arXiv subjects

Sheng Meng

Publications and source records attributed to Sheng Meng.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Invariant subvarieties with small dynamical degree

Let $f:X\to X $ be a dominant self-morphism of an algebraic variety over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. We consider the set $Σ_{f^{\infty}}$ of $f$-periodic (irreducible closed) subvarieties of small dynamical degree, the subset $S_{f^{\infty}}$ of maximal elements in $Σ_{f^{\infty}}$, and the subset $S_f$ of $f$-invariant elements in $S_{f^{\infty}}$. When $X$ is projective, we prove the finiteness of the set $P_f$ of $f$-invariant prime divisors with small dynamical degree, and give an optimal upper bound (of cardinality) $$\sharp P_{f^n}\le d_1(f)^n(1+o(1))$$ as $n\to \infty$, where $d_1(f)$ is the first dynamic degree of $f$. When $X$ is an algebraic group (with $f$ being a translation of an isogeny), or a (not necessarily complete) toric variety (with $f$ stabilizing the big torus), we give an optimal upper bound $$\sharp S_{f^n}\le d_1(f)^{n\cdot\dim(X)}(1+o(1))$$ as $n \to \infty$, which slightly generalizes a conjecture of S.-W. Zhang for polarized $f$.

math.AG↗

arXiv2020

Creation of a novel inverted charge density wave state

Charge density wave (CDW) order is an emergent quantum phase that is characterized by a periodic lattice distortion and charge density modulation, often present near superconducting transitions. Here we uncover a novel inverted CDW state by using a femtosecond laser to coherently over-drive the unique star-of-David lattice distortion in 1T-TaSe$_2$. We track the signature of this novel CDW state using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory, and validate that it is associated with a unique lattice and charge arrangement never before realized. The dynamic electronic structure further reveals its novel properties, that are characterized by an increased density of states near the Fermi level, high metallicity, and altered electron-phonon couplings. Our results demonstrate how ultrafast lasers can be used to create unique states in materials, by manipulating charge-lattice orders and couplings.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Experimental observation of Dirac cones in artificial graphene lattices

Artificial lattices provide a tunable platform to realize exotic quantum devices. A well-known example is artificial graphene (AG), in which electrons are confined in honeycomb lattices and behave as massless Dirac fermions. Recently, AG systems have been constructed by manipulating molecules using scanning tunnelling microscope tips, but the nanoscale size typical for these constructed systems are impossible for practical device applications and insufficient for direct investigation of the electronic structures using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of macroscopic AG by self-assembly of C$_{60}$ molecules on metal surfaces. Our theoretical calculations and ARPES measurements directly confirm the existence of Dirac cones at the $K$ ($K^\prime$) points of the Brillouin zone (BZ), in analogy to natural graphene. These results will stimulate ongoing efforts to explore the exotic properties in artificial lattices and provide an important step forward in the realization of novel molecular quantum devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Integrated Plasmonics: Broadband Dirac Plasmons in Borophene

The past decade has witnessed numerous discoveries of two-dimensional (2D) semimetals and insulators, whereas 2D metals are rarely identified. Borophene, a monolayer boron sheet, has recently emerged as a perfect 2D metal with unique structure and electronic properties. Here we study collective excitations in borophene, which exhibit two major plasmon modes with low damping rates extending from infrared to ultraviolet regime. The anisotropic 1D plasmon originates from electronic excitations of tilted Dirac cones in borophene, analogous to that in heavily doped Dirac semimetals. These features make borophene promising to realize directional polariton transportation and broadband optical communications for next-generation optoelectronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Unravelling a Zigzag Pathway for Hot-Carrier Collection at CH3NH3PbI3/Graphene Interfaces

The capture of photoexcited deep-band hot carriers, excited by photons with energies far above the bandgap, is of significant importance for photovoltaic and photoelectronic applications since it is directly related to the quantum efficiency of photon-to-electron conversion. By employing time-resolved photoluminescence and state-of-the-art time-domain density functional theory, we reveal that photoexcited hot carriers in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites prefer a zigzag interfacial charge-transfer pathway, i.e., the hot carriers transfer back and forth between CH3NH3PbI3 and graphene, before they reach a charge separated state. Driven by quantum coherence and interlayer vibrational modes, this pathway at the semiconductor-graphene interface takes about 400 femtoseconds, much faster than the relaxation process within CH3NH3PbI3 (in several picoseconds). We further demonstrate that the transfer rate of the pathway can be further enhanced by interfacial defects. Our work provides a new insight for the fundamental understanding and precise manipulation of hot-carrier dynamics at the complex semiconductor-graphene interfaces, paving the way for highly efficient photovoltaic and photoelectric device optimization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Epitaxial Growth and Band Structure of Antiferromagnetic Mott Insulator CeOI

The van der Waals material CeOI is predicted to be a layered antiferromagnetic Mott insulator by DFT+U calculation. We successfully grow the CeOI films down to monolayer on graphene/6H-SiC(0001) substrate by using molecular beam epitaxy. Films are studied by {\it in-situ} scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, which shows a band gap of 4.4 eV. A metallic phase with composition unidentified also exists. This rare earth oxyhalide adds a new member to the two-dimensional magnetic materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Manipulating Weyl quasiparticles by orbital-selective photoexcitation in WTe2

Optical control of structural and electronic properties of Weyl semimetals allows development of switchable and dissipationless topological devices at the ultrafast scale. An unexpected orbitial-selective photoexcitation in type-II Weyl material WTe2 is reported under linearly polarized light (LPL), inducing striking transitions among several topologically-distinct phases. The symmetry features of atomic orbitals comprising the Weyl bands result in asymmetric electronic transitions near the Weyl points, and in turn an anisotropic response of interlayer shear motion with respect to linear light polarization, when a near-infrared laser pulse is applied. Consequently, not only annihilation of Weyl quasiparticle pairs, but also increasing separation of Weyl points can be achieved, complementing existing experimental observations. Our results provide a new perspective on manipulating the singularity of Weyl nodes and coherent control of electron and lattice quantum dynamics simultaneously.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Ultrafast charge ordering by self-amplified exciton-phonon dynamics in TiSe$_2$

The origin of charge density waves (CDW) in TiSe$_2$ has long been debated, mainly due to the difficulties in identifying the timescales of how and when the excitonic pairing and electron-phonon coupling (EPC) come into play. Without a proper time resolution and microscopic mechanism, one has to assume simultaneous appearance of CDW and periodic lattice distortions (PLD). Here, we accomplish a complete separation of exciton and PLD dynamics and unravel their interplay in the ultrafast time domain in our real-time time-dependent density functional theory simulations. We find that laser pulses knock off the exciton order and induce a homogeneous bonding-antibonding transition in the initial 20 fs, then the weakened electronic order triggers ionic movements antiparallel to the original PLD. The EPC comes into play after the initial 20~fs, and the two processes mutually amplify each other leading to a complete inversion of CDW ordering. The self-amplified dynamics reproduces the evolution of band structures in excellent agreement with ultrafast photoemission experiment. Hence we resolve the key processes in the initial dynamics of CDW that help elucidate the mechanism underlying the long debated problem.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Visualizing molecular orientational ordering and electronic structure in CsnC60 fulleride films

Alkali-doped fullerides exhibit a wealth of unusual phases that remain controversial by nature. Here we report a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy study of the sub-molecular structural and electronic properties of expanded fullerene C60 films with various cesium (Cs) doping. By varying the discrete charge states and film thicknesses, we reveal a large tunability of orientational ordering of C60 anions, yet the tunneling conductance spectra are all robustly characteristic of energy gaps, hallmarks of Jahn-Teller instability and electronic correlations. The Fermi level lies halfway within the insulating gap for stoichiometric Cs doping level of n = 1, 2, 3 and 4, apart from which it moves toward band edges with concomitant electronic states within the energy gap. Our findings establish the universality of Jahn-Teller instability, and clarify the relationship among the doping, structural and electronic structures in CsnC60 fullerides.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Polarized endomorphisms of normal projective threefolds in arbitrary characteristic

Let $X$ be a projective variety over an algebraically closed field $k$ of arbitrary characteristic $p \ge 0$. A surjective endomorphism $f$ of $X$ is $q$-polarized if $f^\ast H \sim qH$ for some ample Cartier divisor $H$ and integer $q > 1$. Suppose $f$ is separable and $X$ is $\mathbb{Q}$-Gorenstein and normal. We show that the anti-canonical divisor $-K_X$ is numerically equivalent to an effective $\mathbb{Q}$-Cartier divisor, strengthening slightly the conclusion of Boucksom, de Fernex and Favre (Theorem C) and also covering singular varieties over an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic. Suppose $f$ is separable and $X$ is normal. We show that the Albanese morphism of $X$ is an algebraic fibre space and $f$ induces polarized endomorphisms on the Albanese and also the Picard variety of $X$, and $K_X$ being pseudo-effective and $\mathbb{Q}$-Cartier means being a torsion $\mathbb{Q}$-divisor. Let $f^{Gal}:\overline{X}\to X$ be the Galois closure of $f$. We show that if $p>5$ and co-prime to $deg\, f^{Gal}$ then one can run the minimal model program (MMP) $f$-equivariantly, after replacing $f$ by a positive power, for a mildly singular threefold $X$ and reach a variety $Y$ with torsion canonical divisor (and also with $Y$ being a quasi-étale quotient of an abelian variety when $\dim(Y)\le 2$). Along the way, we show that a power of $f$ acts as a scalar multiplication on the Neron-Severi group of $X$ (modulo torsion) when $X$ is a smooth and rationally chain connected projective variety of dimension at most three.

math.AG↗

arXiv2019

Bulk Material Based Selective Infrared Emitter for Sub-Ambient Daytime Radiative Cooling

Through passively emitting excess heat to the outer space, radiative cooling has been demonstrated as an efficient way for energy saving applications. Selective surface with unity emittance only within the atmospheric window as well as zero absorption within the solar spectrum is sought to achieve the best sub-ambient radiative cooling performance during the daytime. In this work, we proposed a bulk radiative cooler consisting of a 1-mm-thick lithium fluoride crystal coated with silver backing, which exhibits a solar absorptance of 4.7% and nearly ideal infrared selectivity with high emission exactly within the atmospheric transmission band (i.e., 8-13 um). Excellent daytime cooling performance was demonstrated in an outdoor test with stagnation temperature below the ambient temperature by 5 K under solar irradiance above 900 W/m2 and a net cooling power of about 60 W/m2 when the cooler is in thermal equilibrium with the ambient. As a bulk material with the highest ultraviolet-visible-near infrared transmittance, lithium fluoride crystal has been widely employed as the optical windows and mirrors in various applications. The proposed simple selective infrared emitter based on lithium fluoride would open up an innovative way to radiatively cool optical systems.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Building blocks of amplified endomorphisms of normal projective varieties

Let $X$ be a normal projective variety. A surjective endomorphism $f:X\to X$ is int-amplified if $f^\ast L - L =H$ for some ample Cartier divisors $L$ and $H$. This is a generalization of the so-called polarized endomorphism which requires that $f^*H\sim qH$ for some ample Cartier divisor $H$ and $q>1$. We show that this generalization keeps all nice properties of the polarized case in terms of the singularity, canonical divisor, and equivariant minimal model program.

math.AG↗

arXiv2019

Fermionic analogue of black hole radiation with a super high Hawking temperature

Measurement of gravitational Hawking radiation of black hole (BH) is prohibitive because of an extremely low Hawking temperature (TH). Here we demonstrate a fermionic analog of BH with a super high TH ~ 3 K, which is several orders of magnitude higher than previous works. We propose that Floquet-Dirac states, formed in a periodically laser driven two-dimensional black phosphorous thin film, can be designed with a spatial gradient to mimic the "gravity" felt by fermionic quasiparticles as that for a Schwarzschild BH (SBH). Quantum tunneling of electrons from a type-II Dirac cone (inside BH) to a type-I Dirac cone (outside) emits a SBH-like Hawking radiation spectrum.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Ideal type-II Weyl phonons in wurtzite CuI

Weyl semimetals exhibitinging the topologically nontrivial touching points in electronic band dispersion of solids pave the wave way to novel electronic devices and functionalities. Here, we demonstrate the signature of topologically nontrivial Weyl points (WPs) in phonon dispersion of solids through a first-principles investigations. ofT noncentrosymmetric wurtzite CuI (cuprous iodide at high temperature). These type-II phononic WP in phonon dispersion of wurtzite CuI is manifested in noncentrosymmetric wurtzite CuI by six pairs of the nontrivial touching points in the k_z=0.0 plane. The ideal WPs in phonon dispersion are completely isolated from bulk phonon continuum, are different distinct from many type-II WPs in electronic band dispersion of solids associated with the overlapping band states. The opposite chirality of Weyl phonon nodes with quantized Berry curvature are utilized forproduces Weyl phonon Hall effect, in analogous analogy towith valley Hall effect of electrons. Such ideal type-II Weyl phonons are phase is readily observable in experiment, and could provideing a unique platform to study novel thermal transport properties different distinct from that in type-I Weyl phonons phase.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Spin-Orientation Dependent Topological States in Two-Dimensional Antiferromagnetic NiTl$_2$S$_4$ Monolayers

The topological states of matters arising from the nontrivial magnetic configuration provide a better understanding of physical properties and functionalities of solid materials. Such studies benefit from the active control of spin orientation in any solid, which is yet known to rarely take place in the two-dimensional (2D) limit. Here we demonstrate by the first-principles calculations that spin-orientation dependent topological states can appear in the geometrically frustrated monolayer antiferromagnet. Different topological states including quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and time-reversal-symmetry (TRS) broken quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect can be obtained by changing spin orientation in the NiTl2S4 monolayer. Remarkably, the dilated nc-AFM NiTl2S4 monolayer gives birth to the QAH effect with hitherto reported largest number of quantized conducting channels (Chern number C = -4) in 2D materials. Interestingly, under tunable chemical potential, the nc-AFM NiTl2S4 monolayer hosts a novel state supporting the coexistence of QAH and TRS broken QSH effects with a Chern number C = 3 and spin Chern number C_s = 1. This work manifests a promising concept and material realization toward topological spintronics in 2D antiferromagnets by manipulating its spin degree of freedom.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Superhigh thermoelectric figure of merit in silver halides AgCl and AgBr from first principles

Searching for the high-performance thermoelectric (TE) materials has always been a long-held dream in the thermoelectricity field. Recently, it is found in experiments that the largest figure of merit ZT of $2.6$ can be reached in SnSe crystals at 923 K and Cu2Se sample at 850 K, which arouses the enormous interest of seeking high-ZT materials. Based on first-principle calculations and Boltzman transport equation (BTE), we report in this letter that silver halides (AgCl and AgBr) in rocksalt structure have excellent TE performances. A superhigh ZT of about 7.0 at mid-temperature (~600K) is obtained in the p-type doped AgCl and AgBr crystals, which far exceeds the ZT values of all current bulk TE materials. This record-breaking ZT value is attributed to the ultralow intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity κ_L (e.g. κ_L ~0.10 and 0.09 Wm^{-1}K^{-1} for AgCl and AgBr at 600 K, respectively). Our results may be a feat that could revolutionize the field of the heat energy conversion.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Characterizations of Toric Varieties via Polarized Endomorphisms

Let $X$ be a normal projective variety and $f:X\to X$ a non-isomorphic polarized endomorphism. We give two characterizations for $X$ to be a toric variety. First we show that if $X$ is $\mathbb{Q}$-factorial and $G$-almost homogeneous for some linear algebraic group $G$ such that $f$ is $G$-equivariant, then $X$ is a toric variety. Next we give a geometric characterization: if $X$ is of Fano type and smooth in codimension 2 and if there is an $f^{-1}$-invariant reduced divisor $D$ such that $f|_{X\backslash D}$ is quasi-étale and $K_X+D$ is $\mathbb{Q}$-Cartier, then $X$ admits a quasi-étale cover $\widetilde{X}$ such that $\widetilde{X}$ is a toric variety and $f$ lifts to $\widetilde{X}$. In particular, if $X$ is further assumed to be smooth, then $X$ is a toric variety.

math.AG↗

arXiv2019

Semi-group structure of all endomorphisms of a projective variety admitting a polarized endomorphism

Let $X$ be a projective variety admitting a polarized (or more generally, int-amplified) endomorphism. We show: there are only finitely many contractible extremal rays; and when $X$ is $\mathbb{Q}$-factorial normal, every minimal model program is equivariant relative to the monoid $SEnd(X)$ of all surjective endomorphisms, up to finite index. Further, when $X$ is rationally connected and smooth, we show: there is a finite-index submonoid $G$ of $SEnd(X)$ such that $G$ acts via pullback as diagonal (and hence commutative) matrices on the Neron-Severi group; the full automorphisms group $Aut(X)$ has finitely many connected components; and every amplified endomorphism is int-amplified.

math.AG↗