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Robert J. Cava

Publications and source records attributed to Robert J. Cava.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

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↗

Electrically switchable Berry curvature dipole in the monolayer topological insulator WTe2

Recent experimental evidence for the quantum spin Hall (QSH) state in monolayer WTe$_2$ has bridged two of the most active fields of condensed matter physics, 2D materials and topological physics. This 2D topological crystal also displays unconventional spin-torque and gate-tunable superconductivity. While the realization of QSH has demonstrated the nontrivial topology of the electron wavefunctions of monolayer WTe$_2$, the geometrical properties of the wavefunction, such as the Berry curvature, remain unstudied. On the other hand, it has been increasingly recognized that the Berry curvature plays an important role in multiple areas of condensed matter physics including nonreciprocal electron transport, enantioselective optical responses, chiral polaritons and even unconventional superconductivity. Here we utilize mid-infrared optoelectronic microscopy to investigate the Berry curvature in monolayer WTe$_2$. By optically exciting electrons across the inverted QSH gap, we observe an in-plane circular photogalvanic current even under normal incidence. The application of an out-of-plane displacement field further systematically controls the direction and magnitude of the photocurrent. Our observed photocurrent reveals a novel Berry curvature dipole that arises from the nontrivial wavefunctions near the inverted gap edge. These previously unrealized Berry curvature dipole and strong electric field effect are uniquely enabled by the inverted band structure and tilted crystal lattice of monolayer WTe$_2$. Such an electrically switchable Berry curvature dipole opens the door to the observation of a wide range of quantum geometrical phenomena, such as quantum nonlinear Hall, orbital-Edelstein and chiral polaritonic effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Structural Disorder and Elementary Magnetic Properties of Triangular Lattice ErMgGaO4 Single Crystals

The single crystal growth, structure, and basic magnetic properties of ErMgGaO4 are reported. The structure consists of triangular layers of magnetic ErO6 octahedra separated by a double layer of randomly occupied non-magnetic (Ga,Mg)O5 bipyramids. The Er atoms are positionally disordered. Magnetic measurements parallel and perpendicular to the c axis of a single crystal reveal dominantly antiferromagnetic interactions, with a small degree of magnetic anisotropy. A weighted average of the directional data suggests an antiferromagnetic Curie Weiss temperature of approximately -30 K. Below 10 K the temperature dependences of the inverse susceptibilities in the in-plane and perpendicular-to plane directions are parallel, indicative of an isotropic magnetic moment at low temperatures. No sign of magnetic ordering is observed above 1.8 K, suggesting that ErMgGaO4 is a geometrically frustrated magnet.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Spin-specific heat determination of the ratio of competing first- and second-neighbor exchange interactions in frustrated spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ chains

The magnetic susceptibility $χ(T)$ of spin-1/2 chains is widely used to quantify exchange interactions, even though $χ(T)$ is similar for different combinations of ferromagnetic $J_1$ between first neighbors and antiferromagnetic $J_2$ between second neighbors. We point out that the spin specific heat $C(T)$ directly determines the ratio $α= J_2/|J_1|$ of competing interactions. The $J_1-J_2$ model is used to fit the isothermal magnetization $M(T,H)$ and $C(T,H)$ of spin-1/2 Cu(II) chains in LiCuSbO$_4$. By fixing $α$, $C(T)$ resolves the offsetting $J_1$, $α$ combinations obtained from $M(T,H)$ in cuprates with frustrated spin chains.

cond-mat.str-el↗

The Chiral Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductors TaRh$_2$B$_2$ and NbRh$_2$B$_2$

The symmetry of a material's crystal structure has a significant effect on the energy states of its electrons. Inversion symmetry, for example, results in energetically degenerate electron energy bands for electrons with wave vectors $\textit{k}$ and -$\textit{k}$, but, when spatial inversion symmetry is absent, this equivalence is no longer possible. In a non-centrosymmetric superconductor, such inequivalence has an important effect: the standard superconducting state, where electrons with opposite momenta form pairs on the Fermi surface, is not possible. A handful of such materials is known; they display different degrees of influence of this lack of inversion symmetry on their superconducting properties. The effect of crystal structure chirality on the properties and applications of superconductors, on the other hand, is little discussed. Here we report the new isostructural non-centrosymmetric superconductors TaRh$_2$B$_2$ and NbRh$_2$B$_2$, which have a previously unreported crystal structure type. Not only do these materials lack inversion symmetry, but their crystal structure is also chiral; in other words, they can exist in right-handed or left-handed forms. Unlike most superconductors, their upper critical magnetic fields extrapolated to 0 K exceed the Pauli limit, which is often taken as the first indication that a superconducting material is anomalous. We propose that these materials represent a new kind of platform on which the effects of handedness on superconductors and their devices can be tested.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Real-space investigation of short-range magnetic correlations in fluoride pyrochlores NaCaCo$_2$F$_7$ and NaSrCo$_2$F$_7$ with magnetic pair distribution function analysis

We present time-of-flight neutron total scattering and polarized neutron scattering measurements of the magnetically frustrated compounds NaCaCo$_2$F$_7$ and NaSrCo$_2$F$_7$, which belong to a class of recently discovered pyrochlore compounds based on transition metals and fluorine. The magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF) technique is used to analyze and model the total scattering data in real space. We find that a previously-proposed model of short-range XY-like correlations with a length scale of 10-15 Å, combined with nearest-neighbor collinear antiferromagnetic correlations, accurately describes the mPDF data at low temperature, confirming the magnetic ground state in these materials. This model is further verified by the polarized neutron scattering data. From an analysis of the temperature dependence of the mPDF and polarized neutron scattering data, we find that short-range correlations persist on the nearest-neighbor length scale up to 200 K, approximately two orders of magnitude higher than the spin freezing temperatures of these compounds. These results highlight the opportunity presented by these new pyrochlore compounds to study the effects of geometric frustration at relatively high temperatures, while also advancing the mPDF technique and providing a novel opportunity to investigate a genuinely short-range-ordered magnetic ground state directly in real space.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Origin of the pressure-dependent T$_c$ valley in superconducting simple cubic phosphorus

Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate the pressure-dependent electronic structure and electron-phonon (\emph{e-ph}) coupling for simple cubic phosphorus by performing first-principle calculations within the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method. As a function of increasing pressure, our calculations show a valley feature in T$_c$, followed by an eventual decrease for higher pressures. We demonstrate that this T$_c$ valley at low pressures is due to two nearby Lifshitz transitions, as we analyze the band-resolved contributions to the \emph{e-ph} coupling. Below the first Lifshitz transition, the phonon hardening and shrinking of the $γ$ Fermi surface with $s$ orbital character results in a decreased T$_c$ with increasing pressure. After the second Lifshitz transition, the appearance of $δ$ Fermi surfaces with $3d$ orbital character generate strong \emph{e-ph} inter-band couplings in $αδ$ and $βδ$ channels, and hence lead to an increase of T$_c$. For higher pressures, the phonon hardening finally dominates, and T$_c$ decreases again. Our study reveals that the intriguing T$_c$} valley discovered in experiment can be attributed to Lifshitz transitions, while the plateau of T$_c$ detected at intermediate pressures appears to be beyond the scope of our analysis. This strongly suggests that besides \emph{e-ph} coupling, electronic correlations along with plasmonic contributions may be relevant for simple cubic phosphorous. Our findings hint at the notion that increasing pressure can shift the low-energy orbital weight towards $d$ character, and as such even trigger an enhanced importance of orbital-selective electronic correlations despite an increase of the overall bandwidth.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Realization of a Type-II Nodal-Line Semimetal in Mg$_3$Bi$_2$

Nodal-line semimetals (NLSs) represent a new type of topological semimetallic beyond Weyl and Dirac semimetals in the sense that they host closed loops or open curves of band degeneracies in the Brillouin zone. Parallel to the classification of type-I and type-II Weyl semimetals, there are two types of NLSs. The conventional NLS phase, in which the two bands forming the nodal line have opposite signs for their slopes along any direction perpendicular to the nodal line, has been proposed and realized in many compounds, whereas the exotic type-II NLS is very rare. Our first-principles calculations show that Mg$_3$Bi$_2$ is a material candidate that hosts a single type-II nodal loop around $Γ$. The band crossing is close to the Fermi level and the two crossing bands have the same sign in their slopes along the radial direction of the loop, indicating the type-II nature of the nodal line. Spin-orbit coupling generates only a small energy gap ($\sim$35 meV) at the nodal points and does not negate the band dispersion of Mg$_3$Bi$_2$ that yields the type-II nodal line. Based on this prediction we have synthesized Mg$_3$Bi$_2$ single crystals and confirmed the presence of the type-II nodal lines in the material. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements agree well with our first-principles results and thus establish Mg$_3$Bi$_2$ as an ideal materials platform for studying the exotic properties of type-II nodal line semimetals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Anisotropic magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic semiconductor CrSbSe$_3$

Single crystals of CrSbSe$_3$, a structurally pseudo-one-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductor, were grown using a high-temperature solution growth technique and were characterized by x-ray diffraction, anisotropic, temperature- and field-dependent magnetization, temperature-dependent resistivity and optical absorption measurements. A band gap of 0.7 eV was determined from both resistivity and optical measurements. At high temperatures, CrSbSe$_3$ is paramagnetic and isotropic with a Curie-Weiss temperature of $\sim$145 K and an effective moment of $\sim$4.1 $μ_B$/Cr. A ferromagnetic transition occurs at $T_c$ = 71 K. The $a$-axis, perpendicular to the chains in the structure, is the magnetic easy axis, while the chain axis direction, along $b$, is the hard axis. Magnetic isotherms measured around $T_c$ do not follow the behavior predicted by simple mean field critical exponents for a second order phase transition. A tentative set of critical exponents is estimated based on a modified Arrott plot analysis, giving $β\sim$0.25, $γ\sim$1.38 and $δ\sim$6.6.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Observation of the Quantum Spin Hall Effect up to 100 Kelvin in a Monolayer Crystal

The field of topological insulators (TI) was sparked by the prediction of the quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) in time reversal invariant systems, such as spin-orbit coupled monolayer graphene. Ever since, a variety of monolayer crystals have been proposed as two-dimensional (2D) TIs exhibiting the QSHE, possibly even at high temperatures. However, conclusive evidence for a monolayer QSHE is still lacking, and systems based on semiconductor heterostructures operate at temperatures close to liquid helium. Here we report the observation of the QSHE in monolayer WTe2 at temperatures up to 100 Kelvin. The monolayer exhibits the hallmark quantized transport conductance, ~ e2/h per edge, in the short edge limit. Moreover, a magnetic field suppresses the conductance, and the observed Zeeman-type gap indicates the existence of a Kramers degenerate point, demonstrating the importance of time reversal symmetry for protection from elastic backscattering. Our results establish the high-temperature QSHE and open a new realm for the discovery of topological phases based on 2D crystals.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Anisotropic magnetic properties of the triangular plane lattice material TmMgGaO4

The crystal growth, structure, and basic magnetic properties of TmMgGaO4 are reported. The Tm ions are located in a planar triangular lattice consisting of distorted TmO6 octahedra, while the Mg and Ga atoms randomly occupy intermediary bilayers of M-O triangular bipyramids. The Tm ions are positionally disordered. The material displays an antiferromagnetic Curie Weiss theta of ~ -20 -25 K, with no clear ordering visible in the magnetic susceptibility down to 1.8 K; the structure and magnetic properties suggest that ordering of the magnetic moments is frustrated by both structural disorder and the triangular magnetic motif. Single crystal magnetization measurements indicate that the magnetic properties are highly anisotropic, with large moments measured perpendicular to the triangular planes. At 2 K, a broad step-like feature is seen in the field-dependent magnetization perpendicular to the plane on applied field near 2 Tesla.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Possible quadrupolar nematic phase in the frustrated spin chain LiCuSbO$_4$: an NMR investigation

The frustrated one-dimensional (1D) quantum magnet LiCuSbO$_4$ is one rare realization of the $J_1-J_2$ spin chain model with an easily accessible saturation field, formerly estimated to 12~T. Exotic multipolar nematic phases were theoretically predicted in such compounds just below the saturation field, but without unambiguous experimental observation so far. In this paper we present extensive experimental research of the compound in the wide temperature (30mK$-$300K) and field (0$-$13.3T) range by muon spin rotation ($μ$SR), $^7$Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic susceptibility (SQUID). $μ$SR experiments in zero magnetic field demonstrate the absence of long range 3D ordering down to 30mK. Together with former heat capacity data [S.E. Dutton \emph{et al}, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 187206 (2012)], magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest short range correlated vector chiral phase in the field range $0-4$T. In the intermediate field values (5$-$12T), the system enters in a 3D ordered spin density wave phase with 0.75$μ_B$ per copper site at lowest temperatures (125mK), estimated by NMR. At still higher field, the magnetization is found to be saturated above 13T where the spin lattice $T_1^{-1}$ relaxation reveals a spin gap estimated to 3.2(2)K. We narrow down the possibility of observing a multipolar nematic phase to the range 12.5$-$13T.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Superconductivity in the Nb-Ru-Ge $σ$-Phase

We show that the previously unreported ternary $σ$-phase material Nb$_{20.4}$Ru$_{5.7}$Ge$_{3.9}$ is a superconductor with a critical temperature of 2.2 K. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, resistance, and specific heat measurements were used to characterize the superconducting transition. The Sommerfeld constant $γ$ for Nb$_{20.4}$Ru$_{5.7}$Ge$_{3.9}$ is 91 mJ mol-f.u.$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$ and the specific heat anomaly at the superconducting transition, $Δ$C/$γ$T$_c$, is approximately 1.38. The zero-temperature upper critical field ($μ_0$H$_{c2}$(0)) was estimated to be 2 T by resistance data. Field-dependent magnetization data analysis estimated $μ_0$H$_{c1}$(0) to be 5.5 mT. Thus, the characterization shows Nb$_{20.4}$Ru$_{5.7}$Ge$_{3.9}$ to be a type II BCS superconductor. This material appears to be the first reported ternary phase in the Nb-Ru-Ge system, and the fact that there are no previously reported binary Nb-Ru, Nb-Ge, or Ru-Ge $σ$-phases shows that all three elements are necessary to stabilize the material. A $σ$-phase in the Ta-Ru-Ge system was synthesized but did not display superconductivity above 1.7 K, which suggests that electron count cannot govern the superconductivity observed. Preliminary characterization of a possible superconducting $σ$-phase in the Nb-Ru-Ga system is also reported.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Ba$_2R_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ ($R$ = Y, La, Pr, Nd, Sm-Lu) double perovskites

A new series of cubic double perovskites Ba$_2R_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ ($R$ = Y, La, Pr, Nd, Sm-Lu) was synthesized via solid state reaction. The $R^{3+}$ and Te$^{6+}$ ions are ordered on alternating octahedral sites, with the rare earth sites 2/3 occupied to balance the charge. The lattice parameters decrease monotonically from a = 8.5533(3) Å for Ba$_2$La$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ to a = 8.3310(4) Å for Ba$_2$Lu$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$. The lattice parameter for $R$ = Y is close to that of Ho. Analysis of the resulting bond lengths indicates a structural relaxation around the $R$ ion site. Ba$_2$La$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$, Ba$_2$Y$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ and Ba$_2$Lu$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ show primarily temperature-independent magnetic susceptibility due to the lack of a local rare earth moment. For Ba$_2$Sm$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$ and Ba$_2$Eu$_{2/3}$TeO$_6$, the susceptibilities are influenced by Van Vleck-like contributions from excited state multiplets. For the remaining members, the Curie-Weiss law is followed with low-temperature deviations that can be associated with various degrees of crystalline electric field splitting. No magnetic ordering was observed down to 1.8 K in any of the compounds.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Isoelectronic Substitutions and Aluminium Alloying in the Ta-Nb-Hf-Zr-Ti High-Entropy Alloy Superconductor

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of materials constructed from multiple principal elements statistically arranged on simple crystallographic lattices. Due to the large amount of disorder present, they are excellent model systems for investigating the properties of materials intermediate between crystalline and amorphous states. Here we report the effects of systematic isoelectronic replacements, using Mo-Y, Mo-Sc, and Cr-Sc mixtures, for the valence electron count 4 and 5 elements in the BCC Ta-Nb-Zr-Hf-Ti high entropy alloy (HEA) superconductor. We find that the superconducting transition temperature Tc strongly depends on the elemental make-up of the alloy, and not exclusively its electron count. The replacement of niobium or tantalum by an isoelectronic mixture lowers the transition temperature by more than 60 %, while the isoelectronic replacement of hafnium, zirconium, or titanium has a limited impact on Tc. We further explore the alloying of aluminium into the nearly optimal electron count [TaNb]0.67(ZrHfTi)0.33 HEA superconductor. The electron count dependence of the superconducting Tc for (HEA)Alx is found to be more crystalline-like than for the [TaNb]1-x(ZrHfTi)x HEA solid solution. For an aluminum content of x = 0.4 the high-entropy stabilization of the simple BCC lattice breaks down. This material crystallizes in the tetragonal beta-uranium structure type and superconductivity is not observed above 1.8 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

An optical investigation of the strong spin-orbital coupled magnetic semimetal YbMnBi$_2$

Strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) can result in ground states with non-trivial topological properties. The situation is even richer in magnetic systems where the magnetic ordering can potentially have strong influence over the electronic band structure. The class of AMnBi$_2$ (A = Sr, Ca) compounds are important in this context as they are known to host massive Dirac fermions with strongly anisotropic dispersion that is believed to be due to the interplay between strong SOC and magnetic degrees of freedom. We report the optical conductivity of YbMnBi$_2$, a newly discovered member of this family and a proposed Weyl semi-metal (WSM) candidate with broken time reversal symmetry. Together with density functional theory (DFT) band structure calculations, we show how the complete conductivity can be interpreted as the sum of a intra-band Drude response and inter-band transitions. We argue that the canting of the magnetic moments that has been proposed to be essential for the realization of the WSM in an otherwise antiferromagnetically ordered system is not necessary to explain the optical conductivity. We believe our data is explained qualitatively by the uncanted magnetic structure with a small offset of the chemical potential from strict stochiometry. There is no definite evidence of bulk Weyl nodes, instead we see signatures of a gapped Dirac dispersion, common in other members of AMnBi$_2$ family or compounds with similar 2D network of Bi atoms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Growth, Crystal Structure and Magnetic Characterization of Zn-Stabilized CePtIn4

The growth and characterization of CePtIn4, stabilized by 10% Zn substitution for In, is reported. The new material is orthorhombic, space group Cmcm (No. 63), with lattice parameters a = 4.51751(4) Å, b = 16.7570(2) Å, and c = 7.36682(8) Å, and the refined crystal composition has 10% of Zn substituted for In, i.e. the crystals are CePt(In3.6Zn0.1)4. Crystals were grown using a self-flux method: only growths containing Zn yielded CePtIn4 crystals, while Ce3Pt4In13 crystals formed when Zn was not present. Anisotropic temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities for single crystals show that Zn-stabilized CePtIn4 orders magnetically at ~1.9 K. High-temperature Curie-Weiss fits indicate an effective moment of ~2.30 muB/ Ce and a directionally averaged Weiss-temperature of approximately - 9 K. Specific heat data shows a peak consistent with the ordering temperature seen in the magnetic susceptibility data. Zn-stabilized CePtIn4 is metallic and displays no superconducting transition down to 0.14 K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Andreev Reflection without Fermi surface alignment in High T$_{c}$-Topological heterostructures

We address the controversy over the proximity effect between topological materials and high T$_{c}$ superconductors. Junctions are produced between Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ and materials with different Fermi surfaces (Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ \& graphite). Both cases reveal tunneling spectra consistent with Andreev reflection. This is confirmed by magnetic field that shifts features via the Doppler effect. This is modeled with a single parameter that accounts for tunneling into a screening supercurrent. Thus the tunneling involves Cooper pairs crossing the heterostructure, showing the Fermi surface mis-match does not hinder the ability to form transparent interfaces, which is accounted for by the extended Brillouin zone and different lattice symmetries.

cond-mat.supr-con↗