arXiv subjects

Thomas Dahm

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Dahm.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Influence of Charge Density Waves on the Hall coefficient in NiTi

We present a mean-field charge density wave theory for NiTi using density functional theory bandstructure as a starting point. We calculate the Hall coefficient as a function of temperature and compare with recent experimental results. We analyze the contributions to the Hall coefficient from different parts of the Fermi surface and find that the Hall coefficient is dominated by certain ``hot spots''. The analysis shows that these hot spots are mostly dominated by Ni d-orbitals. We demonstrate that the Hall coefficient is not well reproduced by Boltzmann transport theory within the constant relaxation time approximation without charge density waves. We consider both uniaxial and biaxial charge density waves and show that biaxial charge density waves can account well for the Hall coefficient, while uniaxial cannot. We also investigate the temperature dependence of the resistivity and the specific heat.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Optimization of Ab-Initio Based Tight-Binding Models

The electronic structure of solids can routinely be calculated by standard methods like density functional theory. However, in complicated situations like interfaces, grain boundaries or contact geometries one needs to resort to more simplified models of the electronic structure. Tight-binding models are using a reduced set of orbitals and aim to approximate the electronic structure by short range hopping processes. For example, maximally localized Wannier functions are often used for that purpose. However, their accuracy is limited by the need to disentangle the electronic bands. Here, we develop and investigate a different procedure to obtain tight-binding models inspired by machine-learning techniques. The model parameters are optimized in such a way as to reproduce ab-initio band structure data as accurately as possible using an as small as possible number of model parameters. The procedure is shown to result in models with smaller ranges and fewer orbitals than maximally localized Wannier functions but same or even better accuracy. We argue that such a procedure is more useful for automated construction of tight-binding models particularly for large-scale materials calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Particle pairing causes subdiffusion of heavy particles in the imbalanced Hubbard model

The imbalanced Hubbard model features a transition between dynamic regimes depending on the mass ratio and coupling strength between two different particle species. A slowdown of the lighter particle transport can be attributed to an emergent effective disorder induced by the heavy particles for high mass ratio and strong coupling. This subdiffusive regime has been interpreted as a Griffiths phase, linking the effect to the coexistence of metallic and insulating regions. Here, we investigate the dynamics of the heavy particles, which also reveals subdiffusive behavior, yet cannot be explained within the Griffiths picture. We demonstrate that heavy particles predominantly form small clusters, mainly pairs, during the dynamical process, which reduces their propagation speed and transiently shifts the time-dependent diffusion constant into the subdiffusive regime at late times. The necessary attraction between particles driving this process can be understood within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. We introduce a classical one-dimensional random walk model that can quantitatively reproduce the subdiffusion dynamics in the strong coupling regime.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Anomalous Diffusion, Prethermalization, and Particle Binding in an Interacting Flat Band System

We study the broadening of initially localized wave packets in a quasi one-dimensional diamond ladder with interacting, spinless fermions. The lattice possesses a flat band causing localization. We place special focus on the transition away from the flat band many-body localized case by adding very weak dispersion. By doing so, we allow propagation of the wave packet on significantly different timescales which causes anomalous diffusion. Due to the temporal separation of dynamic processes, an interaction-induced, prethermal equilibrium becomes apparent. A physical picture of light and heavy modes for this prethermal behavior can be obtained within Born-Oppenheimer approximation via basis transformation of the original Hamiltonian. This reveals a detachment between light, symmetric and heavy, anti-symmetric particle species. We show that the prethermal state is characterized by heavy particles binding together mediated by the light particles.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Many-Body Localization in Translational Invariant Diamond Ladders with Flat Bands

The presence of flat bands is a source of localization in lattice systems. While flat bands are often unstable with respect to interactions between the particles, they can persist in certain cases. We consider a diamond ladder with transverse hopping that possesses such stable flat bands and show that many-body localization appears in the presence of interactions without quenched disorder. We numerically demonstrate that the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis is violated. We show that the influence of degenerate flat band states spreads across the full energy spectrum and grows extensively in the thermodynamic limit. Furthermore, we verify localization in terms of time evolution of some local observable, revival probability, participation ratio and entanglement entropy.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2020

Density dynamics in the mass-imbalanced Hubbard chain

We consider two mutually interacting fermionic particle species on a one-dimensional lattice and study how the mass ratio $η$ between the two species affects the (equilibration) dynamics of the particles. Focussing on the regime of strong interactions and high temperatures, two well-studied points of reference are given by (i) the case of equal masses ${η= 1}$, i.e., the standard Fermi-Hubbard chain, where initial non-equilibrium density distributions are known to decay, and (ii) the case of one particle species being infinitely heavy, ${η= 0}$, leading to a localization of the lighter particles in an effective disorder potential. Given these two opposing cases, the dynamics in the case of intermediate mass ratios ${0 < η< 1}$ is of particular interest. To this end, we study the real-time dynamics of pure states featuring a sharp initial non-equilibrium density profile. Relying on the concept of dynamical quantum typicality, the resulting non-equilibrium dynamics can be related to equilibrium correlation functions. Summarizing our main results, we observe that diffusive transport occurs for moderate values of the mass imbalance, and manifests itself in a Gaussian spreading of real-space density profiles and an exponential decay of density modes in momentum space. For stronger imbalances, we provide evidence that transport becomes anomalous on intermediate time scales and, in particular, our results are consistent with the absence of strict localization in the long-time limit for any ${η> 0}$. Based on our numerical analysis, we provide an estimate for the "lifetime" of the effective localization as a function of $η$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Determination of Out-of-plane Spin Polarization of Topological Surface States by Spin Hall Effect Tunneling Spectroscopy

Determining the detailed spin texture of topological surface states is important when one wants to apply topological insulators in spintronic devices. In principle, the in-plane spin component of the surface states can be measured by a method analogous to the so-called Meservey-Tedrow technique. In the present work we suggest that the out-of-plane spin component can be determined by spin Hall effect tunneling spectroscopy. We derive an analytical formula that allows to extract the out-of-plane spin component from spin Hall effect tunneling spectra. We test our formula using realistic tight-binding models of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and Sb$_2$Te$_3$. We demonstrate that the extracted out-of-plane spin polarization is in very good agreement with the actual out-of-plane spin polarization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Theoretical investigation of the applicability of the Meservey-Tedrow technique to the surface states of topological insulators

The spin polarization of topological surface states is of high interest for possible applications in spintronics. At present, the only technique capable to measure the surface state spin texture is spin and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SARPES). However, values reported by SARPES differed strongly. An established technique to measure the spin polarization of ferromagnetic materials is the so-called Meservey-Tedrow technique, which is based on spin dependent tunneling from a superconducting electrode to a ferromagnet. Here, we theoretically investigate how the Meservey-Tedrow technique can be adapted to topological insulators. We demonstrate that with a specific device geometry it is possible to determine the in-plane component of the spin polarization of topological surface states. More complex device geometries can access the full momentum dependence of the spin polarization. We also show that it is possible to extract the spin-flip scattering rate of surface electrons with the same devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Dependence of $T_c$ on the $q-ω$ structure of the spin-fluctuation spectrum

A phenomenological spin-fluctuation analysis (Ref. 1), based upon inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data for ${\rm YBCO}_{6.6}(T_c=61K)$, is used to calculate the functional derivative of the d-wave eigenvalue $λ_d$ of the linearized gap equation with respect to the imaginary part of the spin susceptibility $χ''(q,ω)$ at 70K. For temperatures near $T_c$, the variation of $T_c$ with respect to $χ''(q,ω)$ is proportional to this functional derivative. Based on this, we discuss how different parts of the $q$ and $ω$ dependent spin-fluctuation spectrum of YBCO$_{6.6}$ contribute to $T_c$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Pure spin current devices based on ferromagnetic topological insulators

Two-dimensional topological insulators possess two counter propagating edge channels with op- posite spin direction. Recent experimental progress allowed to create ferromagnetic topological insulators realizing a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state. In the QAH state one of the two edge channels disappears due to the strong ferromagnetic exchange field. We investigate heterostuctures of topological insulators and ferromagnetic topological insulators by means of numerical transport calculations. We show that spin current flow in such heterostructures can be controlled with high fidelity. Specifically, we propose spintronic devices that are capable of creating, switching and de- tecting pure spin currents using the same technology. In these devices electrical currents are directly converted into spin currents, allowing a high conversion efficiency. Energy independent transport properties in combination with large bulk gaps in some topological insulator materials may allow operation even at room temperature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Role of the upper branch of the hour-glass magnetic spectrum in the formation of the main kink in the electronic dispersion of high-T$_\text{c}$ cuprate superconductors

We investigate the electronic dispersion of the high-T$_{\mathrm{c}}$ cuprate superconductors using the fully self-consistent version of the phenomenological model, where charge planar quasiparticles are coupled to spin fluctuations. The inputs we use ---the underlying (bare) band structure and the spin susceptibility $χ$--- are extracted from fits of angle resolved photoemission and inelastic neutron scattering data of underdoped YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.6}$ by T. Dahm and coworkers (T. Dahm et al., Nat. Phys. 5, 217 (2009)). Our main results are: (i) We have confirmed the finding by T. Dahm and coworkers that the main nodal kink is, for the present values of the input parameters, determined by the upper branch of the hour-glass of $χ$. We demonstrate that the properties of the kink depend qualitatively on the strength of the charge-spin coupling. (ii) The effect of the resonance mode of $χ$ on the electronic dispersion strongly depends on its kurtosis in the quasimomentum space. A low (high) kurtosis implies a negligible (considerable) effect of the mode on the dispersion in the near-nodal region. (iii) The energy of the kink decreases as a function of the angle $θ$ between the Fermi surface cut and the nodal direction, in qualitative agreement with recent experimental observations. We clarify the trend and make a specific prediction concerning the angular dependence of the kink energy in underdoped YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.6}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Topological flat bands in optical checkerboard-like lattices

We present comparatively simple two-dimensional and three-dimensional checkerboard-like optical lattices possessing nontrivial topological properties. By simple tuning of the parameters these lattices can have a topological insulating phase, a topological semi-metallic phase, or a trivial insulating phase. This allows study of different topological phase transitions within a single cold atom system. In the topologically nontrivial phases flat bands appear at the surfaces of the system. These surface states possess short localization lengths such that they are observable even in systems with small lattice dimensions. Our proposed lattices neither need spin-orbit coupling nor non-Abelian gauge fields to reach topologically nontrivial states.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Dynamics of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate in the vicinity of a superconductor

We study the dynamics of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, like for example a $^{52}$Cr or $^{164}$Dy condensate, interacting with a superconducting surface. The magnetic dipole moments of the atoms in the Bose-Einstein condensate induce eddy currents in the superconductor. The magnetic field generated by eddy currents modifies the trapping potential such that the center-of-mass oscillation frequency is shifted. We numerically solve the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for this system and compare the results with analytical approximations. We present an approximation that gives excellent agreement with the numerical results. The eddy currents give rise to anharmonic terms, which leads to the excitation of shape fluctuations of the condensate. We discuss how the strength of the excitation of such modes can be increased by exploiting resonances, and we examine the strength of the resonances as a function of the center-of-mass oscillation amplitude of the condensate. Finally, we study different orientations of the magnetic dipoles and discuss favorable conditions for the experimental observation of the eddy current effect.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Tunneling magnetoresistance devices based on topological insulators: Ferromagnet/insulator/topological-insulator junctions employing Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$

We theoretically investigate tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) devices, which are probing the spin-momentum coupled nature of surface states of the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$. Theoretical calculations are performed based on a realistic tight-binding model for Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$. We study both three dimensional devices, which exploit the surface states of Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$, as well as two-dimensional devices, which exploit the edge states of thin Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ strips. We demonstrate that the material properties of Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ allow a TMR ratio at room temperature of the order of 1000%. Analytical formulas are derived that allow a quick estimate of the achievable TMR ratio in these devices. The devices can be used to measure the spin polarization of the topological surface states as an alternative to spin-ARPES. Unlike TMR devices based on magnetic tunnel junctions the present devices avoid the use of a second ferromagnetic electrode whose magnetization needs to be pinned.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic anisotropy of thin sputtered MgB2 films on MgO substrates in high magnetic fields

We investigated the magnetic anisotropy ratio of thin sputtered polycrystalline MgB2 films on MgO substrates. Using high magnetic field measurements, we estimated an anisotropy ratio of 1.35 for T=0 K with an upper critical field of 31.74 T in the parallel case and 23.5 T in the perpendicular case. Direct measurements of a magnetic-field sweep at 4.2 K show a linear behavior, confirmed by a linear fit for magnetic fields perpendicular to the film plane. Furthermore, we observed a change of up to 12% of the anisotropy ratio in dependence of the film thickness.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Appearance of flat surface bands in three-dimensional topological insulators in a ferromagnetic exchange field

We study the properties of the surface states in three-dimensional topological insulators in the presence of a ferromagnetic exchange field. We demonstrate that for layered materials like Bi$_2$Se$_3$ the surface states on the top surface behave qualitatively different than the surface states at the side surfaces. We show that the group velocity of the surface states can be tuned by the direction and strength of the exchange field. If the exchange field becomes larger than the bulk gap of the material, a phase transition into a topologically nontrivial semimetallic state occurs. In particular, the material becomes a Weyl semimetal, if the exchange field possesses a non-zero component perpendicular to the layers. Associated with the Weyl semimetallic state we show that Fermi arcs appear at the surface. Under certain circumstances either one-dimensional or even two-dimensional surface flat bands can appear. We show that the appearence of these flat bands is related to chiral symmetries of the system and can be understood in terms of topological winding numbers. In contrast to previous systems that have been suggested to possess surface flat bands, the present system has a much larger energy scale, allowing the observation of surface flat bands at room temperature. The flat bands are tunable in the sense that they can be turned on or off by rotation of the ferromagnetic exchange field. Our findings are supported by both numerical results on a finite system as well as approximate analytical results.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Quasi-Particle Interference Probe of the Self-Energy

Quasi-particle interference (QPI) measurements have provided a powerful tool for determining the momentum dependence of the gap of unconventional superconductors. Here we examine the possibility of using such measurements to probe the frequency and momentum dependence of the electron self-energy. For illustration, we calculate the QPI response function for a cuprate-like Fermi surface with an electron self-energy from an RPA approximation. Then we try to reextract the self-energy from the dispersion of the peaks in the QPI response function using different approaches. We show that in principle it is possible to extract the self-energy from the QPI response for certain nested momentum directions. We discuss some of the limitations that one faces.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Changes in the self-energy and d-wave pairing strength with doping in overdoped La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4

Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of the overdoped cuprate superconductor La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ find only small changes in the near nodal electron self energy over a spectral range of several hundred meV as the doping increases from x=0.2 to x=0.3 and the superconducting transition temperature T_c decreases from 32K to 0K. These measurements put constraints on the structure of the electron-electron interaction. Here we show that a spin-fluctuation interaction leads to behavior which is consistent with these experimental results.

cond-mat.supr-con↗