arXiv subjects

Shalinee Chikara

Publications and source records attributed to Shalinee Chikara.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Superconductivity in tin telluride films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The intersection of superconductivity and ferroelectricity hosts a wide range of exotic quantum phenomena. Here, we report on the observation of superconductivity in high-quality tin telluride films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Unintentionally doped tin telluride undergoes a ferroelectric transition at ~100 K. The critical temperature of superconductivity increases monotonically with indium concentration. The critical field of superconductivity, however, does not follow the same behavior as critical temperature with indium concentration and exhibits a carrier-density-dependent violation of the Pauli limit. The electron-phonon coupling, from the McMillan formula, exhibits a systematic enhancement with indium concentration, suggesting a potential violation of BCS weak coupling at high indium concentrations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid and quantum criticality in spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain C14H18CuN4O10 via Wilson ratio

The ground state of a one-dimensional spin-1/2 uniform antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain (AfHc) is a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid which is quantum-critical with respect to applied magnetic fields upto a saturation field Hs beyond which it transforms to a fully polarised state. Wilson ratio has been predicted to be a good indicator for demarcating these phases [Phys. Rev. B 96, 220401 (2017)]. From detailed temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetisation, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements in a metalorganic complex and comparisons with field theory and quantum transfer matrix method calculations, the complex was found to be a very good realisation of a spin-1/2 AfHc. Wilson ratio obtained from experimentally obtained magnetic susceptibility and magnetic contribution of specific heat values was used to map the magnetic phase diagram of the uniform spin-1/2 AfHc over large regions of phase space demarcating Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid, saturation field quantum critical, and fully polarised states. Luttinger parameter and spinon velocity were found to match very well with the values predicted from conformal field theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Fermi Surface Evolution and Anomalous Hall Effect in an Ideal Type-II Weyl Semimetal

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) are three-dimensional topological materials that exhibit fascinating properties due to the presence of Weyl nodes in their band structure. However, existing WSMs discovered so far often possess multiple pairs of Weyl nodes, posing a challenge in disentangling the contributions to transport phenomena from different energy bands. To overcome this challenge, we have identified field-induced ferromagnetic MnBi$_{2-x}$Sb$_{x}$Te$_{4}$ as an ideal type-II WSM with a single pair of Weyl nodes. By employing a combination of quantum oscillations and high-field Hall measurements, we have resolved the evolution of Fermi-surface sections as the Fermi level is tuned across the charge neutrality point, precisely matching the band structure of an ideal type-II WSM. Furthermore, the anomalous Hall conductivity exhibits a heartbeat-like behavior as the Fermi level is tuned across the Weyl nodes, a unique feature previously predicted for a type-II WSM. Our findings establish MnBi$_{2-x}$Sb$_{x}$Te$_{4}$ as an ideal platform for further investigation into Weyl physics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Enhanced Critical Field of Superconductivity at an Oxide Interface

The nature of superconductivity and its interplay with strong spin-orbit coupling at the KTaO3(111) interfaces remains a subject of debate. To address this problem, we grew epitaxial LaMnO3/KTaO3(111) heterostructures. We show that superconductivity is robust against the in-plane magnetic field, with the critical field of superconductivity reaching 25 T in optimally doped heterostructures. The superconducting order parameter is highly sensitive to carrier density. We argue that spin-orbit coupling drives the formation of anomalous quasiparticles with vanishing magnetic moment, providing the condensate significant immunity against magnetic fields beyond the Pauli paramagnetic limit. These results offer design opportunities for superconductors with extreme resilience against magnetic field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Identifying the fingerprints of topological states by tuning magnetoresistance in a semimetal: the case of topological half-Heusler Pt1-xAuxLuSb

Topological materials often exhibit remarkably linear, non-saturating magnetoresistance (LMR), which is both of scientific and technological importance. However, the role of topologically non-trivial states in the emergence of such a behaviour has eluded clear demonstration in experiments. Here, by reducing the coupling between the topological surface states (TSS) and the bulk carriers we controllably tune the LMR behavior in Pt1-xAuxLuSb into distinct plateaus in Hall resistance, which we show arise from a quantum Hall phase. This allowed us to reveal how smearing of the Landau levels, which otherwise give rise to a quantum Hall phase, results in an LMR behavior due to strong interaction between the TSS with a positive g-factor and the bulk carriers. We establish that controlling the coupling strength between the surface and the bulk carriers in topological materials can bring about dramatic changes in their magnetotransport behavior. In addition, our work outlines a strategy to reveal macroscopic physical observables of TSS in compounds with a semi-metallic bulk band structure, as is the case in multi-functional Heusler compounds, thereby opening up opportunities for their utilization in hybrid quantum structures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Combining micro- and macroscopic probes to untangle single-ion and spatial exchange anisotropies in a $S = 1$ quantum antiferromagnet

The magnetic ground state of the quasi-one-dimensional spin-1 antiferromagnetic chain is sensitive to the relative sizes of the single-ion anisotropy ($D$) and the intrachain ($J$) and interchain ($J'$) exchange interactions. The ratios $D/J$ and $J'/J$ dictate the material's placement in one or other of three competing phases: a Haldane gapped phase, a quantum paramagnet and an XY-ordered state, with a quantum critical point at their junction. We have identified [Ni(HF)$_2$(pyz)$_2]$SbF$_6$, where pyz = pyrazine, as a candidate in which this behavior can be explored in detail. Combining neutron scattering (elastic and inelastic) in applied magnetic fields of up to 10~tesla and magnetization measurements in fields of up to 60~tesla with numerical modeling of experimental observables, we are able to obtain accurate values of all of the parameters of the Hamiltonian [$D = 13.3(1)$~K, $J = 10.4(3)$~K and $J' = 1.4(2)$~K], despite the polycrystalline nature of the sample. Density-functional theory calculations result in similar couplings ($J = 9.2$~K, $J' = 1.8$~K) and predict that the majority of the total spin population of resides on the Ni(II) ion, while the remaining spin density is delocalized over both ligand types. The general procedures outlined in this paper permit phase boundaries and quantum-critical points to be explored in anisotropic systems for which single crystals are as yet unavailable.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Fermi-surface topologies and low-temperature phases of the filled Skutterudite compounds CeOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ and NdOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$

MHz conductivity, torque magnetometer and magnetization measurements are reported on single crystals of CeOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ and NdOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ using temperatures down to 0.5~K and magnetic fields of up to 60~tesla. The field-orientation dependence of the de Haas-van Alphen and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations is deduced by rotating the samples about the $[010]$ and $[0\bar{1}1]$ directions. The results indicate that NdOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ has a similar Fermi surface topology to that of the unusual superconductor PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$, but with significantly smaller effective masses, supporting the importance of local phonon modes in contributing to the low-temperature heat capacity of NdOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$. By contrast, CeOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ undergoes a field-induced transition from an unusual semimetal into a high-field, high-temperature state characterized by a single, almost spherical Fermi-surface section. The behavior of the phase boundary and comparisons with models of the bandstructure lead us to propose that the field-induced phase transition in CeOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ is similar in origin to the well-known $α-γ$ transition in Ce and its alloys.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Decoupling of the Antiferromagnetic and Insulating States in Tb doped Sr2IrO4

Sr2IrO4 is a spin-orbit coupled insulator with an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at TN=240 K. We report results of a comprehensive study of single-crystal Sr2Ir1-xTbxO4. This study found that mere 3% (x=0.03) tetravalent Tb4+(4f7) substituting for Ir4+ (rather than Sr2+) completely suppresses the long-range collinear AFM transition but retains the insulating state, leading to a phase diagram featuring a decoupling of magnetic interactions and charge gap. The insulating state at x=0.03 is characterized by an unusually large specific heat at low temperatures and an incommensurate magnetic state having magnetic peaks at (0.95, 0, 0) and (0, 0.95, 0) in the neutron diffraction, suggesting a spiral or spin density wave order. It is apparent that Tb doping effectively changes the relative strength of the SOI and the tetragonal CEF and enhances the Hund's rule coupling that competes with the SOI, and destabilizes the AFM state. However, the disappearance of the AFM accompanies no metallic state chiefly because an energy level mismatch for the Ir and Tb sites weakens charge carrier hopping and renders a persistent insulating state. This work highlights an unconventional correlation between the AFM and insulating states in which the magnetic transition plays no critical role in the formation of the charge gap in the iridate.

cond-mat.str-el↗