arXiv subjects

Ronny Thomale

Publications and source records attributed to Ronny Thomale.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Orbital Fingerprint of Topological Fermi Arcs in a Weyl Semimetal

The monopnictides TaAs and TaP are well-established Weyl semimetals. Yet, a precise assignment of Fermi arcs, accomodating the predicted chiral charge of the bulk Weyl points, has been difficult in these systems, and the topological character of different surface features in the Fermi surface is not fully understood. Here, employing a joint analysis from linear dichroism in angle-resolved photoemission and first-principles calculations, we unveil the orbital texture on the full Fermi surface of TaP(001). We observe pronounced switches in the orbital texture at the projectedWeyl nodes, and show how they facilitate a topological classification of the surface band structure. Our findings establish a critical role of the orbital degrees of freedom in mediating the surface-bulk connectivity in Weyl semimetals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

A proposal for reconciling diverse experiments on the superconducting state in Sr2RuO4

A variety of precise experiments have been carried out to establish the character of the superconducting state in Sr2RuO4. Many of these appear to imply contradictory conclusions concerning the symmetries of this state. Here, we propose that these results can be reconciled if we assume that there is a near-degeneracy between a d_{x^2-y^2} (B_{1g} in group theory nomenclature) and a g_{xy(x^2-y^2)} (A_{2g}) superconducting state. From a weak-coupling perspective, such an accidental degeneracy can occur at a point at which a balance between the on-site and nearest-neighbor repulsions triggers a d-wave to g-wave transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Breathing chromium spinels: a showcase for a variety of pyrochlore Heisenberg Hamiltonians

We address the long-standing problem of the microscopic origin of the richly diverse phenomena in the chromium breathing pyrochlore material family. Combining electronic structure and renormalization group techniques we resolve the magnetic interactions and analyze their reciprocal-space susceptibility. We show that the physics of these materials is principally governed by long-range Heisenberg Hamiltonian interactions, a hitherto unappreciated fact. Our calculations uncover that in these isostructural compounds, the choice of chalcogen triggers a proximity of the materials to classical spin liquids featuring degenerate manifolds of wave-vectors of different dimensions: A Coulomb phase with three-dimensional degeneracy for LiInCr4O8 and LiGaCr4O8, a spiral spin liquid with two-dimensional degeneracy for CuInCr4Se8 and one-dimensional line degeneracies characteristic of the face-centered cubic antiferromagnet for LiInCr4S8, LiGaCr4S8 and CuInCr4S8. The surprisingly complex array of prototypical pyrochlore behaviors we discovered in chromium spinels may inspire studies of transition paths between different semi-classical spin liquids by doping or pressure.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Slave-Boson analysis of the 2D Hubbard model

We present a comprehensive study of the 2D one-band Hubbard model applying the spin rotation invariant slave-boson method. We utilize a spiral magnetic mean field and fluctuations around a paramagnetic mean field to determine the magnetic phase diagram and find the two approaches to be in good agreement. Apart from the commensurate phases characterized by ordering wave vectors $\boldsymbol Q = (π, π), (0, π)$, and $(0, 0)$ we find incommensurate phases where the ordering wave vectors $\boldsymbol Q = (Q, Q)$, and $(Q, π)$ vary continuously with filling, interaction strength or temperature. The mean field quantities magnetization and effective mass are found to change discontinuously at the phase boundaries separating the $(Q, Q)$ and $(Q, π)$ phases, indicating a first order transition. The band structure and Fermi surface is shown in selected cases. The dynamic spin and charge susceptibilities as well as the structure factors are calculated and discussed, including the emergence of collective modes of the zero sound and Mott insulator type. The dynamical conductivity is calculated in dependence of doping, interaction strength and temperature. Finally, a temperature-interaction strength phase diagram is established.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Topology and Magnetism in the Kondo Insulator Phase Diagram

Topological Kondo insulators are a rare example of an interaction-enabled topological phase of matter in three-dimensional crystals - making them an intriguing but also hard case for theoretical studies. Here, we aim to advance their theoretical understanding by solving the paradigmatic two-band model for topological Kondo-insulators using a fully spin-rotation invariant slave-boson treatment. Within a mean-field approximation, we map out the magnetic phase diagram and characterize both antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases by their topological properties. Among others, we identify an antiferromagnetic insulator that shows, for suitable crystal terminations, topologically protected hinge modes. Furthermore, Gaussian fluctuations of the slave boson fields around their mean-field value are included in order to establish the stability of the mean-field solution through computation of the full dynamical susceptibility.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Turbulent hydrodynamics in strongly correlated Kagome metals

A current challenge in condensed matter physics is the realization of strongly correlated, viscous electron fluids. These fluids are not amenable to the perturbative methods of Fermi liquid theory, but can be described by holography, that is, by mapping them onto a weakly curved gravitational theory via gauge/gravity duality. The canonical system considered for realizations has been graphene, which possesses Dirac dispersions at low energies as well as significant Coulomb interactions between the electrons. In this work, we show that Kagome systems with electron fillings adjusted to the Dirac nodes of their band structure provide a much more compelling platform for realizations of viscous electron fluids, including non-linear effects such as turbulence. In particular, we find that in stoichiometric Scandium (Sc) Herbertsmithite, the fine-structure constant, which measures the effective Coulomb interaction and hence reflects the strength of the correlations, is enhanced by a factor of about 3.2 as compared to graphene, due to orbital hybridization. We employ holography to estimate the ratio of the shear viscosity over the entropy density in Sc-Herbertsmithite, and find it about three times smaller than in graphene. These findings put, for the first time, the turbulent flow regime described by holography within the reach of experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Rashba-like spin splitting along three momentum directions in trigonal layered PtBi2

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) has gained much attention for its rich physical phenomena and highly promising applications in spintronic devices. The Rashba-type SOC in systems with inversion symmetry breaking is particularly attractive for spintronics applications since it allows for flexible manipulation of spin current by external electric fields. Here, we report the discovery of a giant anisotropic Rashba-like spin splitting along three momentum directions (3D Rashba-like spin splitting) with a helical spin polarization around the M points in the Brillouin zone of trigonal layered PtBi2. Due to its inversion asymmetry and reduced symmetry at the M point, Rashba-type as well as Dresselhaus-type SOC cooperatively yield a 3D spin splitting with alpha~ 4.36 eVA in PtBi2. The experimental realization of 3D Rashba-like spin splitting not only has fundamental interests but also paves the way to the future exploration of a new class of material with unprecedented functionalities for spintronics applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Superconducting order parameter of the nodal-line semimetal NaAlSi

Nodal-line semimetals are topologically non-trivial states of matter featuring band crossings along a closed curve, i.e. nodal-line, in momentum space. Through a detailed analysis of the electronic structure, we show for the first time that the normal state of the superconductor NaAlSi, with a critical temperature of $T_{\rm c} \approx$ 7 K, is a nodal-line semimetal, where the complex nodal-line structure is protected by non-symmorphic mirror crystal symmetries. We further report on muon spin rotation experiments revealing that the superconductivity in NaAlSi is truly of bulk nature, featuring a fully gapped Fermi-surface. The temperature-dependent magnetic penetration depth can be well described by a two-gap model consisting of two $s$-wave symmetric gaps with $Δ_1 =$ 0.6(2) meV and $Δ_2 =$ 1.39(1) meV. The zero-field muon experiment indicates that time-reversal symmetry is preserved in the superconducting state. Our observations suggest that notwithstanding its topologically non-trivial band structure, NaAlSi may be suitably interpreted as a conventional London superconductor, while more exotic superconducting gap symmetries cannot be excluded. The intertwining of topological electronic states and superconductivity renders NaAlSi a prototypical platform to search for unprecedented topological quantum phases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Large Resistivity Reduction in Mixed-Valent CsAuBr$_3$ Under Pressure

We report on high-pressure $p \leq 45$ GPa resistivity measurements on the perovskite-related mixed-valent compound CsAuBr$_3$. The compounds high-pressure resistivity can be classified into three regions: For low pressures ($p < 10$ GPa) an insulator to metal transition is observed; between $p= 10$ GPa and 14 GPa the room temperature resistivity goes through a minimum and increases again; above $p = 14$ GPa a semiconducting state is observed. From this pressure up to the highest pressure of $p = 45$ GPa reached in this experiment, the room-temperature resistivity remains nearly constant. We find an extremely large resistivity reduction between ambient pressure and 10 GPa by more than 6 orders of magnitude. This decrease is among the largest reported changes in the resistivity for this narrow pressure regime. We show - by an analysis of the electronic band structure evolution of this material - that the large change in resistivity under pressure in not caused by a crossing of the bands at the Fermi level. We find that it instead stems from two bands that are pinned at the Fermi level and that are moving towards one another as a consequence of the mixed-valent to single-valent transition. This mechanism appears to be especially effective for the rapid buildup of the density of states at the Fermi level.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

The Dirac nodal line network in non-symmorphic rutile semimetal RuO$_2$

We employ angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the Fermi surface of RuO$_2$. We find a network of two Dirac nodal lines (DNL) as previously predicted in theory, where the valence- and conduction bands touch along continuous lines in momentum space. In addition, we find evidence for a third DNL close to the Fermi level which appears robust despite the presence of significant spin orbit coupling. We demonstrate that the third DNL gives rise to a topologically trivial flat-band surface state (FBSS) at the (110) surface. This FBSS can be tuned by surface doping and presents an interesting playground for the study of surface chemistry and exotic correlation phenomena.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Observation of bulk boundary correspondence breakdown in topolectrical circuits

The study of the laws of nature has traditionally been pursued in the limit of isolated systems, where energy is conserved. This is not always a valid approximation, however, as the inclusion of features like gain and loss, or periodic driving, qualitatively amends these laws. A contemporary frontier of meta-material research is the challenge open systems pose to the established characterization of topological matter. There, one of the most relied upon principles is the bulk-boundary correspondence (BBC), which intimately relates the properties of the surface states to the topological classification of the bulk. The presence of gain and loss, in combination with the violation of reciprocity, has recently been predicted to affect this principle dramatically. Here, we report the experimental observation of BBC violation in a non-reciprocal topolectric circuit. The circuit admittance spectrum exhibits an unprecedented sensitivity to the presence of a boundary, displaying an extensive admittance mode localization despite a translationally invariant bulk. Intriguingly, we measure a non-local voltage response due to broken BBC. Depending on the AC current feed frequency, the voltage signal accumulates at the left or right boundary, and increases as a function of nodal distance to the current feed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Topolectrical circuit realization of topological corner modes

Quantized electric quadrupole insulators have recently been proposed as novel quantum states of matter in two spatial dimensions. Gapped otherwise, they can feature zero-dimensional topological corner mid-gap states protected by the bulk spectral gap, reflection symmetries and a spectral symmetry. Here we introduce a topolectrical circuit design for realizing such corner modes experimentally and report measurements in which the modes appear as topological boundary resonances in the corner impedance profile of the circuit. Whereas the quantized bulk quadrupole moment of an electronic crystal does not have a direct analogue in the classical topolectrical-circuit framework, the corner modes inherit the identical form from the quantum case. Due to the flexibility and tunability of electrical circuits, they are an ideal platform for studying the reflection symmetry-protected character of corner modes in detail. Our work therefore establishes an instance where topolectrical circuitry is employed to bridge the gap between quantum theoretical modelling and the experimental realization of topological band structures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Topological superconductivity in Ni-based transition-metal trichalcogenide superconductors

Based on a two-orbital honeycomb lattice model and random phase approximation, we investigate the pairing symmetry of the Ni-based transition-metal trichalcogenide. We find that an I-wave (A2g) state and a chiral d-wave state are dominant and nearly degenerate for typical electron and hole dopings. These two states carry nontrivial topological properties, which are manifested by the presence of chiral edge states in the d+id-wave state and dispersionless Andreev bound state at zero energy in the I-wave state. Ni-based transition-metal trichalcogenides provide us a new platform to study the exotic phenomena emerged from electron-electron correlation effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Non-Abelian Statistics in one dimension: topological momentum spacings and SU(2) level $k$ fusion rules

We use a family of critical spin chain models discovered recently by one of us [M. Greiter, Mapping of Parent Hamiltonians, Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2011] to propose and elaborate that non-Abelian, SU(2) level $k=2S$ anyon statistics manifests itself in one dimension through topological selection rules for fractional shifts in the spacings of linear momenta, which yield an internal Hilbert space of, in the thermodynamic limit degenerate states. These shifts constitute the equivalent to the fractional shifts in the relative angular momenta of anyons in two dimensions. We derive the rules first for Ising anyons, and then generalize them to SU(2) level $k$ anyons. We establish a one-to-one correspondence between the topological choices for the momentum spacings and the fusion rules of spin \half spinons in the SU(2) level $k$ Wess--Zumino--Witten model, where the internal Hilbert space is spanned by the manifold of allowed fusion trees in the Bratelli diagrams. Finally, we show that the choices in the fusion trees may be interpreted as the choices between different domain walls between the $2S+1$ possible, degenerate dimer configurations of the spin $S$ chains at the multicritical point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Anatomy of skin modes and topology in non-Hermitian systems

A non-Hermitian system can exhibit extensive sensitivity of its complex energy spectrum to the imposed boundary conditions, which is beyond any known phenomenon from Hermitian systems. In addition to topologically protected boundary modes, macroscopically many ``skin'' boundary modes may appear under open boundary conditions. We rigorously derive universal results for characterizing all avenues of boundary modes in non-Hermitian systems for arbitrary hopping range. For skin modes, we introduce how exact energies and decay lengths can be obtained by threading an imaginary flux. Furthermore, for 1D topological boundary modes, we derive a new generic criterion for their existence in non-Hermitian systems which, in contrast to previous formulations, does not require specific tailoring to the system at hand. Our approach is intimately based on the complex analytical properties of in-gap exceptional points, and gives a lower bound for the winding number related to the vorticity of the energy Riemann surface. It also reveals that the topologically nontrivial phase is partitioned into subregimes where the boundary mode's decay length depends differently on complex momenta roots.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2019

Quantum paramagnetism and helimagnetic orders in the Heisenberg model on the body centered cubic lattice

We investigate the spin $S=1/2$ Heisenberg model on the body centered cubic lattice in the presence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor $J_{1}$, second-neighbor $J_{2}$, and third-neighbor $J_{3}$ exchange interactions. The classical ground state phase diagram obtained by a Luttinger-Tisza analysis is shown to host six different (noncollinear) helimagnetic orders in addition to ferromagnetic, Néel, stripe and planar antiferromagnetic orders. Employing the pseudofermion functional renormalization group (PFFRG) method for quantum spins ($S=1/2$) we find an extended nonmagnetic region, and significant shifts to the classical phase boundaries and helimagnetic pitch vectors caused by quantum fluctuations while no new long-range dipolar magnetic orders are stabilized. The nonmagnetic phase is found to disappear for $S=1$. We calculate the magnetic ordering temperatures from PFFRG and quantum Monte Carlo methods, and make comparisons to available data

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Ultrafast electron calorimetry uncovers a new long-lived metastable state in 1T-TaSe$_2$ mediated by mode-selective electron-phonon coupling

Quantum materials represent one of the most promising frontiers in the quest for faster, lightweight, energy efficient technologies. However, their inherent complexity and rich phase landscape make them challenging to understand or manipulate in useful ways. Here we present a new ultrafast electron calorimetry technique that can systematically uncover new phases of quantum matter. Using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we measure the dynamic electron temperature, band structure and heat capacity. We then show that this is a very sensitive probe of phase changes in materials, because electrons react very quickly, and moreover generally are the smallest component of the total heat capacity. This allows us to uncover a new long-lived metastable state in the charge density wave material 1T-TaSe$_2$, that is distinct from all of the known equilibrium phases: it is characterized by a significantly reduced effective heat capacity that is only 30% of the normal value, due to selective electron-phonon coupling to a subset of phonon modes. As a result, significantly less energy is required to melt the charge order and transform the state of the material than under thermal equilibrium conditions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Quantum and Classical Phases of the Pyrochlore Heisenberg Model with Competing Interactions

We investigate the quantum Heisenberg model on the pyrochlore lattice for a generic spin $S$ in the presence of nearest-neighbor $J_{1}$ and second-nearest-neighbor $J_{2}$ exchange interactions. By employing the pseudofermion functional renormalization group method, we find, for $S=1/2$ and $S=1$, an extended quantum-spin-liquid phase centered around $J_{2}=0$, which is shown to be robust against the introduction of breathing anisotropy. The effects of temperature, quantum fluctuations, breathing anisotropies, and a $J_{2}$ coupling on the nature of the scattering profile, and the pinch points, in particular, are studied. For the magnetic phases of the $J_{1}$-$J_{2}$ model, quantum fluctuations are shown to renormalize phase boundaries compared to the classical model and to modify the ordering wave vectors of spiral magnetic states, while no new magnetic orders are stabilized.

cond-mat.str-el↗