arXiv subjects

S. B. Wilkins

Publications and source records attributed to S. B. Wilkins.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Charge Condensation and Lattice Coupling Drives Stripe Formation in Nickelates

Revealing the predominant driving force behind symmetry breaking in correlated materials is sometimes a formidable task due to the intertwined nature of different degrees of freedom. This is the case for La2-xSrxNiO4+δ in which coupled incommensurate charge and spin stripes form at low temperatures. Here, we use resonant X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to study the temporal stability and domain memory of the charge and spin stripes in La2-xSrxNiO4+δ. Although spin stripes are more spatially correlated, charge stripes maintain a better temporal stability against temperature change. More intriguingly, charge order shows robust domain memory with thermal cycling up to 250 K, far above the ordering temperature. These results demonstrate the pinning of charge stripes to the lattice and that charge condensation is the predominant factor in the formation of stripe orders in nickelates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Spontaneous Magnetic Superdomain Wall Fluctuations in an Artificial Antiferromagnet

Collective dynamics often play an important role in determining the stability of ground states for both naturally occurring materials and metamaterials. We studied the temperature dependent dynamics of antiferromagnetically ordered superdomains in a square artificial spin lattice using soft x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. We observed an exponential slowing down of superdomain wall motion below the AF onset temperature, similar to the behavior of typical bulk antiferromagnets. Using a continuous time random walk model we show that these superdomain walls undergo low-temperature ballistic and high-temperature diffusive motions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Imaging antiferromagnetic antiphase domain boundaries using magnetic Bragg diffraction phase contrast

Manipulating magnetic domains is essential for many technological applications. Recent breakthroughs in Antiferromagnetic Spintronics brought up novel concepts for electronic device development. Imaging antiferromagnetic domains is of key importance to this field. Unfortunately, some of the basic domain types, such as antiphase domains, cannot be imaged by conventional techniques. Herein, we present a new domain projection imaging technique based on the localization of domain boundaries by resonant magnetic diffraction of coherent x rays. Contrast arises from reduction of the scattered intensity at the domain boundaries due to destructive interference effects. We demonstrate this approach by imaging antiphase domains in a collinear antiferromagnet Fe2Mo3O8, and observe evidence of domain wall interaction with a structural defect. This technique does not involve any numerical algorithms. It is fast, sensitive, produces large-scale images in a single-exposure measurement, and is applicable to a variety of magnetic domain types.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Persistent Charge Density Wave Memory in a Cuprate Superconductor

Although charge density wave (CDW) correlations appear to be a ubiquitous feature of the superconducting cuprates, their disparate properties suggest a crucial role for coupling or pinning of the CDW to lattice deformations and disorder. While diffraction intensities can demonstrate the occurrence of CDW domain formation, the lack of scattering phase information has limited our understanding of this process. Here, we report coherent resonant x-ray speckle correlation analysis, which directly determines the reproducibility of CDW domain patterns in La1.875Ba0.125CuO4 (LBCO 1/8) with thermal cycling. While CDW order is only observed below 54 K, where a structural phase transition results in equivalent Cu-O bonds, we discover remarkably reproducible CDW domain memory upon repeated cycling to temperatures well above that transition. That memory is only lost on cycling across the transition at 240(3) K that restores the four-fold symmetry of the copper-oxide planes. We infer that the structural-domain twinning pattern that develops below 240 K determines the CDW pinning landscape below 54 K. These results open a new view into the complex coupling between charge and lattice degrees of freedom in superconducting cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Remarkable Stability of Charge Density Wave Order in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$

The occurrence of charge-density-wave (CDW) order in underdoped cuprates is now well established, although the precise nature of the CDW and its relationship with superconductivity is not. Theoretical proposals include contrasting ideas such as that pairing may be driven by CDW fluctuations or that static CDWs may intertwine with a spatially-modulated superconducting wave function. We test the dynamics of CDW order in La$_{1.825}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ by using x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) at the CDW wave vector, detected resonantly at the Cu $L_3$-edge. We find that the CDW domains are strikingly static, with no evidence of significant fluctuations up to 2\,\nicefrac{3}{4} hours. We discuss the implications of these results for some of the competing theories.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Static Charge Density Wave Order in the Superconducting State of La2-xBaxCuO4

Charge density wave (CDW) correlations feature prominently in the phase diagram of the cuprates, motivating competing theories of whether fluctuating CDW correlations aid superconductivity or whether static CDW order coexists with superconductivity in inhomogeneous or spatially modulated states. Here we report Cu $L$-edge resonant x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) measurements of CDW correlations in superconducting La$_{2-x}$Ba$_x$CuO$_4$ $x=0.11$. Static CDW order is shown to exist in the superconducting state at low temperatures and to persist up to at least 85\% of the CDW transition temperature. We discuss the implications of our observations for how \emph{nominally} competing order parameters can coexist in the cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Spatially resolved ultrafast magnetic dynamics launched at a complex-oxide hetero-interface

Static strain in complex oxide heterostructures has been extensively used to engineer electronic and magnetic properties at equilibrium. In the same spirit, deformations of the crystal lattice with light may be used to achieve functional control across hetero-interfaces dynamically. Here, by exciting large amplitude infrared-active vibrations in a LaAlO3 substrate we induce magnetic order melting in a NdNiO3 film across a hetero-interface. Femtosecond Resonant Soft X-ray Diffraction is used to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of the magnetic disordering. We observe a magnetic melt front that grows from the substrate interface into the film, at a speed that suggests electronically driven propagation. Light control and ultrafast phase front propagation at hetero-interfaces may lead to new opportunities in optomagnetism, for example by driving domain wall motion to transport information across suitably designed devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Melting of Charge Stripes in Vibrationally Driven La1.875Ba0.125CuO4: Assessing the Respective Roles of Electronic and Lattice Order in Frustrated Superconductors

We report femtosecond resonant soft X-ray diffraction measurements of the dynamics of the charge order and of the crystal lattice in non-superconducting, stripe-ordered La1.875Ba0.125CuO4. Excitation of the in-plane Cu-O stretching phonon with a mid-infrared pulse has been previously shown to induce a transient superconducting state in the closely related compound La1.675Eu0.2Sr0.125CuO4. In La1.875Ba0.125CuO4, we find that the charge stripe order melts promptly on a sub-picosecond time scale. Surprisingly, the low temperature tetragonal distortion is only weakly reduced, reacting on significantly longer time scales that do not correlate with light-induced superconductivity. This experiment suggests that charge modulations alone, and not the LTT distortion, prevent superconductivity in equilibrium.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Rotated stripe order and its competition with superconductivity in La$_{1.88}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$

We report the observation of a bulk charge modulation in La$_{1.88}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$ (LSCO) with a characteristic in-plane wave-vector of (0.236, $\pm δ$), with $δ$=0.011 r.l.u. The transverse shift of the ordering wave-vector indicates the presence of rotated charge-stripe ordering, demonstrating that the charge ordering is not pinned to the Cu-O bond direction. On cooling through the superconducting transition, we find an abrupt change in the growth of the charge correlations and a suppression of the charge order parameter indicating competition between the two orderings. Orthorhombic LSCO thus helps bridge the apparent disparities between the behavior previously observed in the tetragonal "214" cuprates and the orthorhombic yttrium and bismuth-based cuprates and thus lends strong support to the idea that there is a common motif to charge order in all cuprate families.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Comparison of charge modulations in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ and YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.6}$

A charge modulation has recently been reported in (Y,Nd)Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ [Ghiringhelli {\em et al.} Science 337, 821 (2013)]. Here we report Cu $L_3$ edge soft x-ray scattering studies comparing the lattice modulation associated with the charge modulation in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.6}$ with that associated with the well known charge and spin stripe order in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$. We find that the correlation length in the CuO$_2$ plane is isotropic in both cases, and is $259 \pm 9$ Åfor La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ and $55 \pm 15$ Åfor YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.6}$. Assuming weak inter-planar correlations of the charge ordering in both compounds, we conclude that the order parameters of the lattice modulations in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ and YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.6}$ are of the same order of magnitude.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Magnetic excitations in stripe-ordered La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ studied using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

The charge and spin correlations in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ (LBCO 1/8) are studied using Cu $L_3$ edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The static charge order (CO) is observed at a wavevector of $(0.24,0)$ and its charge nature confirmed by measuring the dependence of this peak on the incident x-ray polarization. The paramagnon excitation in LBCO 1/8 is then measured as it disperses through the CO wavevector. Within the experimental uncertainty no changes are observed in the paramagnon due to the static CO, and the paramagnon seems to be similar to that measured in other cuprates, which have no static CO. Given that the stripe correlation modulates both the charge and spin degrees of freedom, it is likely that subtle changes do occur in the paramagnon due to CO. Consequently, we propose that future RIXS measurements, realized with higher energy resolution and sensitivity, should be performed to test for these effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Antiferromagnetic Domain Structure in Bilayer Manganite

We report a novel soft x-ray nanodiffraction study of antiferromagnetic domains in the strongly correlated bylayer manganite La$_{0.96}$Sr$_{2.04}$Mn$_{2}$O$_{7}$. We find that the antiferromagnetic domains are quenched, forming a unique domain pattern with each domain having an intrinsic memory of its spin direction, and with associated domain walls running along crystallographic directions. This can be explained by the presence of crystallographic or magnetic imperfections locked in during the crystal growth process which pin the antiferromagnetic domains. The antiferromagnetic domain pattern shows two distinct types of domain. We observe, in one type only, a periodic ripple in the manganese spin direction with a period of approximately 4 \micro\meter. We propose that the loss of inversion symmetry within a bilayer is responsible for this ripple structure through a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-type interaction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

A Comparison of Stripe Modulations in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ and La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$

We report combined soft and hard x-ray scattering studies of the electronic and lattice modulations associated with stripe order in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ and La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$. We find that the amplitude of both the electronic modulation of the hole density and the strain modulation of the lattice is significantly larger in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ than in La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$ and is also better correlated. The in-plane correlation lengths are isotropic in each case; for La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$, $ξ^{hole}=255\pm 5$ Å whereas for La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$F, $ξ^{hole}=111\pm 7$ Å. We find that the modulations are temperature independent in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ in the low temperature tetragonal phase. In contrast, in La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_4$, the amplitude grows smoothly from zero, beginning 13 K below the LTT phase transition. We speculate that the reduced average tilt angle in La$_{1.875}$Ba$_{0.125}$CuO$_4$ results in reduced charge localization and incoherent pinning, leading to the longer correlation length and enhanced periodic modulation amplitude.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2011

Observation of Electronic Ferroelectric Polarization in Multiferroic YMn$_2$O$_5$

We report the observation of a magnetic polarization of the O\,$2p$-states in YMn$_2$O$_5$ through the use of soft X-ray resonant scattering at the oxygen $K$-edge. Remarkably, we find that the temperature dependence of the integrated intensity of this signal closely follows the macroscopic electric polarization, and hence is proportional to the ferroelectric order parameter. This is in contrast to the temperature dependence observed at the Mn\,$L_3$-edge, which reflects the Mn magnetic order parameter. First principle calculations provide a microscopic understanding of these results and show that a spin-dependent hybridization of O\,$2p$- and Mn\, 3d-states results in a purely electronic contribution to the ferroelectric polarization, which can exist in the absence of lattice distortions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Surface Melting of Electronic Order

We report temperature-dependent surface x-ray scattering studies of the orbital ordered surface in La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{1.5}$MnO$_4$. We find that the interfacial width of the electronic order grows as the bulk ordering temperature is approached from below, though the bulk correlation length remains unchanged. Close to the transition, the surface is so rough that there is no well-defined electronic surface, despite the presence of bulk electronic order, that is the electronic surface has melted. Above the bulk transition, finite-sized isotropic fluctuations of orbital order are observed, with a correlation length equal to that of the electronic surfaces' in-plane correlation length at the transition temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Antiferromagnetically spin polarized oxygen observed in magneto-electric TbMn2O5

We report the direct measurement of antiferromagnetic spin polarization at the oxygen sites in the multiferroic TbMn2O5, through resonant soft x-ray magnetic scattering. This supports recent theoretical models suggesting that the oxygen spin polarization is key to the magnetoelectric coupling mechanism. The spin polarization is observed through a resonantly enhanced diffraction signal at the oxygen K edge at the commensurate antiferromagnetic wavevector. Using the fdmnes code we have accurately reproduced the experimental data. We have established that the resonance arises through the spin polarization on the oxygen sites hybridized with the square based pyramid Mn3+ ions. Furthermore we have discovered that the position of the Mn3+ ion directly influences the oxygen spin polarization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Spin density wave dislocation in chromium probed by coherent x-ray diffraction

We report on the study of a magnetic dislocation in pure chromium. Coherent x-ray diffraction profiles obtained on the incommensurate Spin Density Wave (SDW) reflection are consistent with the presence of a dislocation of the magnetic order, embedded at a few micrometers from the surface of the sample. Beyond the specific case of magnetic dislocations in chromium, this work may open up a new method for the study of magnetic defects embedded in the bulk.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Nature of the magnetic order and origin of induced ferroelectricity in TbMnO$_3$

The magnetic structures which endow TbMnO$_3$ with its multiferroic properties have been reassessed on the basis of a comprehensive soft x-ray resonant scattering (XRS) study. The selectivity of XRS facilitated separation of the various contributions (Mn $L_2$ edge, Mn 3d moments; Tb M$_4$ edge, Tb 4f moments), while its variation with azimuth provided information on the moment direction of distinct Fourier components. When the data are combined with a detailed group theory analysis, a new picture emerges of the ferroelectric transition at 28 K. Instead of being driven by the transition from a collinear to a non-collinear magnetic structure, as has previously been supposed, it is shown to occur between two non-collinear structures.

cond-mat.str-el↗