections.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Transverse and Longitudinal Magnetothermopower Promoted by Ambipolar Effect in Half-Heusler Topological Materials

Topologically trivial and non-trivial semimetals with a high degree of carrier compensation are well known for demonstrating large transverse magnetothermopower ($S_{yx}$). However, in such systems, the longitudinal magnetothermopower ($S_{xx}$) is typically suppressed due to nearly perfect electron-hole compensation. Here, we show that the half-Heusler topological semimetal DyPtBi exhibits simultaneously large $S_{xx}$ and $S_{yx}$ magnetothermopowers, defying this conventional trade-off. In $B=14$\,T, thermopower of DyPtBi reaches peak values of $S_{xx}=131\,μ\rm{V/K}$ at $T=149$\,K and $S_{yx}=-297\,μ\rm{V/K}$ at $T=200$\,K, and transverse component remains significantly large even at $290$\,K ($S_{yx}=-213\,μ\rm{V/K}$). Remarkably, at $T=290$\,K and in relatively weak magnetic field of $1$\,T, both relevant for practical applications, DyPtBi shows $S_{yx}=-18\,μ\rm{V/K}$, which is one of the largest values reported under such conditions. The large transverse thermopower originates from an ambipolar effect associated with thermal excitation occurring in zero-gap semiconductors. Due to the imperfect electron-hole compensation, an intrinsic asymmetry between hole- and electron-type carriers enables pronounced values of both $S_{xx}$ and $S_{yx}$, resulting in high effective thermopower ($S_{xx}+|S_{yx}|=379\,μ\rm{V/K}$) in DyPtBi at 200\,K. A comparative analysis with DyPdBi, another half-Heusler material that demonstrates large $S_{xx}=123\,μ\rm{V/K}$ but small $S_{yx}=-16\,μ\rm{V/K}$ (both values obtained at $T=293$\,K and $B=14$\,T), highlights the critical role of band structure and compensation tuning. These findings underscore the potential of chemical doping and band engineering in rare-earth-based half-Heusler materials for optimizing both transverse and longitudinal thermoelectric properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Tuning of anomalous magnetotransport properties in half-Heusler topological semimetal GdPtBi

Half-Heusler compounds from the $RE$PtBi family exemplify Weyl semimetals in which external magnetic field induce Weyl nodes. These materials exceptionally host topologically non-trivial states near the Fermi level and their manifestation can be clearly seen in the magnetotransport properties. In this study, we tune the Fermi level of the archetypal half-Heusler Weyl semimetal GdPtBi through high-energy electron irradiation, moving it away from the Weyl nodes to investigate the resilience of the contribution of topologically non-trivial states to magnetotransport properties. Remarkably, we observe that the negative longitudinal magnetoresistance, which is a definitive indicator of the chiral magnetic anomaly occurring in topological semimetals, persists even when the Fermi level is shifted by 100\,meV from its original position in the pristine sample. Additionally, the anomalous Hall effect shows complex variations as the Fermi level is altered, attributed to the energy-dependent nature of the Berry curvature, which arises from avoided band crossing. Our findings show the robust influence of Weyl nodes on the magneto-transport properties of GdPtBi, irrespective of the Fermi level position, a behaviour likely applicable to many half-Heusler Weyl semimetals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Origin of the large topological Hall effect in the EuCd$_2$Sb$_2$ antiferromagnet

We study the origin of large topological Hall effect in the single-crystalline EuCd$_2$Sb$_2$, which orders antiferromagnetically at the Néel temperature $T_{\rm N}=7.4$ K. Measurements of magnetoresistance and Hall resistivity disclose anomalies that evolve with temperature and magnetic field, closely tracking the magnetization process. Analysis of these data identifies three possible mechanisms responsible for the enhanced Berry curvature driving the observed topological Hall effect. Below and above $T_{\rm N}$, Weyl states are the main sources of large momentum-space Berry curvature, though their formation mechanisms differ in these two temperature ranges. Below $T_{\rm N}$, breaking of $C_{3}$ symmetry generates Dirac points that split into Weyl nodes in applied magnetic field, whereas above $T_{\rm N}$, strong spin fluctuations can induce Weyl states. The third contribution, which occurs below $T_{\rm N}$, arises from scalar spin chirality developing within antiferromagnetic domain walls, which generates a real-space Berry curvature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Giant magneto-cubic in-plane Hall effect in a nonmagnetic material

In-plane Hall effect (IPHE) triggered by an external magnetic field applied in the transport plane has attracted significant experimental attentions in recent few years 1-6. However, most experiments focus on magnetic materials, where the existence of magnetic ordering may complicate understanding the physics behind, and the relatively small signal magnitudes limit the application of the effect. Here, we report a giant IPHE in a nonmagnetic half-Heusler compound LuAuSn, with a magnitude exceeding all the previously reported values. A -period of IPHE and the consistent cubic dependence on the magnetic field are observed, realizing the long-sought theoretical prediction of magneto-cubic IPHE under threefold rotational symmetry7-9 in an unexpected material. The scaling law analysis and first-principles calculations indicate that extrinsic side jump and skew scattering processes from both impurity and phonon scatterings dominate the observed effect. These findings unravel a new type of magneto-nonlinear IPHE, and its large magnitude and wide-temperature operation may open the door to practical applications of IPHE.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Insulating Half-Heusler TmPdSb with Unusual Band Order and Metallic Surface States

We present theoretical and experimental results exploring a half-Heusler compound TmPdSb with unusual band order and metallic surface states. Typically, the half-Heusler systems exhibit topological features in a semimetallic state, and trivial ones in an insulating state. Topological properties of the most of half-Heusler systems are related to the band inversion around the Fermi level, similar to this observed in CdTe/HgTe systems. In the case of TmPdSb we observed the gapped electronic band structure with ``band inversion'' in the conductance band, while the slab-like system realized metallic surface states. The bulk insulating nature of the compound was corroborated by means of electrical transport measurements. The experimental data revealed several features due to the presence of metallic surface states, such as linear magnetoresistance and weak-antilocalization effect, characterized by enhanced coherence length and a very large number of surface conductive channels. Our findings reveal new features of the rare-earth half-Heusler.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Large unconventional anomalous Hall effect arising from spin chirality within domain walls of an antiferromagnet EuZn$_2$Sb$_2$

Unconventional anomalous Hall effect was observed in antiferromagnetic state of EuZn$_2$Sb$_2$. Scaling of unconventional Hall conductivity with the longitudinal conductivity, and the magnitude of Hall angle indicate spin chirality despite collinear magnetic structure. Anomalies in magnetoresistance culminate in the same fields, in which the unconventional anomalous Hall resistance has maxima. Monotonous decrease of their magnitude with increasing temperature belittles here the role of spin-fluctuations, important in isostructural compounds. These observations point to a prominent role of scalar spin chirality within domain walls, when magnetic field tilts the Eu moments. Simple calculation of such spin chirality shows it strongest in fields characteristic for anomalous magnetotransport.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Temperature-dependent Fermi surface probed by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in topological semimetal candidates DyBi and HoBi

Rare earth-based monopnictides are among the most intensively studied groups of materials in which extremely large magnetoresistance has been observed. This study explores magnetotransport properties of two representatives of this group, DyBi and HoBi. The extreme magnetoresistance is discovered in DyBi and confirmed in HoBi. At $T=2$ K and in $B=14$ T for both compounds, magnetoresistance reaches the order of magnitude of $10^4\%$. For both materials, standard Kohler's rule is obeyed only in the temperature range from 50 K to 300 K. At lower temperatures, extended Kohler's rule has to be invoked because carrier concentrations and mobilities strongly change with temperature and magnetic field. This is further proven by the observation of a quite rare temperature-dependence of oscillation frequencies in Shubnikov-de Haas effect. Rate of this dependence clearly changes at Néel temperature, reminiscent of a novel magnetic band splitting. Multi-frequency character of the observed Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations points to the coexistence of electron- and hole-type Fermi pockets in both studied materials. Overall, our results highlight correlation of temperature dependence of the Fermi surface with the magnetotransport properties of DyBi and HoBi.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Giant magnetoresistance, Fermi surface topology, Shoenberg effect and vanishing quantum oscillations in type-II Dirac semimetal candidates MoSi$_2$ and WSi$_2$

We performed comprehensive theoretical and experimental studies of the electronic structure and the Fermi surface topology of two novel quantum materials, MoSi$_2$ and WSi$_2$. The theoretical predictions of the electronic structure in the vicinity of the Fermi level was verified experimentally by thorough analysis of the observed quantum oscillations in both electrical resistivity and magnetostriction. We established that the Fermi surface sheets in MoSi$_2$ and WSi$_2$ consist of 3D dumbbell-shaped hole-like pockets and rosette-shaped electron-like pockets, with nearly equal volumes. Based on this finding, both materials were characterized as almost perfectly compensated semimetals. In conjunction, the magnetoresistance attains giant values of $10^4$ and $10^5\,\%$ for WSi$_2$ and MoSi$_2$, respectively. In turn, the anisotropic magnetoresistance achieves $-95$ and $-98\,\%$ at $T=2\,$K and in $B=14\,$T for WSi$_2$ and MoSi$_2$, respectively. Furthermore, for both compounds we observed the Shoenberg effect in their Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations that persisted at as high temperature as $T=25\,$K in MoSi$_2$ and $T=12\,$K in WSi$_2$. In addition, we found for MoSi$_2$ a rarely observed spin-zero phenomenon. Remarkably, the electronic structure calculations revealed type-II Dirac cones located near 480 meV and 710 meV above the Fermi level in MoSi$_2$ and WSi$_2$, respectively.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Magnetotransport signatures of chiral magnetic anomaly in the half-Heusler phase ScPtBi

Study of magnetotransport properties of ScPtBi revealed simultaneously: a negative contribution to the longitudinal magnetoresistance, the planar Hall effect, and distinct angular narrowing of the longitudinal magnetoresistance { three hallmarks of chiral magnetic anomaly (pumping of axial charge between Weyl nodes), a distinct property of topological semimetals. Electronic structure calculations show that structural defects, such as antisites and vacancies, bring substantial density of states at the Fermi level of ScPtBi, indicating that it is a semimetal, not a zero-gap semiconductor, as predicted earlier. This is in accord with electrical resistivity in ScPtBi, showing no characteristics of semiconductor. Moreover, below 0.7K we observed an onset of a superconducting transition, with the resistivity disappearing completely below 0.23 K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Anomalous Hall effect and negative longitudinal magnetoresistance in half-Heusler topological semimetal candidates TbPtBi and HoPtBi

Half-Heusler compounds have attracted significant attention because of their topologically non-trivial electronic structure, which leads to unusual electron transport properties. We thoroughly investigated the magnetotransport properties of high-quality single crystals of two half-Heusler phases, TbPtBi and HoPtBi, in pursuit of the characteristic features of topologically non-trivial electronic states. Both studied compounds are characterized by the giant values of transverse magnetoresistance with no sign of saturation in magnetic field up to 14 T. HoPtBi demonstrates the Shubnikov-de Haas effect with two principal frequencies, indicating a complex Fermi surface; the extracted values of carrier effective masses are rather small, $0.18\,m_e$ and $0.27\,m_e$. The investigated compounds exhibit negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect, which likely arise from a nonzero Berry curvature. Both compounds show strongly anisotropic magnetoresistance, that in HoPtBi exhibits a butterfly-like behavior.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic field driven quantum criticality in antiferromagnetic CePtIn4

Physics of quantum critical point is one of the most perplexing topics in current condensed-matter physics. Its conclusive understanding is forestalled by the scarcity of experimental systems displaying novel aspects of quantum criticality. We present a comprehensive experimental evidence of a magnetic field tuned tricritical point separating paramagnetic, antiferromagnetic and metamagnetic phases in novel compound CePtIn$_4$. Analyzing field variations of its magnetic susceptibility, magnetoresistance and specific heat at very low temperatures, we trace modifications of antiferromagnetic structure of the compound. Upon applying magnetic field of increasing strength, the system undergoes metamagnetic transitions which persist down to the lowest temperature investigated, exhibiting first-order-like boundaries separating magnetic phases. This yields a unique phase diagram where the second-order phase transition line terminates at a tricritical point followed by two first-order lines reaching quantum critical end points as $T\to$~0. Our findings demonstrate that CePtIn$_4$ provides innovative perspective for studies of quantum criticality.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Negative longitudinal magnetoresistance as a sign of a possible chiral magnetic anomaly in the half-Heusler antiferromagnet DyPdBi

Magnetotransport investigation of a half-Heusler antiferromagnet DyPdBi revealed hallmark features of Weyl semimetal: huge negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect. Both effects have recently been linked to chiral magnetic anomaly - axial charge pumping between Weyl nodes. Magnetoresistance (MR) of single crystals of DyPdBi is very pronounced. In magnetic field longitudinal to electrical current direction it reaches -80% and its relative difference with respect to that measured in transverse field (expressed as anisotropic magnetoresistance) is extremely strong: -60% at 10K and 14 T. The planar Hall effect in DyPdBi depends on temperature and magnetic field in non-monotonous way, which has not been previously reported. We compare magnetoresistance measured with voltage contacts on mid-line of the sample with that measured with contacts on its edge, and show that the role of current-jetting, an extrinsic source of anisotropic negative magnetoresistance, is marginal. We discuss that nature of the compound and sample quality exclude intrinsic sources of negative and anisotropic magnetoresistance other than weak localization and the chiral magnetic anomaly.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Magnetoresistance in YBi and LuBi semimetals due to nearly perfect carrier compensation

Monobismuthides of yttrium and lutetium are shown as new representatives of materials which exhibit extreme magnetoresistance and magnetic-field-induced resistivity plateau. At low temperatures and in magnetic field of 9T the magnetoresistance attains the order of magnitude of 10,000% and 1,000%, on YBi and LuBi, respectively. Our thorough examination of electron transport properties of both compounds show that observed features are the consequence of nearly perfect carrier compensation rather than of possible nontrivial topology of electronic states. The field-induced plateau of electrical resistivity can be explained with Kohler scaling. Anisotropic multi-band model of electronic transport describes very well the magnetic field dependence of electrical resistivity and Hall resistivity. Data obtained from the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations analysis also confirm that Fermi surface of each compound contains almost equal amounts of holes and electrons. First-principle calculations of electronic band structure are in a very good agreement with the experimental data.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Superconductivity in the Superhard Boride WB$_{4.2}$

We show that the superhard boride WB$_{4.2}$ is a superconductor with a T$_c$ of 2.05(5) K. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements were used to characterize the superconducting transition. The Sommerfeld constant γ for WB$_{4.2}$ is 2.07(3) mJ mol$^{-1}$ K$^{-2}$ and the ΔC/γT$_c$ = 1.56, which is somewhat higher than what is expected for weakly coupled BCS type superconductors. The H$_{c2}$ vs T plot is linear over a wide temperature range but does show signs of flattening by the lowest temperatures studied and therefore the zero-temperature upper critical field (μ$_0$H$_{c2}$(0)) for WB$_{4.2}$ lies somewhere between the linear extrapolation of μ$_0$H$_{c2}$(T) to 0 K and expectations based on the WHH model.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Giant magnetoresistance, three-dimensional Fermi surface and origin of resistivity plateau in YSb semimetal

Very strong magnetoresistance and a resistivity plateau impeding low temperature divergence due to insulating bulk are hallmarks of topological insulators and are also present in topological semimetals where the plateau is induced by magnetic field, when time-reversal symmetry (protecting surface states in topological insulators) is broken. Similar features were observed in a simple rock-salt-structure LaSb, leading to a suggestion of the possible non-trivial topology of 2D states in this compound. We show that its sister compound YSb is also characterized by giant magnetoresistance exceeding one thousand percent and low-temperature plateau of resistivity. We thus performed in-depth analysis of YSb Fermi surface by band calculations, magnetoresistance, and Shubnikov--de Haas effect measurements, which reveals only three-dimensional Fermi sheets. Kohler scaling applied to magnetoresistance data accounts very well for its low-temperature upturn behavior. The field-angle-dependent magnetoresistance demonstrates a 3D-scaling yielding effective mass anisotropy perfectly agreeing with electronic structure and quantum oscillations analysis, thus providing further support for 3D-Fermi surface scenario of magnetotransport, without necessity of invoking topologically non-trivial 2D states. We discuss data implying that analogous field-induced properties of LaSb can also be well understood in the framework of 3D multiband model.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Superconductivity in CaBi$_{2}$

Superconductivity is observed with critical temperature $T_{c}$ = 2.0 K in self-flux-grown single crystals of $CaBi_{2}$. This material adopts the $ZrSi_{2}$ structure type with lattice parameters a = 4.696(1) $Å$, b = 7.081(2) $Å$ and c = 4.611(1) $Å$. The crystals of $CaBi_{2}$ were studied by means of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements. The heat capacity jump at $T_{c}$ is $ΔC/γT_{c}$ = 1.41, confirming bulk superconductivity; the Sommerfeld coefficient $γ$ = 4.1 $mJ\: mol^{-1}\, K^{-2}$ and the Debye temperature $Θ_{D}$ = 157 K. The electron-phonon coupling strength is $λ_{el-ph}$ = 0.59, and the thermodynamic critical field $H_{c}$ is low, between 111 and 124 Oe $CaBi_{2}$ is a moderate coupling type-I superconductor. Results of electronic structure calculations are reported and charge densities, electronic bands, densities of states and Fermi surfaces are discussed, focusing on the effects of spin\textendash orbit coupling and electronic property anisotropy. We find a mixed quasi-2D + 3D character in the electronic structure, which reflects the layered crystal structure of the material.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Rattling enhanced superconductivity in MV$_2$Al$_{20}$ (M = Sc, Lu, Y) intermetallic cage compounds

Polycrystalline samples of four intermetallic compounds: MV$_2$Al$_{20}$ (M = Sc, Y, La, and Lu) were synthesized using an arc-melting technique. The crystal structures were analyzed by means of powder x-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis, and the physical properties were studied by means of heat capacity, electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements down to 0.4 K. For ScV$_2$Al$_{20}$, LuV$_2$Al$_{20}$, and YV$_2$Al$_{20}$, superconductivity was observed with critical temperatures T$_c$ = 1.00 K, 0.57 K, and 0.60 K, respectively. Superconductivity for the Lu compound is reported for the first time. Theoretical calculations of the electronic and phonon structures were conducted in order to analyze the superconductivity and dynamics in ScV$_2$Al$_{20}$, YV$_2$Al$_{20}$, and LuV$_2$Al$_{20}$ and to explain the lack of a superconducting transition in LaV$_2$Al$_{20}$ down to 0.4 K. The results of the experimental and theoretical studies show that all the compounds are weakly-coupled type II BCS superconductors, and reveal the importance of the M-atom anharmonic "rattling" modes for the superconductivity in these materials, which seem to enhance T$_c$, especially for ScV$_2$Al$_{20}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗