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Richa Sapkota

Publications and source records attributed to Richa Sapkota.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Uncovering the Timescales of Spin Reorientation in $TbMn_{6}Sn_{6}$

Kagome ferrimagnets are of fundamental interest because of their tunable magnetic, electronic and topological properties, with potential applications for quantum-enabled technologies and spintronics. Here we present the first direct measurement of the intrinsic timescale of the spin reorientation transition in the Kagome ferrimagnet $TbMn_{6}Sn_{6}$. This material exhibits a magnetic phase transition near room temperature, where spins remain collinear while the total magnetic moment rotates from out-of-plane to in-plane. This reorientation has been attributed to the competing anisotropies of Tb and Mn, whose magnetic moments have very different temperature dependencies. By probing at the Mn M-edge using high harmonic extreme ultraviolet pulses, we measure reorientation timescales between 6 and 18 ps, depending on the laser excitation fluence. Our model of the magnetization dynamics shows that this timescale is consistent with a spin reorientation driven by very large anisotropy energies, on meV energy scales. Our model also predicts a possibility of a 180$^{\circ}$ reorientation of the out-of-plane moment, that could facilitate optically controlled magnetization switching between very stable ground states, for applications in spintronics or data storage.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Non-equilibrium States and Interactions in the Topological Insulator and Topological Crystalline Insulator Phases of NaCd4As3

Topological materials are of great interest because they can support metallic edge or surface states that are robust against perturbations, with the potential for technological applications. Here we experimentally explore the light-induced non-equilibrium properties of two distinct topological phases in NaCd4As3: a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) phase and a topological insulator (TI) phase. This material has surface states that are protected by mirror symmetry in the TCI phase at room temperature, while it undergoes a structural phase transition to a TI phase below 200 K. After exciting the TI phase by an ultrafast laser pulse, we observe a leading band edge shift of >150 meV, that slowly builds up and reaches a maximum after ~0.6 ps, and that persists for ~8 ps. The slow rise time of the excited electron population and electron temperature suggests that the electronic and structural orders are strongly coupled in this TI phase. It also suggests that the directly excited electronic states and the probed electronic states are weakly coupled. Both couplings are likely due to a partial relaxation of the lattice distortion, which is known to be associated with the TI phase. In contrast, no distinct excited state is observed in the TCI phase immediately or after photoexcitation, which we attribute to the low density of states and phase space available near the Fermi level. Our results show how ultrafast laser excitation can reveal the distinct excited states and interactions in phase-rich topological materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci