arXiv subjects

Qimiao Si

Publications and source records attributed to Qimiao Si.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Electron correlations and superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure tuning

Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure, we discuss the basic ingredients of a model that captures its microscopic physics under pressure tuning. We anchor our description in terms of the spectroscopic evidence of strong correlations in this system. In a bilayer Hubbard model including the Ni $3d$ $x^2-y^2$ and $z^2$ orbitals, we show the ground state of the model crosses over from a low-spin $S=1/2$ state to a high-spin $S=3/2$ state. In the high-spin state, the two $x^2-y^2$ and the bonding $z^2$ orbitals are all close to half-filling, which promotes a strong orbital selectivity in a broad crossover regime of the phase diagram pertinent to the system. Based on these results, we construct an effective multiorbital $t$-$J$ model to describe the superconductivity of the system, and find the leading pairing channel to be an intraorbital spin singlet with a competition between the extended $s$-wave and $d_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetries. Our results highlight the role of strong multiorbital correlation effects in driving the superconductivity of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$.

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arXiv2023

Nematic spin correlations pervading the phase diagram of FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_{x}$

We use resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Fe-L$_3$ edge to study the spin excitations of uniaxial-strained and unstrained FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_{x}$ ($0\leq x\leq0.21$) samples. The measurements on unstrained samples reveal dispersive spin excitations in all doping levels, which show only minor doping dependence in energy dispersion, lifetime, and intensity, indicating that high-energy spin excitations are only marginally affected by sulfur doping. RIXS measurements on uniaxial-strained samples reveal that the high-energy spin-excitation anisotropy observed previously in FeSe is also present in the doping range $0< x\leq0.21$ of FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_{x}$. The spin-excitation anisotropy persists to a high temperature up to $T>200$ K in $x=0.18$ and reaches a maximum around the nematic quantum critical doping ($x_c\approx0.17$). Since the spin-excitation anisotropy directly reflects the existence of nematic spin correlations, our results indicate that high-energy nematic spin correlations pervade the regime of nematicity in the phase diagram and are enhanced by the nematic quantum criticality. These results emphasize the essential role of spin fluctuations in driving electronic nematicity and open the door for uniaxial strain tuning of spin excitations in quantum materials hosting strong magnetoelastic coupling and electronic nematicity.

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arXiv2023

Quantum Criticality Enabled by Intertwined Degrees of Freedom

Strange metals appear in a wide range of correlated materials. Electronic localization-delocalization and the expected loss of quasiparticles characterize beyond-Landau metallic quantum critical points and the associated strange metals. Typical settings involve local spins. Systems that contain entwined degrees of freedom offer new platforms to realize novel forms of quantum criticality. Here, we study the fate of an SU(4) spin-orbital Kondo state in a multipolar Bose-Fermi Kondo model, which provides an effective description of a multipolar Kondo lattice, using a renormalization-group method. We show that at zero temperature a generic trajectory in the model's parameter space contains two quantum critical points, which are associated with the destruction of Kondo entanglement in the orbital and spin channels respectively. Our asymptotically exact results reveal an overall phase diagram, provide the theoretical basis to understand puzzling recent experiments of a multipolar heavy fermion metal, and point to a means of designing new forms of quantum criticality and strange metallicity in a variety of strongly correlated systems.

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arXiv2023

Reversible Non-Volatile Electronic Switching in a Near Room Temperature van der Waals Ferromagnet

The ability to reversibly toggle between two distinct states in a non-volatile method is important for information storage applications. Such devices have been realized for phase-change materials, which utilizes local heating methods to toggle between a crystalline and an amorphous state with distinct electrical properties. To expand such kind of switching between two topologically distinct phases requires non-volatile switching between two crystalline phases with distinct symmetries. Here we report the observation of reversible and non-volatile switching between two stable and closely-related crystal structures with remarkably distinct electronic structures in the near room temperature van der Waals ferromagnet Fe$_{5-δ}$GeTe$_2$. From a combination of characterization techniques we show that the switching is enabled by the ordering and disordering of an Fe site vacancy that results in distinct crystalline symmetries of the two phases that can be controlled by a thermal annealing and quenching method. Furthermore, from symmetry analysis as well as first principle calculations, we provide understanding of the key distinction in the observed electronic structures of the two phases: topological nodal lines compatible with the preserved global inversion symmetry in the site-disordered phase, and flat bands resulting from quantum destructive interference on a bipartite crystaline lattice formed by the presence of the site order as well as the lifting of the topological degeneracy due to the broken inversion symmetry in the site-ordered phase. Our work not only reveals a rich variety of quantum phases emergent in the metallic van der Waals ferromagnets due to the presence of site ordering, but also demonstrates the potential of these highly tunable two-dimensional magnets for memory and spintronics applications.

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arXiv2023

Orbital-selective correlations for topology in FeSe$_{x}$Te$_{1-x}$

Strong correlations lead to emergent excitations at low energies. When combined with symmetry constraints, they may produce topological electronic states near the Fermi energy. Within this general framework, here we address the topological features in iron-based superconductors. We examine the effects of orbital-selective correlations on the band inversion in the iron chalcogenide FeSe$_{x}$Te$_{1-x}$ near its doping of optimal superconductivity, within a multiorbital model and using a $U(1)$ slave spin theory. The orbital selectivity of the quasiparticle spectral weight, along with its counterpart of the energy level renormalization, leads to a band inversion and Dirac node formation pinned to the immediate vicinity of the Fermi energy. Our work demonstrates both the naturalness and robustness of the topological properties in FeSe$_{x}$Te$_{1-x}$, and uncovers a new setting in which strong correlations and space-group symmetry cooperate in generating strongly correlated electronic topology.

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arXiv2023

Coupled topological flat and wide bands: Quasiparticle formation and destruction

Flat bands amplify correlation effects and are of extensive current interest. They provide a platform to explore both topology in correlated settings and correlation physics enriched by topology. Recent experiments in correlated kagome metals have found evidence for strange-metal behavior. A major theoretical challenge is to study the effect of local Coulomb repulsion when the band topology obstructs a real-space description. In a variant to the kagome lattice, we identify an orbital-selective Mott transition for the first time in any system of coupled topological flat and wide bands. This was made possible by the construction of exponentially localized and Kramers-doublet Wannier functions, which in turn leads to an effective Kondo lattice description. Our findings show how quasiparticles are formed in such coupled topological flat-wide band systems and, equally important, how they are destroyed. Our work provides a conceptual framework for the understanding of the existing and emerging strange-metal properties in kagome metals and beyond.

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arXiv2023

Dark Matter Detection with Strongly Correlated Topological Materials: Flatband Effect

Dirac materials have been proposed as a new class of electron-based detectors for light dark-matter (DM) scattering or absorption, with predicted sensitivities far exceeding superconductors and superfluid helium. The superiority of Dirac materials originates from a significantly reduced in-medium dielectric response winning over the suppression of DM scattering owing to the limited phase space at the point-like Fermi surface. Here we propose a new route to enhance significantly the DM detection efficiency via strongly correlated topological semimetals. Specifically, by considering a strongly correlated Weyl semimetal model system, we demonstrate that the strong correlation-induced flatband effects can amplify the coupling and detection sensitivity to light DM particles by expanding the scattering phase space, while maintaining a weak dielectric in-medium response.

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arXiv2023

Iron-based superconductors: teenage, complex, challenging

The advent of iron-based superconductors in 2008 came as a complete surprise to the condensed matter community. Now 15 years later, they are beginning to impart some of their new-found wisdom on a slew of emerging superconductors that boast similar traits.

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arXiv2023

Is the optical conductivity of heavy fermion strange metals Planckian?

Strange metal behavior appears across a variety of condensed matter settings and beyond, and achieving a universal understanding is an exciting prospect. The beyond-Landau quantum criticality of Kondo destruction has had considerable success in describing the behavior of strange metal heavy fermion compounds, and there is some evidence that the associated partial localization-delocalization nature can be generalized to diverse materials classes. Other potential overarching principles at play are also being explored. An intriguing proposal is that Planckian scattering, with a rate of $k_{\rm B}T/\hbar$, leads to the linear temperature dependence of the (dc) electrical resistivity, which is a hallmark of strange metal behavior. Here we extend a previously introduced analysis scheme based on the Drude description of the dc resistivity to optical conductivity data. When they are well described by a simple (ac) Drude model, the scattering rate can be directly extracted. This avoids the need to determine the ratio of charge carrier concentration to effective mass, which has complicated previous analyses based on the dc resistivity. However, we point out that strange metals typically exhibit strong deviations from Drude behavior, as exemplified by the ``extreme'' strange metal YbRh$_2$Si$_2$. This calls for alternative approaches, and we point to the power of strange metal dynamical (energy-over-temperature) scaling analyses for the inelastic part of the optical conductivity. If such scaling extends to the low-frequency limit, a strange metal relaxation rate can be estimated, and may ultimately be used to test whether strange metals relax in a Planckian manner.

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arXiv2022

Discovery of charge order and corresponding edge state in kagome magnet FeGe

Kagome materials often host exotic quantum phases, including spin liquids, Chern gap, charge order, and superconductivity. Existing scanning microscopy studies of the kagome charge order have been limited to non-kagome surface layers. Here we tunnel into the kagome lattice of FeGe to uncover features of the charge order. Our spectroscopic imaging identifes a 2x2 charge order in the magnetic kagome lattice, resembling that discovered in kagome superconductors. Spin-mapping across steps of unit-cell-height demonstrates that this charge order emerges from spin-polarized electrons with an antiferromagnetic stacking order. We further uncover the correlation between antiferromagnetism and charge order anisotropy, highlighting the unusual magnetic coupling of the charge order. Finally, we detect a pronounced edge state within the charge order energy gap, which is robust against the irregular shape of the kagome lattice edges. We discuss our results with the theoretically considered topological features of the kagome charge order including orbital magnetism and bulk-boundary correspondence.

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arXiv2022

Extended Dynamical Mean Field Theory for Correlated Electron Models

An overarching question in strongly correlated electron systems is how the landscape of quantum phases emerges from electron correlations. The method of extended dynamical mean field theory (EDMFT) has been developed for clean lattice models of the correlated electrons. For such models, not only onsite Hubbard-like interactions are important, but so are intersite interactions. Importantly, the EDMFT method treats the interplay between the onsite and intersite interactions dynamically. It was initially formulated for models of the two-band Anderson-lattice type with intersite interactions, as well as for the one-band Hubbard type with intersite Heisenberg-like terms that are often called Hubbard-Heisenberg models. In the case of Kondo lattice models, the EDMFT method incorporates a dynamical competition between the local Kondo and intersite Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions. In these models, the EDMFT-based analyses led to the notion of Kondo destruction, which has played a central role in the understanding of quantum critical heavy fermion metals. In this article, we summarize the EDMFT method, and survey its applications, particularly for Kondo/Anderson lattice models. We also discuss the prospect for further developing the EDMFT method, as well as for applying it to address the correlation physics in a variety of new settings. Among the latter are the orbital-selective Mott physics that arises both in iron-based superconductors and in frustrated bulk systems with topological flat bands.

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arXiv2022

Multiple superconducting phases in heavy-fermion metals

Symmetry breaking beyond a global U(1) phase is the key signature of unconventional superconductors. As prototypical strongly correlated materials, heavy-fermion metals provide ideal platforms for realizing unconventional superconductivity. In this article, we review heavy-fermion superconductivity, with a focus on those materials with multiple superconducting phases. In this context, we highlight the role of orbital-selective (matrix) pairing functions, which are defined as matrices in the space of effective orbital degrees of freedom such as electronic orbitals and sublattices as well as equivalent descriptions in terms of intra- and inter-band pairing components in the band basis. The role of quantum criticality and the associated strange-metal physics in the development of unconventional superconductivity is emphasized throughout. We discuss in some detail the recent experimental observations and theoretical perspectives in the illustrative cases of UTe2, CeRh2As2, and CeCu2Si2, where applied magnetic fields or pressure induce a variety of superconducting phases. We close by providing a brief overview of overarching issues and implications for possible future directions.

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arXiv2022

Topological semimetals without quasiparticles

The interplay between interactions and topology in quantum materials is of extensive current interest. Strong correlations are known to be important for insulating topological states, as exemplified by the fractional quantum Hall effect. For the metallic case, whether and how they can drive topological states that have no free-electron counterparts is an open and pressing question. We introduce a general framework for lattice symmetries to constrain single-particle excitations even when they are not quasiparticles, and substantiate it in a periodic Anderson model with two channels of conduction electrons. We demonstrate that symmetry constrains correlation-induced emergent excitations to produce non-Fermi liquid topological phases. The loss of quasiparticles in these phases is manifested in a non-Fermi liquid form of spectral and transport properties, whereas its topological nature is characterized by surface states and valley and spin Hall conductivities. We also identify candidate materials to realize the proposed phases. Our work opens a door to a variety of non-Fermi liquid topological phases in a broad range of strongly correlated materials.

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arXiv2022

Quantum critical spin-liquid-like behavior in S = 1/2 quasikagome lattice CeRh1-xPdxSn investigated using muon spin relaxation and neutron scattering

We present the results of muon spin relaxation ($μ$SR) and neutron scattering on the Ce-based quasikagome lattice CeRh$_{1-x}$Pd$_{x}$Sn ($x=0.1$ to 0.75). Our ZF-$μ$SR results reveal the absence of static long-range magnetic order down to 0.05~K in $x = 0.1$ single crystals. The weak temperature-dependent plateaus of the dynamic spin fluctuations below 0.2~K in ZF-$μ$SR together with its longitudinal-field (LF) dependence between 0 and 3~kG indicate the presence of dynamic spin fluctuations persisting even at $T$ = 0.05~K without static magnetic order. On the other hand, $C_{\text{4f}}$/$T$ increases as --log $T$ on cooling below 0.9~K, passes through a broad maximum at 0.13~K and slightly decreases on further cooling. The ac-susceptibility also exhibits a frequency independent broad peak at 0.16~K, which is prominent with an applied field $H$ along $c$-direction. We, therefore, argue that such a behavior for $x=0.1$ (namely, a plateau in spin relaxation rate ($λ$) below 0.2~K and a linear $T$ dependence in $C_{\text{4f}}$ below 0.13~K) can be attributed to a metallic spin-liquid (SL) ground state near the quantum critical point in the frustrated Kondo lattice. The LF-$μ$SR study suggests that the out of kagome plane spin fluctuations are responsible for the SL behavior. Low energy inelastic neutron scattering (INS) of $x$ = 0.1 reveals gapless magnetic excitations, which are also supported by the behavior of $C_{\text{4f}}$ proportional to $T^{1.1}$ down to 0.06~K.

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arXiv2022

Topological Semimetal driven by Strong Correlations and Crystalline Symmetry

Electron correlations amplify quantum fluctuations and, as such, they have been recognized as the origin of a rich landscape of quantum phases. Whether and how they lead to gapless topological states is an outstanding question, and a framework that allows for determining novel phases and identifying new materials is in pressing need. Here we advance a general approach, in which strong correlations cooperate with crystalline symmetry to drive gapless topological states. We test this materials design principle by exploring Kondo lattice models and materials whose space group symmetries may promote different kinds of electronic degeneracies, with a particular focus on square-net systems. Weyl-Kondo nodal-line semimetals -- with nodes pinned to the Fermi energy -- are identified. We describe how this approach can be applied to discover strongly correlated topological semimetals, identify three heavy fermion compounds as new candidates, provide first direct experimental evidence for our prediction in Ce$_2$Au$_3$In$_5$, and discuss how our approach may lead to many more. Our findings illustrate the potential of the proposed materials design principle to guide the search for new topological metals in a broad range of strongly correlated systems.

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arXiv2022

Kondo destruction and fixed-point annihilation in a Bose-Fermi Kondo model

Quantum criticality that goes beyond the Landau framework of order-parameter fluctuations is playing a central role in elucidating the behavior of strange metals. A prominent case appears in Kondo lattice systems, which have been extensively analysed in terms of an effective Bose-Fermi Kondo model. Here, a spin is simultaneously coupled to conduction electron bands and gapless vector bosons that represent magnetic fluctuations. The Bose-Fermi Kondo model features interacting fixed points of Kondo destruction with such properties as dynamical Planckian ($\hbar ω/ k_{\rm B} T$) scaling and loss of quasiparticles. Here we carry out a renormalization-group analysis of the model with spin isotropy and identify pair-wise annihilations of the fixed points as the spectrum of the bosonic bath evolves. Our analysis not only provides an essentially complete understanding of the previous numerical results of an SU(2)-symmetric model, but also reveals a surprising feature of sequential fixed-point annihilation. Our results lay the foundation for the understanding of quantum criticality in spin-isotropic heavy-fermion metals as well as in doped Mott-Hubbard systems.

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arXiv2022

Dynamical Planckian scaling of charge response at a particle-hole-asymmetric quantum critical point with Kondo destruction

Metallic quantum criticality is a central theme in a variety of strongly correlated systems. Recent experiments have raised the fundamental question of how the charge response can be singular in cases where the Landau framework of quantum criticality allows singularity only in the spin channel. Motivated by this emerging issue, we study the particle-hole-asymmetric regime of a Bose-Fermi Anderson model with power-law forms for both the bosonic bath spectrum and the fermionic band density of states. We realize a particle-hole-asymmetric quantum-critical state where quasiparticles are lost due to a critical destruction of Kondo screening, and demonstrate a dynamical Planckian scaling of the charge response. Implications for a new regime of heavy-fermion quantum criticality and for Mott-Hubbard systems are discussed.

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arXiv2022

Orbital-selective Mott phase as a dehybridization fixed point

Studies on the iron-based superconductors and related strongly correlated systems have focused attention on bad-metal normal state in proximity to antiferromagnetic order. An orbital-selective Mott phase (OSMP) has been extensively discussed as anchoring the orbital-selective correlation phenomena in this regime. Motivated by recent experiments, we advance the notion that an OSMP is synonymous to correlation-driven dehybridization. This idea is developed in terms of a competition between inter-orbital hopping and dynamical spatial spin correlations. Within effective models that arise from extended dynamical mean-field theory (EDMFT), and using a combination of continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo and analytical methods, we show how the OSMP emerges as a stable dehybridization fixed point. Concomitantly, the stability of the OSMP is demonstrated. Connections of this mechanism with partial localization-delocalization transition in other strongly correlated metals are discussed.

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