arXiv subjects

Robert J. Cava

Publications and source records attributed to Robert J. Cava.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Evidence for a Monolayer Excitonic Insulator

The interplay between topology and correlations can generate a variety of quantum phases, many of which remain to be explored. Recent advances have identified monolayer WTe2 as a promising material for doing so in a highly tunable fashion. The ground state of this two-dimensional (2D) crystal can be electrostatically tuned from a quantum spin Hall insulator (QSHI) to a superconductor. However, much remains unknown about the gap-opening mechanism of the insulating state. Here we report evidence that the QSHI is also an excitonic insulator (EI), arising from the spontaneous formation of electron-hole bound states (excitons). We reveal the presence of an intrinsic insulating state at the charge neutrality point (CNP) in clean samples and confirm the correlated nature of this charge-neutral insulator by tunneling spectroscopy. We provide evidence against alternative scenarios of a band insulator or a localized insulator and support the existence of an EI phase in the clean limit. These observations lay the foundation for understanding a new class of correlated insulators with nontrivial topology and identify monolayer WTe2 as a promising candidate for exploring quantum phases of ground-state excitons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

One-Dimensional Luttinger Liquids in a Two-Dimensional Moiré Lattice

The Luttinger liquid (LL) model of one-dimensional (1D) electronic systems provides a powerful tool for understanding strongly correlated physics including phenomena such as spin-charge separation. Substantial theoretical efforts have attempted to extend the LL phenomenology to two dimensions (2D), especially in models of closely packed arrays of 1D quantum wires, each being described as a LL. Such coupled-wire models have been successfully used to construct 2D anisotropic non-Fermi liquids, quantum Hall states, topological phases, and quantum spin liquids. However, an experimental demonstration of high-quality arrays of 1D LLs suitable for realizing these models remains absent. Here we report the experimental realization of 2D arrays of 1D LLs with crystalline quality in a moiré superlattice made of twisted bilayer tungsten ditelluride (tWTe$_{2}$). Originating from the anisotropic lattice of the monolayer, the moiré pattern of tWTe$_{2}$ hosts identical, parallel 1D electronic channels, separated by a fixed nanoscale distance, which is tunable by the interlayer twist angle. At a twist angle of ~ 5 degrees, we find that hole-doped tWTe$_{2}$ exhibits exceptionally large transport anisotropy with a resistance ratio of ~ 1000 between two orthogonal in-plane directions. The across-wire conductance exhibits power-law scaling behaviors, consistent with the formation of a 2D anisotropic phase that resembles an array of LLs. Our results open the door for realizing a variety of correlated and topological quantum phases based on coupled-wire models and LL physics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic-cations doped into a Double Perovskite Semiconductor

We report two solid solutions based on magnetic ion doping of the double perovskite oxide Sr2GaSbO6: Sr2Ga1-xCrxSbO6 (0.1 < x < 0.4) and Sr2Ga1-xFexSbO6 (0.1 < x < 0.4). All compositions crystallize in the same space group (I4/m) as their undoped parent phase Sr2GaSbO6, with the trivalent magnetic cations Cr3+ or Fe3+ partially substituting for non-magnetic Ga3+ in one of the B-cation sites. The Cr- and Fe-doped phases display dominant antiferromagnetic coupling among the dopant magnetic moments, and exhibit decreasing band gaps with increasing substitution level.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

LaIr3Ga2: A Superconductor based on a Kagome Lattice of Ir

New materials based on Kagome lattices, predicted to host exotic quantum physics because they can display flat electronic bands, Dirac cones and topologically nontrivial surface states, are strongly desired. Here we report the crystal structure and superconducting properties of LaIr3Ga2, a previously unreported material that is based on a Kagome lattice of the heavy atom Ir. LaIr3Ga2 is a type II superconductor with Tc ~ 5.2 K, mu0Hc1 (0) ~ 7.1 mT and mu0Hc2 (0) ~ 4.7 T. The normalized heat capacity jump at the superconducting transition, (deltaC/gammaTc), 1.41, is within error of the value expected for a weak coupling BCS superconductor (1.43). Strong electron-electron correlation is inferred from the superconducting coherence length. Calculations show that the influence of spin orbit coupling on the electronic structure is significant, that the 5d states of the Ir in the Kagome planes are dominant near the Fermi energy (EF), that a nearly flat band is calculated to occur at about 100 meV below EF, and that two Dirac points are close to EF. This material is of interest for investigating the coupling between topological physics and superconductivity in a system with significant spin orbit coupling.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic Frustration in a Zeolite

Zeolites are so well known in real world applications and after decades of scientific study that they hardly need any intro-duction: their importance in chemistry cannot be overemphasized. Here we add to the remarkable properties that they dis-play by reporting our discovery that the simplest zeolite, sodalite, when doped with Cr3+ in the \b{eta}-cage, is a frustrated magnet. Soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic measurements reveal that the Cr present is Cr(III). Cr(III), with its isotropic 3d3 valence electron configuration, is well-known as the basis for many geometrically frustrated magnets, but it is especially surprising that a material like the Ca8Al12Cr2O29 zeolite is a frustrated magnet. This finding illustrates the value of exploring the properties of even well-known materials families.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Ferromagnetic Double Perovskite Semiconductors with Tunable Properties

We successfully dope the magnetically silent double perovskite semiconductor Sr2GaSbO6 to induce ferromagnetism and tune its band gap, with Ga3+ partially substituted by the magnetic trivalent cation Mn3+, in a rigid cation ordering with Sb5+. Our new ferromagnetic semiconducting Sr2Ga1-xMnxSbO6 double perovskite, which crystallizes in tetragonal symmetry (space group I4/m) and has tunable ferromagnetic ordering temperature and band gap, suggests that magnetic ion doping of double perovskites is a productive avenue towards obtaining materials for application in next-generation oxide-based spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Ferromagnetic Cr4PtGa17: A Novel Half-Heusler-Type Compound with a Breathing Pyrochlore Lattice

We describe the crystal structure and elementary magnetic properties of a previously unreported ternary intermetallic compound, Cr4PtGa17, which crystallizes in a rhombohedral unit cell in the noncentrosymmetric space group R3m. The crystal structure is closely related to those of XYZ half-Heusler compounds, where X, Y and Z are reported to be single elements only, occupying three different face-centered cubic sublattices. The new material, Cr4PtGa17, can be most straightforwardly illustrated by writing the formula as (PtGa2)(Cr4Ga14)Ga (X=PtGa2, Y = Cr4Ga14, Z = Ga), that is, the X and Y sites are occupied by clusters instead of single elements. The magnetic Cr occupies a breathing pyrochlore lattice. Ferromagnetic ordering is found below TC ~61 K, by both neutron diffraction and magnetometer studies, with a small, saturated moment of ~0.25 muB/Cr observed at 2 K, making Cr4PtGa17 the first ferromagnetically ordered material with a breathing pyrochlore lattice. A magnetoresistance of ~140% was observed at 2 K. DFT calculations suggest that the material has a nearly-half-metallic electronic structure. The new material, Cr4PtGa17, the first realization of both a half-Heusler-type structure and a breathing pyrochlore lattice, might pave a new way to achieve novel types of half-Heusler compounds.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Crystal Structure, Magnetic Properties and Bonding Analysis of M3Pt23Ge11 (M=Ca, Sr, Ba and Eu)

The properties of Pt-based materials can be intriguing due to the importance of spin-orbit coupling for Pt. Herein, we report four new phases with formulas M3Pt23Ge11 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba and Eu), which adopt the same structure type as Ce3Pt23Si11. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that none of the phases is superconducting above 1.8 K, while for Eu3Pt23Ge11 ferromagnetic ordering is observed at ~ 3 K. The low Curie temperature for that material compared to that of Eu3Pt23Si11 may be due to its larger Eu-Eu distance. One potential factor that destabilizes the structure of other rare-earth based M3Pt23Ge11 is demonstrated through COHP calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic transitions in the 1-D chain compounds NdPd5Ge3 and NdPt5Ge3

We present the structural and initial magnetic characterization of the previously unreported materials NdPd5Ge3 and NdPd5Ge3. These materials, with 1-dimensional Nd chains, crystallize in the orthorhombic YNi5Si3-type structure in space group Pnma. Magnetic ordering is observed for both compounds at ~ 2.2 K for NdPd5Ge3 and ~ 3.0 K for NdPt5Ge3. A magnetic-field-induced transition is clearly observed for NdPd5Ge3 below 2K, at an applied magnetic field of around 1.6 Tesla. The heat capacity data reveals that essentially all the available magnetic entropy is released at the magnetic ordering transition for NdPd5Ge3 but that only 29% is seen for NdPt5Ge3 at temperatures down to 1.5 K, the data implying that a second magnetic transition can be expected at lower temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

MgPd$_2$Sb -- the first Mg-based Heusler-type superconductor

We report the synthesis and physical properties of a full Heusler compound, MgPd$_2$Sb, which we found to show superconductivity below $T_c$ = 2.2 K. MgPd$_2$Sb was obtained by a two-step solid-state reaction method and its purity and cubic crystal structure (Fm-3m, a=6.4523(1) Å) were confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction. Normal and superconducting states were studied by electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and heat capacity measurements. The results show that MgPd$_2$Sb is a type-II, weak coupling superconductor ($λ_{e-p}$ = 0.53). The observed pressure dependence of $T_c$ ($ΔT_c / p \approx $ -0.23 K/GPa) is one of the strongest reported for a superconducting Heusler compound. The electronic structure, phonons, and electron-phonon coupling in MgPd$_2$Sb were theoretically investigated. The obtained results are in agreement with the experiment, confirming the electron-phonon coupling mechanism of superconductivity. We compare the superconducting parameters tothose of all reported Heusler-type superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Landau Quantization and Highly Mobile Fermions in an Insulator

In strongly correlated materials, quasiparticle excitations can carry fractional quantum numbers. An intriguing possibility is the formation of fractionalized, charge-neutral fermions, e.g., spinons and fermionic excitons, that result in neutral Fermi surfaces and Landau quantization in an insulator. While previous experiments in quantum spin liquids, topological Kondo insulators, and quantum Hall systems have hinted at charge-neutral Fermi surfaces, evidence for their existence remains far from conclusive. Here we report experimental observation of Landau quantization in a two dimensional (2D) insulator, i.e., monolayer tungsten ditelluride (WTe$_{2}$), a large gap topological insulator. Using a detection scheme that avoids edge contributions, we uncover strikingly large quantum oscillations in the monolayer insulator's magnetoresistance, with an onset field as small as ~ 0.5 tesla. Despite the huge resistance, the oscillation profile, which exhibits many periods, mimics the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in metals. Remarkably, at ultralow temperatures the observed oscillations evolve into discrete peaks near 1.6 tesla, above which the Landau quantized regime is fully developed. Such a low onset field of quantization is comparable to high-mobility conventional two-dimensional electron gases. Our experiments call for further investigation of the highly unusual ground state of the WTe$_{2}$ monolayer. This includes the influence of device components and the possible existence of mobile fermions and charge-neutral Fermi surfaces inside its insulating gap.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

NbIr$_2$B$_2$ and TaIr$_2$B$_2$ -- new low symmetry noncentrosymmetric superconductors with strong spin orbit coupling

Superconductivity was first observed more than a century ago, but the search for new superconducting materials remains a challenge. The Cooper pairs in superconductors are ideal embodiments of quantum entanglement. Thus, novel superconductors can be critical for both learning about electronic systems in condensed matter and for possible application in future quantum technologies. Here two previously unreported materials, NbIr$_2$B$_2$ and TaIr$_2$B$_2$, are presented with superconducting transitions at 7.2 and 5.2 K, respectively. They display a unique noncentrosymmetric crystal structure, and for both compounds the magnetic field that destroys the superconductivity at 0 K exceeds one of the fundamental characteristics of conventional superconductors (the Pauli limit), suggesting that the superconductivity may be unconventional. Supporting this experimentally based deduction, first-principle calculations show a spin split Fermi surface due to the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling. These materials may thus provide an excellent platform for the study of non-BCS superconductivity in intermetallic compounds.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Local electronic and magnetic properties of the doped topological insulators Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$:Ca and Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$:Mn investigated using ion-implanted $^{8}$Li $β$-NMR

We report $β$-detected nuclear magnetic resonance ($β$-NMR) measurements in Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$:Ca (BSC) and Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$:Mn (BTM) single crystals using $^{8}$Li$^{+}$ implanted to depths on the order of 100 nm. Above $\sim 200$ K, spin-lattice relaxation (SLR) reveals diffusion of $^{8}$Li$^{+}$, with activation energies of $\sim 0.4$ eV ($\sim 0.2$ eV) in BSC (BTM). At lower temperatures, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties are those of a heavily doped semiconductor in the metallic limit, with Korringa relaxation and a small, negative, temperature-dependent Knight shift in BSC. From this, we make a detailed comparison with the isostructural tetradymite Bi$_{2}$Te$_{2}$Se (BTS) [McFadden et al., Phys Rev. B 99, 125201 (2019)]. In the magnetic BTM, the effects of the dilute Mn moments predominate, but remarkably the $^{8}$Li signal is not wiped out through the magnetic transition at 13 K, with a prominent critical peak in the SLR that is suppressed in a high applied field. This detailed characterization of the $^{8}$Li NMR response is an important step towards using depth-resolved $β$-NMR to study the low-energy properties of the chiral topological surface state (TSS). With the bulk NMR response now established in several Bi$_{2}$Ch$_{3}$ tetradymite topological insulators (TIs), the prospect of directly probing their chiral TSS using the depth resolution afforded by $β$-NMR remains strong.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Probing the pathway of an ultrafast structural phase transition to illuminate the transition mechanism in Cu2S

Disentangling the primary order parameter from secondary order parameters in phase transitions is critical to the interpretation of the transition mechanisms in strongly correlated systems and quantum materials. Here we present a study of structural phase transition pathways in superionic Cu2S nanocrystals that exhibit intriguing properties. Utilizing ultrafast electron diffraction techniques sensitive in both momentum-space and the time-domain, we distinguish the dynamics of crystal symmetry breaking and lattice expansion in this system. We are able to follow the transient states along the transition pathway and so observe the dynamics of both the primary and secondary order parameters. Based on these observations we argue that the mechanism of the structural phase transition in Cu2S is dominated by the electron-phonon coupling. This mechanism advances the understanding from previous results where the focus was solely on dynamic observations of the lattice expansion.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Low Temperature Structural Phase Transition in the Perovskite Ba2CaMoO6

Ba2CaMoO6 was synthesized by solid state method. The crystal structure adopts cubic Fm-3m space group at room temperature with lattice parameters of 8.378231(5) {angstroms}. Upon cooling, Ba2CaMoO6 was determined to have a structural phase transition to tetragonal I4/m (a=5.905763(6) {angstroms} and c=8.38817(1) {angstroms}) around 200 K. The phase transition was probed structurally by synchrotron and neutron diffraction and thermodynamically by specific heat and differential scanning calorimetry measurement. This structural phase transition will deepens our understanding of the perovskite family especially the formation of perovskites that break corner sharing networks.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Ultrafast broadband optical spectroscopy for quantifying subpicometric coherent atomic displacements in $WTe_2$

Here we show how time-resolved broadband optical spectroscopy can be used to quantify, with femtometer resolution, the oscillation amplitudes of coherent phonons through a displacive model without free tuning parameters, except an overall scaling factor determined by comparison between experimental data and density functional theory calculations. $WTe_2$ is used to benchmark this approach. In this semimetal, the response is anisotropic and provides the spectral fingerprints of two $A_1$ optical phonons at $\sim$8 and $\sim$80 $cm^-$$^1$. In principle, this methodology can be extended to any material in which an ultrafast excitation triggers coherent lattice modes modulating the high-energy optical properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

RSAVS superconductors: materials with a superconducting state that is robust against large volume shrinkage

TThe transition temperature (TC) between normal and superconducting states usually exhibits a dramatic increase or decrease with increasing applied pressure. Here we present, in contrast, a new kind of superconductor that exhibits the exotic feature that TC is robust against large volume shrinkages induced by applied pressure (here naming them as "RSAVS superconductors"). Extraordinarily, the TC in these materials stays almost constant over a large pressure range, e.g. over 136 GPa in the (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high entropy alloy and 141 GPa in the NbTi commercial alloy. We show that the RSAVS behavior also exists in another high entropy alloy (ScZrNbTa)0.6(RhPd)0.4, and in superconducting elemental Ta and Nb, indicating that this behavior, which has never previously been identified or predicted by theory, occurs universally in some conventional superconductors. Our electronic structure calculations indicate that although the electronic density of state (DOS) at the Fermi level in the RSAVS state is dominated by the electrons from the degenerate dxy, dxz and dyz orbitals, these electrons decrease in influence with increasing pressure. In contrast, however, the contribution of the degenerate dx2-y2 and dz2 orbital electrons remains almost unchanged at the Fermi level, suggesting that these are the electrons that may play a crucial role in stabilizing the TC in the RSAVS state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Structure, Magnetism and First Principles Modeling of the Na0.5La0.5RuO3 Perovskite

High purity polycrystalline Na0.5La0.5RuO3 was synthesized by a solid state method, and its properties were studied by magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and resistivity measurements. We find it to be a tetragonal perovskite, in contrast to an earlier report, with random La/Na mixing. With a Curie-Weiss temperature of -231 K and effective moment of 2.74 uB/mol-Ru, there is no magnetic ordering down to 1.8 K. A broad hump at 1.4 K in the heat capacity, however, indicates the presence of a glassy magnetic transition, which we attribute to the influence of the random distribution of Na and La on the perovskite A sites. Comparison to CaRuO3, a structurally ordered ruthenate perovskite with similar properties, is presented. First-principle calculations indicate that the Na-La distribution determines the local magnetic exchange inter-actions between Ru ions, favoring either antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic coupling when the local environment is Na or La rich. Thus our data and analysis suggest that mixing cations with different charges and sizes on the A site in this perovskite results in magnetic frustration through a balance of local magnetic exchange interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗