arXiv subjects

Qiang Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Qiang Gao.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Spectroscopic Evidence of Bilayer Splitting and Interlayer Pairing in an Iron Based Superconductor

In high temperature cuprate superconductors, the interlayer coupling between the CuO$_2$ planes plays an important role in dictating superconductivity, as indicated by the sensitive dependence of the critical temperature (T$_C$) on the number of CuO$_2$ planes in one structural unit. In Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ superconductor with two CuO$_2$ planes in one structural unit, the interaction between the two CuO$_2$ planes gives rise to band splitting into two Fermi surface sheets (bilayer splitting) that have distinct superconducting gap. The iron based superconductors are composed of stacking of the FeAs/FeSe layers; whether the interlayer coupling can cause similar band splitting and its effect on superconductivity remain unclear. Here we report high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements on a newly discovered iron based superconductor, KCa$_2$Fe$_4$As$_4$F$_2$ (T$_C$=33.5\,K) which consists of stacking FeAs blocks with two FeAs layers separated by insulating Ca$_2$F$_2$ blocks. Bilayer splitting effect is observed for the first time that gives rise to totally five hole-like Fermi surface sheets around the Brilliouin zone center. Band structure calculations reproduce the observed bilayer splitting by identifying interlayer interorbital interaction between the two FeAs layers within one FeAs block. All the hole-like pockets around the zone center exhibit Fermi surface-dependent and nodeless superconducting gap. The gap functions with short-range antiferromagetic fluctuations are proposed and the gap symmetry can be well understood when the interlayer pairing is considered. The particularly strong interlayer pairing is observed for one of the bands. Our observations provide key information on the interlayer coupling and interlayer pairing in understanding superconductivity in iron based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Electronic Structure of Exfoliated Millimeter-Sized Monolayer WSe2 on Silicon Wafer

The monolayer WSe2 is interesting and important for future application in nanoelectronics, spintronics and valleytronics devices, because it has the largest spin splitting and longest valley coherence time among all the known monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). To obtain the large-area monolayer TMDs' crystal is the first step to manufacture scalable and high-performance electronic devices. In this letter, we have successfully fabricated millimeter-sized monolayer WSe2 single crystals with very high quality, based on our improved mechanical exfoliation method. With such superior samples, using standard high resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we did comprehensive electronic band structure measurements on our monolayer WSe2. The overall band features point it to be a 1.2eV direct band gap semiconductor. Its spin-splitting of the valence band at K point is found as 460 meV, which is 30 meV less than the corresponding band splitting in its bulk counterpart. The effective hole masses of valence bands are determined as 2.344 me at Gamma, and 0.529 me as well as 0.532 me at K for the upper and lower branch of splitting bands, respectively. And screening effect from substrate is shown to substantially impact on the electronic properties. Our results provide important insights into band structure engineering in monolayer TMDs. Our monolayer WSe2 crystals may constitute a valuable device platform.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Evidence for an Additional Symmetry Breaking from Direct Observation of Band Splitting in the Nematic State of FeSe Superconductor

The iron-based superconductor FeSe has attracted much recent attention because of its simple crystal structure, distinct electronic structure and rich physics exhibited by itself and its derivatives. Determination of its intrinsic electronic structure is crucial to understand its physical properties and superconductivity mechanism. Both theoretical and experimental studies so far have provided a picture that FeSe consists of one hole-like Fermi surface around the Brillouin zone center in its nematic state. Here we report direct observation of two hole-like Fermi surface sheets around the Brillouin zone center, and the splitting of the associated bands, in the nematic state of FeSe by taking high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements. These results indicate that, in addition to nematic order and spin-orbit coupling, there is an additional order in FeSe that breaks either inversion or time reversal symmetries. The new Fermi surface topology asks for reexamination of the existing theoretical and experimental understanding of FeSe and stimulates further efforts to identify the origin of the hidden order in its nematic state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic i-MXene: a new class of multifunctional two-dimensional materials

Based on density functional theory calculations, we investigated the two-dimensional in-plane ordered MXene (i-MXenes), focusing particularly on the magnetic properties. It is observed that robust two-dimensional magnetism can be achieved by alloying nonmagnetic MXene with magnetic transition metal atoms. Moreover, both the magnetic ground states and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of the i-MXenes can be effectively manipulated by strain, indicating strong piezomagnetic effect. Further studies on the transport properties reveal that i-MXenes provide an interesting playground to realize large thermoelectric response, antiferromagnetic topological insulator, and spin-gapless semiconductors. Thus, i-MXenes are a new class of multifunctional two-dimensional magnetic materials which are promising for future spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Selective Hybridization between Main Band and Superstructure Band in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ Superconductor

High-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been carried out on Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi2212) and Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+δ}$ (Bi2201) superconductors. Unexpected hybridization between the main band and the superstructure band in Bi2212 is clearly revealed. In the momentum space where one main Fermi surface intersects with one superstructure Fermi surface, four bands are observed instead of two. The hybridization exists in both superconducting state and normal state, and in Bi2212 samples with different doping levels. Such a hybridization is not observed in Bi2201. This phenomenon can be understood by considering the bilayer splitting in Bi2212, the selective hybridization of two bands with peculiar combinations, and the altered matrix element effects of the hybridized bands. These observations provide strong evidence on the origin of the superstructure band which is intrinsic to the CuO$_2$ planes. Therefore, understanding physical properties and superconductivity mechanism in Bi2212 should consider the complete Fermi surface topology which involves the main bands, the superstructure bands and their interactions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

High Precision Determination of the Planck Constant by Modern Photoemission Spectroscopy

The Planck constant, with its mathematical symbol $h$, is a fundamental constant in quantum mechanics that is associated with the quantization of light and matter. It is also of fundamental importance to metrology, such as the definition of ohm and volt, and the latest definition of kilogram. One of the first measurements to determine the Planck constant is based on the photoelectric effect, however, the values thus obtained so far have exhibited a large uncertainty. The accepted value of the Planck constant, 6.62607015$\times$10$^{-34}$ J$\cdot$s, is obtained from one of the most precise methods, the Kibble balance, which involves quantum Hall effect, Josephson effect and the use of the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK) or its copies. Here we present a precise determination of the Planck constant by modern photoemission spectroscopy technique. Through the direct use of the Einstein's photoelectric equation, the Planck constant is determined by measuring accurately the energy position of the gold Fermi level using light sources with various photon wavelengths. The precision of the measured Planck constant, 6.62610(13)$\times$10$^{-34}$ J$\cdot$s, is four to five orders of magnitude improved from the previous photoelectric effect measurements. It has rendered photoemission method to become one of the most accurate methods in determining the Planck constant. We propose that this direct method of photoemission spectroscopy has advantages and a potential to further increase its measurement precision of the Planck constant to be comparable to the most accurate methods that are available at present.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Designing rare-earth free permanent magnets in Heusler alloys via interstitial doping

Based on high-throughput density functional theory calculations, we investigated the effects of light interstitial H, B, C, and N atoms on the magnetic properties of cubic Heusler alloys, with the aim to design new rare-earth free permanent magnets. It is observed that the interstitial atoms induce significant tetragonal distortions, leading to 32 candidates with large ($>$ 0.4 MJ/m$^3$) uniaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy energies (MAEs) and 10 cases with large in-plane MAEs. Detailed analysis following the the perturbation theory and chemical bonding reveals the strong MAE originates from the local crystalline distortions and thus the changes of the chemical bonding around the interstitials. This provides a valuable way to tailor the MAEs to obtain competitive permanent magnets, filling the gap between high performance Sm-Co/Nd-Fe-B and widely used ferrite/AlNiCo materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Evolution of Incommensurate Superstructure and Electronic Structure with Pb Substitution in (Bi$_{2-x}$Pb$_{x}$)Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ Superconductors

High-quality Bi$_{2-x}$Pb$_{x}$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi2212) single crystals have been successfully grown by the traveling solvent floating zone technique with a wide range of Pb substitution ($x=0-0.8$). The samples are characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and measured by high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) with different photon energies. A systematic evolution of the electronic structure and superstructure with Pb substitution has been revealed for the first time. The superstructure shows a significant change with Pb substitution and the incommensurate modulation vector ($\textbf{Q}$) decreases with increasing Pb substitution. In the meantime, the superstructure intensity from ARPES measurements also decreases dramatically with increasing Pb concentration. The superstructure in Bi2212 can be effectively suppressed by Pb substitution and it nearly disappears with a Pb substitution of $x=0.8$. We also find that the superstructure bands in ARPES measurements depend sensitively on the photon energy of lasers used; they can become even stronger than the main band when using a laser photon energy of 10.897 eV. These results provide important information on the origin of the incommensurate superstructure and its control and suppression in bismuth-based high temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Distinct Superconducting Gap on Two Bilayer-Split Fermi Surface Sheets in $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}$ Superconductor

High resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements were carried out on an overdoped $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+δ}$ superconductor with a Tc of 75 K. Two Fermi surface sheets caused by bilayer splitting are clearly identified with rather different doping levels: the bonding sheet corresponds to a doping level of 0.14 which is slightly underdoped while the antibonding sheet has a doping of 0.27 that is heavily overdoped, giving an overall doping level of 0.20 for the sample. Different superconducting gap sizes on the two Fermi surface sheets are revealed for the first time. The superconducting gap on the antibonding Fermi surface sheet follows a standard d-wave form while it deviates from the standard d-wave form for the bonding Fermi surface sheet. The maximum gap difference between the two Fermi surface sheets near the antinodal region is $\sim$2 meV. These observations provide important information for studying the relationship between the Fermi surface topology and superconductivity, and the layer-dependent superconductivity in high temperature cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Detailed Electronic Structure of the Three-Dimensional Fermi Surface and its Sensitivity to Charge Density Wave Transition in ZrTe3 Revealed by High Resolution Laser-Based Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

The detailed information of the electronic structure is the key for understanding the nature of charge density wave (CDW) order and its relationship with superconducting order in microscopic level. In this paper, we present high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study on the three-dimensional (3D) hole-like Fermi surface around the Brillouin zone center in a prototypical qusi-one-dimensional CDW and superconducting system ZrTe3. Double Fermi surface sheets are clearly resolved for the 3D hole-like Fermi surface around the zone center. The 3D Fermi surface shows a pronounced shrinking with increasing temperature. In particular, the quasiparticle scattering rate along the 3D Fermi surface experiences an anomaly near the charge density wave transition temperature of ZrTe3 (~63 K). Signature of electron-phonon coupling is observed with a dispersion kink at ~20 meV; the strength of the electron-phonon coupling around the 3D Fermi surface is rather weak. These results indicate that the 3D Fermi surface is also closely connected to the charge-density-wave transition and suggest a more global impact on the entire electronic structure induced by CDW phase transition in ZrTe3.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Emergence of Superconductivity from Fully Incoherent Normal State in an Iron-Based Superconductor (Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$)Fe$_2$As$_2$

In unconventional superconductors, it is generally believed that understanding the physical properties of the normal state is a pre-requisite for understanding the superconductivity mechanism. In conventional superconductors like niobium or lead, the normal state is a Fermi liquid with a well-defined Fermi surface and well-defined quasipartcles along the Fermi surface. Superconductivity is realized in this case by the Fermi surface instability in the superconducting state and the formation and condensation of the electron pairs (Cooper pairing). The high temperature cuprate superconductors, on the other hand, represent another extreme case that superconductivity can be realized in the underdoped region where there is neither well-defined Fermi surface due to the pseudogap formation nor quasiparticles near the antinodal regions in the normal state. Here we report a novel scenario that superconductivity is realized in a system with well-defined Fermi surface but without quasiparticles along the Fermi surface in the normal state. High resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been performed on an optimally-doped iron-based superconductor (Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$)Fe$_2$As$_2$. We find that, while sharp superconducting coherence peaks emerge in the superconducting state on the hole-like Fermi surface sheets, no quasiparticle peak is present in the normal state. Its electronic behaviours deviate strongly from a Fermi liquid system. The superconducting gap of such a system exhibits an unusual temperature dependence that it is nearly a constant in the superconducting state and abruptly closes at T$_c$. These observations have provided a new platform to study unconventional superconductivity in a non-Fermi liquid system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Disappearance of Superconductivity and a Concomitant Lifshitz Transition in Heavily-Overdoped Bi2Sr2CuO6 Superconductor Revealed by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

By partially doping Pb to effectively suppress the superstructure in single-layered cuprate Bi2Sr2CuO6+δ(Pb-Bi2201) and annealing them in vacuum or in high pressure oxygen atmosphere, a series of high quality Pb-Bi2201 single crystals are obtained with Tc covering from 17 K to non-supercondcuting in the overdoped region. High resolution angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements are carried out on these samples to investigate the evolution of the Fermi surface topology with doping in the normal state. Clear and complete Fermi surface are observed and quantitatively analyzed in all these overdoped Pb-Bi2201 samples. A Lifshitz transition from hole-like Fermi surface to electron like Fermi surface with increasing doping is observed at a doping level of ~0.35. This transition coincides with the change that the sample undergoes from superconducting to non-superconducting states. Our results reveal the emergence of an electron-like Fermi surface and the existence of a Lifshitz transition in heavily overdoped Bi2201 samples. They provide important information in understanding the connection between the disappearance of superconductivity and the Lifshitz transition in the overdoped region.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

High throughput screening for spin-gapless semiconductors in quaternary Heusler compounds

Based on high throughput density functional theory calculations, we performed systematic screening for spin-gapless semiconductors (SGSs) in quaternary Heusler alloys XX 0 YZ (X, X 0 , and Y are transition metal elements without Tc, and Z is one of B, Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, As, Sb, and Bi). Following the empirical rule, we focused on compounds with 21, 26, or 28 valence electrons, resulting in 12, 000 possible chemical compositions. After systematically evaluating the thermodynamic, mechanical, and dynamical stabilities, we successfully identified 70 stable SGSs, confirmed by explicit electronic structure calculations with proper magnetic ground states. It is demonstrated that all four types of SGSs can be realized, defined based on the spin characters of the bands around the Fermi energy, and the type-II SGSs show promising transport properties for spintronic applications. The effect of spin-orbit coupling is investigated, resulting in large anisotropic magnetoresistance and anomalous Nernst effects.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Evidence for Multiple Underlying Fermi Surface and Isotropic Energy Gap in the Cuprate Parent Compound Ca$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$

The parent compounds of the high-temperature cuprate superconductors are Mott insulators. It has been generally agreed that understanding the physics of the doped Mott insulators is essential to understanding the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. A natural starting point is to elucidate the basic electronic structure of the parent compound. Here we report comprehensive high resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on Ca$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$, a Mott insulator and a prototypical parent compound of the cuprates. Multiple underlying Fermi surface sheets are revealed for the first time. The high energy waterfall-like band dispersions exhibit different behavior near the nodal and antinodal regions. Two distinct energy scales are identified: a d-wave-like low energy peak dispersion and a nearly isotropic lower Hubbard band gap. These observations provide new information on the electronic structure of the cuprate parent compound, which is important for understanding the anomalous physical properties and superconductivity mechanism of the high temperature cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Orbital Origin of Extremely Anisotropic Superconducting Gap in Nematic Phase of FeSe Superconductor

The iron-based superconductors are characterized by multiple-orbital physics where all the five Fe 3$d$ orbitals get involved. The multiple-orbital nature gives rise to various novel phenomena like orbital-selective Mott transition, nematicity and orbital fluctuation that provide a new route for realizing superconductivity. The complexity of multiple-orbital also asks to disentangle the relationship between orbital, spin and nematicity, and to identify dominant orbital ingredients that dictate superconductivity. The bulk FeSe superconductor provides an ideal platform to address these issues because of its simple crystal structure and unique coexistence of superconductivity and nematicity. However, the orbital nature of the low energy electronic excitations and its relation to the superconducting gap remain controversial. Here we report direct observation of highly anisotropic Fermi surface and extremely anisotropic superconducting gap in the nematic state of FeSe superconductor by high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements. We find that the low energy excitations of the entire hole pocket at the Brillouin zone center are dominated by the single $d_{xz}$ orbital. The superconducting gap exhibits an anti-correlation relation with the $d_{xz}$ spectral weight near the Fermi level, i.e., the gap size minimum (maximum) corresponds to the maximum (minimum) of the $d_{xz}$ spectral weight along the Fermi surface. These observations provide new insights in understanding the orbital origin of the extremely anisotropic superconducting gap in FeSe superconductor and the relation between nematicity and superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Electronic structure of heavy fermion system CePt2In7 from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We have carried out high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the Cebased heavy fermion compound CePt2In7 that exhibits stronger two-dimensional character than the prototypical heavy fermion system CeCoIn5. Multiple Fermi surface sheets and a complex band structure are clearly resolved. We have also performed detailed band structure calculations on CePt2In7. The good agreement found between our measurements and the calculations suggests that the band renormalization effect is rather weak in CePt2In7. A comparison of the common features of the electronic structure of CePt2In7 and CeCoIn5 indicates that CeCoIn5 shows a much stronger band renormalization effect than CePt2In7. These results provide new information for understanding the heavy fermion behaviors and unconventional superconductivity in Ce-based heavy fermion systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Electronic structure and nematic phase transition in superconducting multi-layer FeSe films grown by pulsed laser deposition method

We report comprehensive angle-resolved photoemission investigations on the electronic structure of single crystal multiple-layer FeSe films grown on CaF2 substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Measurements on FeSe/CaF2 samples with different superconducting transition temperatures Tc of 4 K, 9 K and 14 K reveal electronic difference in their Fermi surface and band structure. Indication of the nematic phase transition is observed from temperature-dependent measurements of these samples; the nematic transition temperature is 140-160 K, much higher than 90 K for the bulk FeSe. Potassium deposition is applied onto the surface of these samples; the nematic phase is suppressed by potassium deposition which introduces electrons to these FeSe films and causes a pronounced electronic structure change. We compared and discussed the electronic structure and superconductivity of the FeSe/CaF2 films by PLD method with the FeSe/SrTiO3 films by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method and bulk FeSe. The PLD-grown multilayer FeSe/CaF2 is more hole-doped than that in MBE-grown multiple-layer FeSe films. Our results on FeSe/CaF2 films by PLD method establish a link between bulk FeSe single crystal and FeSe/SrTiO3 films by MBE method, and provide important information to understand superconductivity in FeSe-related systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

First-principle study on compensated half metallic double perovskite compound $Ba_2PrVO_6$

The first-principle study on double perovskite compound Ba$_2$PrVO$_6$ has been presented in this paper. By analysing band structures and integrated density of states, it is found that Ba$_2$PrVO$_6$ is ferromagnetic metallic within LSDA and compensated half metallic whithin LSDA+U. According to the total and partial density of states, the anti-ferromagnetism of Ba$_2$PrVO$_6$ is originated from the spin down state Pr$^{4+}$ ($4f_{-2}$) and the spin up hybridized state between the partially filled $t_{2g}$ state of V and the partially filled triple-degeneration state $4f_{-1}$, $4f_{+1}$, $4f_{+3}$ of Pr. We have investigated the magnetic evaluation of Ba$_2$PrVO$_6$ through fixed spin moment calculations, and the results indicate that the compensated half-metallic state is the ground state. The thermodynamic properties of Ba$_2$PrVO$_6$ are also studied by employing the quasi-harmonic Debye model.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗