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Stephen D. Wilson

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen D. Wilson.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Flat band separation and robust spin-Berry curvature in bilayer kagome metals

Kagome materials have emerged as a setting for emergent electronic phenomena that encompass different aspects of symmetry and topology. It is debated whether the XV$_6$Sn$_6$ kagome family (where X is a rare earth element), a recently discovered family of bilayer kagome metals, hosts a topologically non-trivial ground state resulting from the opening of spin-orbit coupling gaps. These states would carry a finite spin-Berry curvature, and topological surface states. Here, we investigate the spin and electronic structure of the XV$_6$Sn$_6$ kagome family. We obtain evidence for a finite spin-Berry curvature contribution at the center of the Brillouin zone, where the nearly flat band detaches from the dispersing Dirac band because of spin-orbit coupling. In addition, the spin-Berry curvature is further investigated in the charge density wave regime of ScV$_6$Sn$_6$, and it is found to be robust against the onset of the temperature-driven ordered phase. Utilizing the sensitivity of angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to the spin and orbital angular momentum, our work unveils the spin-Berry curvature of topological kagome metals, and helps to define its spectroscopic fingerprint.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Light-induced insulator-metal transition in Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ reveals the nature of the insulating ground state

Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ has attracted a lot of attention due to its structural and electronic similarities to La$_2$CuO$_4$ which is the parent compound of high-T$_c$ superconducting cuprates. It was proposed to be a strong spin-orbit coupled J$_{eff}$ = 1/2 Mott insulator, but the Mott nature of its insulating ground state and the origin of the gap have not been conclusively established. Here, we use ultrafast laser pulses to realize an insulator-metal transition in Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ and probe the resulting dynamics using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We observe a closing of the gap and the formation of weakly-renormalized electronic bands in the gap region. Comparing these observations to the expected temperature and doping evolution of Mott gaps and Hubbard bands provides clear evidence that the insulating state does not originate from Mott correlations. We instead propose a correlated band insulator picture, where antiferromagnetic correlations play a key role in the opening of the gap. More broadly, our results demonstrate that energy-momentum resolved nonequilibrium dynamics can be used to clarify the nature of equilibrium states in correlated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Effect of nonhydrostatic pressure on the superconducting kagome metal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

High-pressure single-crystal x-ray diffraction experiments reveal that the superconducting kagome metal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ transforms from hexagonal ($P6/mmm$) to monoclinic ($C2/m$) symmetry above 10 GPa if nonhydrostatic pressure conditions are created in a diamond anvil cell with silicon oil as pressure-transmitting medium. This is contrary to the behavior of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ under quasi-hydrostatic conditions in neon, with the hexagonal symmetry retained up to at least 20 GPa. Monoclinic distortion leaves the kagome planes almost unchanged but deforms honeycomb nets of the Sb atoms. While the onset of the distortion almost coincides with the reentrance of superconductivity, our \textit{ab initio} density-functional calculations reveal only minor changes in the electronic structure compared to the quasi-hydrostatic case. In particular, Fermi surface reconstruction driven by the formation of interlayer Sb-Sb bonds is observed in both monoclinic and hexagonal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ structures at high pressures and comes out as the likely cause for the reentrant behavior.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Unconventional Optical Rotation in the Charge Ordered State of Kagome Metal CsV3Sb5

Kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = K, Cs, Rb) provide a rich platform for intertwined orders, where evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking, likely due to the long-sought loop currents, has emerged in STM and muon spin relaxation experiments. An isotropic component in the spontaneous optical rotation has also been reported, and it was interpreted as the magneto-optic Kerr effect arising from time-reversal symmetry breaking. Intriguingly, the observed rotations differ by five orders of magnitude between different wavelengths and samples, suggesting more intricate physics. Here we report optical rotation and polar Kerr measurements in CsV3Sb5 crystals at the same wavelength. We observe large isotropic components of 1 milliradian in the optical rotation that do not respond to applied magnetic fields but flip sign between samples, while the spontaneous Kerr signal is less than 20 nanoradian. Our results prove unambiguously that the reported isotropic rotation is not related to time-reversal symmetry breaking but instead indicates a new intertwined order that onsets at the same temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Small Fermi pockets intertwined with charge stripes and pair density wave order in a kagome superconductor

The kagome superconductor family AV3Sb5 (A=Cs, K, Rb) emerged as an exciting platform to study exotic Fermi surface instabilities. Here we use spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to reveal how the surprising cascade of higher and lower-dimensional density waves in CsV3Sb5 is intimately tied to a set of small reconstructed Fermi pockets. ARPES measurements visualize the formation of these pockets generated by a 3D charge density wave transition. The pockets are connected by dispersive q* wave vectors observed in Fourier transforms of STM differential conductance maps. As the additional 1D charge order emerges at a lower temperature, q* wave vectors become substantially renormalized, signaling further reconstruction of the Fermi pockets. Remarkably, in the superconducting state, the superconducting gap modulations give rise to an in-plane Cooper pair-density-wave at the same q* wave vectors. Our work demonstrates the intrinsic origin of the charge-stripes and the pair-density-wave in CsV3Sb5 and their relationship to the Fermi pockets. These experiments uncover a unique scenario of how Fermi pockets generated by a parent charge density wave state can provide a favorable platform for the emergence of additional density waves.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Structural evolution of the kagome superconductors $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, and Cs) through charge density wave order

The kagome superconductors KV$_3$Sb$_5$, RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, and CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ are known to display charge density wave (CDW) order which impacts the topological characteristics of their electronic structure. Details of their structural ground states and how they evolve with temperature are revealed here using single crystal X-ray crystallographic refinements as a function of temperature, carried out with synchrotron radiation. The compounds KV$_3$Sb$_5$ and RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ present 2$\times$2$\times$2 superstructures in the $Fmmm$ space group with a staggered tri-hexagonal deformation of vanadium layers. CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ displays more complex structural evolution, whose details have been unravelled by applying machine learning methods to the scattering data. Upon cooling through the CDW transition, CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ displays a staged progression of ordering from a 2$\times$2$\times$1 supercell and a 2$\times$2$\times$2 supercell into a final 2$\times$2$\times$4 supercell that persists to $T$ = 11 K and exhibits an average structure where vanadium layers display both tri-hexagonal and Star of David patterns of deformations. Diffraction from CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ under pulsed magnetic fields up to $μ_0H$ = 28 T suggest the real component of the CDW state is insensitive to external magnetic fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Order-disorder Peierls instability in the kagome metal (Cs,Rb)V$_3$Sb$_5$

The nature of the charge density wave phases in the kagome metal compound AV$_3$Sb$_5$ has raised many questions and their origin is still under debate. Here, we combine diffuse scattering (DS) and inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) to identify a 3-dimensional (3D) precursor of the charge order with propagation vector (0.5 0 0.5), which condenses into a 3D-CDW through a first order phase transition. The quasi-elastic critical scattering indicates that the dominant contribution to the diffuse precursor is the elastic central peak without phonon softening. However, the inelastic spectra show a small broadening of the Einstein-type phonon mode on approaching the phase transition. Our results point to the situation where the Fermi surface instability at the \textit{L} point is of order-disorder type with a critical growth of quasi-static domains. The results go beyond the classical weak-coupling Peierls transition dynamics and are discussed within models including strong-electron phonon coupling and non-adiabaticity.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Nanoscale visualization and spectral fingerprints of the charge order in ScV6Sn6 distinct from other kagome metals

Charge density waves (CDWs) have been tied to a number of unusual phenomena in kagome metals, including rotation symmetry breaking, time-reversal symmetry breaking and superconductivity. The majority of the experiments thus far have focused on the CDW states in AV3Sb5 and FeGe, characterized by the 2a0 by 2a0 period. Recently, a bulk CDW phase (T* ~ 92 K) with a different wave length and orientation has been reported in ScV6Sn6, as the first realization of a CDW state in the broad RM6X6 structure. Here, using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we reveal the microscopic structure and the spectroscopic signatures of this charge ordering phase in ScV6Sn6. Differential conductance dI/dV spectra show a partial gap opening in the density-of-states of about 20 meV at the Fermi level. This is much smaller than the spectral gaps observed in AV3Sb5 and FeGe despite the comparable T* temperatures in these systems, suggesting substantially weaker coupling strength in ScV6Sn6. Surprisingly, despite the three-dimensional bulk nature of the charge order, we find that the charge modulation is only observed on the kagome termination. Temperature-dependent band structure evolution suggests a modulation of the surface states as a consequence of the emergent charge order, with an abrupt spectral weight shift below T* consistent with the first-order phase transition. The similarity of the electronic band structures of ScV6Sn6 and TbV6Sn6 (where charge ordering is absent), together with the first-principle calculations, suggests that charge ordering in ScV6Sn6 may not be primarily electronically driven. Interestingly, in contrast to the CDW state of cousin AV3Sb5, we find no evidence supporting rotation symmetry breaking. Our results reveal a distinctive nature of the charge ordering phase in ScV6Sn6 in comparison to other kagome metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Dynamics and Resilience of the Charge Density Wave in a bilayer kagome metal

Long-range electronic order descending from a metallic parent state constitutes a rich playground to study the intricate interplay of structural and electronic degrees of freedom. With dispersive and correlation features as multifold as topological Dirac-like itinerant states, van-Hove singularities, correlated flat bands, and magnetic transitions at low temperature, kagome metals are located in the most interesting regime where both phonon and electronically mediated couplings are significant. Several of these systems undergo a charge density wave (CDW) transition, and the van-Hove singularities, which are intrinsic to the kagome tiling, have been conjectured to play a key role in mediating such an instability. However, to date, the origin and the main driving force behind this charge order is elusive. Here, we use the topological bilayer kagome metal ScV6Sn6 as a platform to investigate this puzzling problem, since it features both kagome-derived nested Fermi surface and van-Hove singularities near the Fermi level, and a CDW phase that affects the susceptibility, the neutron scattering, and the specific heat, similarly to the siblings AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) and FeGe. We report on our findings from high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission, density functional theory, and time-resolved optical spectroscopy to unveil the dynamics of its CDW phase. We identify the structural degrees of freedom to play a fundamental role in the stabilization of charge order. Along with a comprehensive analysis of the subdominant impact from electronic correlations, we find ScV6Sn6 to feature an instance of charge density wave order that predominantly originates from phonons. As we shed light on the emergent phonon profile in the low-temperature ordered regime, our findings pave the way for a deeper understanding of ordering phenomena in all CDW kagome metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Anisotropic proximity-induced superconductivity and edge supercurrent in Kagome metal, K1-xV3Sb5

Materials with transition metals in triangular lattices are of great interest for their potential combination of strong correlation, exotic magnetism and electronic topology. Kagome nets are of particular importance since the discovery of geometrically frustrated magnetism and topological band structures in crystals like Herbertsmithite and Fe3Sn2, respectively. KV3Sb5 was discovered to be a layered topological metal with a Kagome net of vanadium. Here, we fabricated Josephson Junctions (JJ) of K1-xV3Sb5 and induced superconductivity over long junction lengths. Through magnetoresistance and current vs. phase measurements, we observed magnetic field sweeping direction dependent magnetoresistance, and an anisotropic interference pattern with a Fraunhofer pattern for in-plane magnetic field, but a suppression of critical current for out-of-plane magnetic field. These results indicate an anisotropic internal magnetic field in K1-xV3Sb5 which influences the superconducting coupling in the junction, possibly giving rise to spin-triplet superconductivity. In addition, the observation of long-lived fast oscillations shows evidence of spatially localized conducting channels arising from edge states. These observations pave the way for studying unconventional superconductivity and Josephson device based on Kagome metals with electron correlation and topology.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Direct Observation of Collective Modes of the Charge Density Wave in the Kagome Metal CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

A new group of kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) exhibit a variety of intertwined unconventional electronic phases, which emerge from a puzzling charge density wave phase. Understanding of this parent charge order phase is crucial for deciphering the entire phase diagram. However, the mechanism of the charge density wave is still controversial, and its primary source of fluctuations - the collective modes - have not been experimentally observed. Here, we use ultrashort laser pulses to melt the charge order in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ and record the resulting dynamics using femtosecond angle-resolved photoemission. We resolve the melting time of the charge order and directly observe its amplitude mode, imposing a fundamental limit for the fastest possible lattice rearrangement time. These observations together with ab-initio calculations provide clear evidence for a structural rather than electronic mechanism of the charge density wave. Our findings pave the way for better understanding of the unconventional phases hosted on the kagome lattice.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2023

Complete miscibility amongst AV$_3$Sb$_5$ kagome superconductors: design of mixed A-site AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A: K, Rb, Cs) alloys

In this work we explore the chemical-property phase diagram of the AV$_3$Sb$_5$ family through A-site alloying. We demonstrate full miscibility of the alkali-site, highlighting that the three parent compounds are the terminal ends of a single solid-solution. Using both polycrystalline and single crystal methods, we map the dependence of the two primary electronic instabilities: (1) the onset of charge density wave (CDW) order ($T_\text{CDW}$) and (2) the onset of superconductivity ($T_\text{c}$) with alkali-site composition. We show continuous trends in both $T_\text{CDW}$ and $T_\text{c}$, including a region of enhanced CDW stability in K$_{1-x}$Cs$_{x}$V$_3$Sb$_5$ alloys. Together, our results open new routes for chemical perturbation and exploration of the chemical-property relationships in the class of AV$_3$Sb$_5$ kagome superconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2022

Charge order landscape and competition with superconductivity in kagome metals

In kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs), three-dimensional charge order (3D-CO) is the primary instability that sets the stage for other collective orders to emerge, including unidirectional stripe order, orbital flux order, electronic nematicity, and superconductivity. Here, we use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to determine the microscopic structure of three-dimensional charge order (3D-CO) in AV3Sb5 and its interplay with superconductivity. Our approach is based on identifying an unusual splitting of kagome bands induced by 3D-CO, which provides a sensitive way to refine the spatial charge patterns in neighboring kagome planes. We found a marked dependence of the 3D-CO structure on composition and doping. The observed difference between CsV3Sb5 and the other compounds potentially underpins the double-dome superconductivity in CsV3(Sb,Sn)5 and the suppression of Tc in KV3Sb5 and RbV3Sb5. Our results provide fresh insights into the rich phase diagram of AV3Sb5.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2022

Inducing Skyrmion Flop Transitions in Co$_8$Zn$_8$Mn$_4$ at Room Temperature

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically-protected spin textures that manifest in certain non-centrosymmetric ferromagnets under the right conditions of temperature and field. In thin film skyrmion hosts, demagnetization effects combined with geometric confinement can result in two distinct types of spin textures: those with their axis of symmetry in the plane of the film (IP) and those with their axis pointing out-of-plane (OOP). Here we present Lorentz transmission electron microscopy evidence in conjunction with numerical modeling showing a flop transition between IP and OOP skyrmions in Co$_8$Zn$_8$Mn$_4$ at room temperature. We show that this skyrmion flop transition is controllable via the angle of the external field relative to the film normal and we illustrate how this transition depends on thickness. Finally, we propose a skyrmion-writing device that utilizes the details of this transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2022

Dark Field X-ray Microscopy Below Liquid-Helium Temperature: The Case of NaMnO2

Dark field X-ray microscopy (DFXM) is an experimental technique employed to investigate material properties by probing their 'mesoscale,' or microscale structures, in a bulk-sensitive manner using hard X-rays at synchrotron radiation sources. However, challenges remain when it comes to applications of this technique to examine low-temperature phenomena in quantum materials, which exhibit complex phase transitions at cryogenic temperatures. One such material is NaMnO2, which hosts an antiferromagnetic transition at 45 K that is suspected to coincide with local structural transitions from its majority monoclinic phase to nanoscale triclinic domains. Direct observation of local heterogeneities and this effect at low temperatures in NaMnO2 is an important step in understanding this material, and serves as an ideal candidate study for expanding the DFXM experimental design space. This paper details a foundational high-resolution DFXM study, down to liquid-helium temperature and below, conducted to explore phase transitions in NaMnO2. The outlined experiment ushers in the evaluation of other functional materials at low temperatures using this technique.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2022

Highly anisotropic magnetism in the vanadium-based kagome metal TbV6Sn6

RV6Sn6 (R=rare earth) compounds are appealing materials platforms for exploring the interplay between R-site magnetism and nontrivial band topology associated with the nonmagnetic vanadium-based kagome network. Here we present the synthesis and characterization of the kagome metal TbV6Sn6 via single-crystal x-ray diffraction, magnetization, transport, and heat capacity measurements. Magnetization measurements reveal strong, uniaxial magnetic anisotropy rooted in the alignment of Tb3Å moments in the interplane direction below 4.3(2) K. TbV6Sn6 exhibits multiband transport behavior with high mobilities of charge carriers, and our measurements suggest TbV6Sn6 is a promising candidate for hosting Chern gaps driven via the interplay between Tb-site magnetic order and the band topology of the V-site kagome network.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2022

Microscopic nature of the charge-density wave in kagome superconductor RbV$_3$Sb$_5$

The recently discovered vanadium-based kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) offer the possibility to study the interplay between competing electronic orderings, such as charge density order and superconductivity. We focus on the former and provide a comprehensive set of $^{51}$V, $^{87}$Rb, and $^{121}$Sb magnetic resonance measurements on an RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ single crystal. Elucidating the symmetries and properties of the CDW phase is essential to understanding the unconventional electronic orderings occurring in this material. We establish the structure of the $2\times 2 \times 2$ superlattice that describes the system below the charge density wave transition by combining both experimental and computational methods, with a methodology that can be readily applied to the remaining compounds of the same family. Our results give compelling evidence that the CDW structure occurring below 103 K for RbV$_3$Sb$_5$ is the so-called Inverse Start of David pattern $π$-shifted along the c axis (also known as staggered tri-hexagonal).

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2022

The kagomé metals RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$ and CsTi$_3$Bi$_5$

The kagomé metals RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$ and CsTi$_3$Bi$_5$ were synthesized both as polycrystalline powders by heating the elements an argon atmosphere and as single crystals grown using a self-flux method. The compounds crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system isotypically to KV$_3$Sb$_5$ (P6/mmm, Z = 1, CsTi3Bi5: a = 5.7873(1) Å, c = 9.2062(1) Å; RbTi3Bi5: a = 5.773(1) Å, c = 9.065(1) Å). Titanium atoms form a kagomé net with bismuth atoms in the hexagons as well as above and below the triangles. The alkali metal atoms are coordinated by 12 bismuth atoms and form AlB$_2$-like slabs between the kagomé layers. Magnetic susceptibility measurements with CsTi$_3$Bi$_5$ and RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$ single crystals reveal Pauli-paramagnetism and traces of superconductivity caused by CsBi$_2$/RbBi$_2$ impurities. Magnetotransport measurements reveal conventional Fermi liquid behavior and quantum oscillations indicative of a single dominant orbit at low temperature. DFT calculations show the characteristic metallic kagomé band structure similar to that of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ with reduced band filling. A symmetry analysis of the band structure does not reveal an obvious and unique signature of a nontrivial topology.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗