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Tomas Samuely

Publications and source records attributed to Tomas Samuely.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Doping-controlled topological superconducting transition in misfit layer compounds

Achieving topological superconductivity is a key goal in quantum physics, offering a path to fault-tolerant quantum computers. A central challenge in this field is to continuously drive a material through a topological quantum phase transition to directly observe the evolution from trivial to topological superconductivity. However, finding a robust platform that allows such extreme and precise tuning remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrate a doping-controlled phase transition from a conventional to a topological superconducting state in the bulk misfit layer compound (LaxPb1-xSe)1.14(NbSe2)2. We reveal a non-monotonic phase diagram characterized by two distinct superconducting regimes separated by a non-superconducting phase at a precise doping. In the highly doped regime, the superconducting phase becomes remarkably sensitive to non-magnetic disorder, and orientation-selective in-gap modes emerge at atomic step edges. Supported by Bogoliubov-de Gennes calculations, these emergent spatial signatures are consistent with a time-reversal-symmetric crystalline-topological order parameter. Our results establish misfit compounds as a platform to engineering topological superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2026

Doping tunable charge density waves in misfit layer compounds

The ability to tune charge density waves (CDWs) through external control knobs, such as doping, pressure or strain is crucial for exploring the phase diagram of two dimensional (2D) or quasi-2D materials. Yet, controlling CDWs critical temperature and ordering vector remains a challenge for current experimental techniques. In this work, we establish misfit layer compound heterostructures as a reliable platform to manipulate CDWs in transition metal dichalcogenides. By combining ab initio calculations with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we show how to achieve doping tunable control over NbSe2 CDW by chemically alloying in the rocksalt subunit. Crucially, we prove that tuning the La Pb ratio in the misfit family (LaxPb1xSe)1.14(NbSe2)2 enables stabilization of different CDW orders, such as 2x2 or 3x3 patterns, and even coexisting phases. This work paves the way for engineering transition metal dichalcogenides with tailored charge density waves within misfit heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2025

Ising superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric bulk NbSe2

Ising superconductivity allows in-plane upper critical magnetic fields to vastly surpass Pauli limit by locking the antiparallel electron spins of Cooper pairs in the out-of-plane direction. It was first explicitly demonstrated in fully two-dimensional monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides with large spin-orbit coupling and broken inversion symmetry. Since then, several studies have shown that it can be present in layered bulk materials, too. In our previous study, we have clarified the underlying microscopic mechanism of Ising superconductivity in bulk, based on a reduced electronic coupling between superconducting layers due to intercalation by insulating layers and restricted inversion symmetry. But earlier studies suggest that in some transition metal dichalcogenide polytypes Pauli paramagnetic limit is violated even without intercalation. Here, using heat capacity measurements we unambiguously demonstrate, that the pristine noncentrosymmetric bulk 4Ha-NbSe2 polytype significantly violates the Pauli limit. The band structure parameters obtained from ab initio calculations using the experimentally determined crystal structure are used in the theoretical model which provides the microscopic mechanism of the Ising protection based solely on broken inversion symmetry.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2025

Misfit layer superconductors, tuneable bulk heterostructures with strong 2D effects

Atomically thin layered materials are systems with zero limit bulk-to-surface ratio. Their physical properties are determined by two-dimensionality and strongly affected by interfacing with other systems. Therefore, they represent an accessible platform for the abundance of quantum effects that can be engineered by combining them into vertical stacks. Two types of layered systems are considered here - artificially prepared (exfoliated) van der Waals nanostructures, and naturally layered systems showing quasi 2D behaviour already in a bulk form. A special class of naturally layered materials is misfit structures combining atomic layers of hexagonal transition metal dichalcogenides and slabs of tetragonal ionic rare-earth monochalcogenides in the same superlattice. Both types of layered systems feature a new state of quantum matter, the Ising superconductivity extremely resilient to external magnetic field. A giant electron doping, natural to the misfit structures, can lead to topological superconductivity. Both systems can also be assembled into heterostructures combining different constituents. Layered 2D heterostructures have a large number of implications for many potential applications in solid-state devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2024

Preparation of gold-modified palladium thin films as efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Devising effective platinum (Pt)-free nanomaterials for catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is desired, but some main drawbacks still exist for commercial implementation in fuel cell systems. Herein, we present the preparation of gold (Au)-modified palladium (Pd) thin films with various thicknesses of Au using magnetron sputtering deposition. It is found that the prepared Au-modified Pd (Au/Pd) thin films with some desirable characteristics such as large electrochemical surface area (ECSA), improved electron transfer, along with high catalytical active positions reveal markedly boosted electro-catalytic activity and stability for oxygen reduction in acidic environments compared with pure Pd catalyst. Noticeably, the as-deposited Au/Pd thin films exhibit a connection in oxygen reduction ability as a function of Au thickness, with the 0.16 nm Au/Pd thin film being the best ORR sample. Significantly, 0.16 nm Au/Pd material demonstrates superior stability after 1000 potential cycles in comparison with the 0.16 nm Pt/Pd owing to the influence of Au modification as well as its structurally stable surfaces.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Suspended dry pick-up and flip-over assembly for van der Waals heterostructures with ultra-clean surfaces

Van der Waals heterostructures are an excellent platform for studying intriguing interface phenomena, such as moir\'e and proximity effects. Surface science techniques like scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have proven a powerful tool to study such heterostructures but have so far been hampered because of their high sensitivity to surface contamination. Here, we report a dry polymer-based assembly technique to fabricate van der Waals heterostructures with atomically clean surfaces. The key features of our suspended dry pick-up and flip-over technique are 1) the heterostructure surface never comes into contact with polymers, 2) it is entirely solvent-free, 3) it is entirely performed in a glovebox, and 4) it only requires temperatures below 130$^{\circ}$. By performing ambient atomic force microscopy and atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy on example heterostructures, we demonstrate that we can fabricate air-sensitive heterostructures with ultra-clean interfaces and surfaces. Due to the lack of polymer melting, the technique is further compatible with heterostructure assembly under ultra-high vacuum conditions, which promises ultimate heterostructure quality.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2023

One-dimensional topological superconductivity in a van der Waals heterostructure

One-dimensional (1D) topological superconductivity is a state of matter that is not found in nature. However, it can be realised, for example, by inducing superconductivity into the quantum spin Hall edge state of a two-dimensional topological insulator. Because topological superconductors are proposed to host Majorana zero modes, they have been suggested as a platform for topological quantum computing. Yet, conclusive proof of 1D topological superconductivity has remained elusive. Here, we employ low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy to show 1D topological superconductivity in a van der Waals heterostructure by directly probing its superconducting properties, instead of relying on the observation of Majorana zero modes at its boundary. We realise this by placing the two-dimensional topological insulator monolayer WTe$_2$ on the superconductor NbSe$_2$. We find that the superconducting topological edge state is robust against magnetic fields, a hallmark of its triplet pairing. Its topological protection is underpinned by a lateral self-proximity effect, which is resilient against disorder in the monolayer edge. By creating this exotic state in a van der Waals heterostructure, we provide an adaptable platform for the future realization of Majorana bound states. Finally, our results more generally demonstrate the power of Abrikosov vortices as effective experimental probes for superconductivity in nanostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2023

Protection of Ising spin-orbit coupling in bulk misfit superconductors

Low-dimensional materials have remarkable properties that are distinct from their bulk counterparts. A paradigmatic example is Ising superconductivity that occurs in monolayer materials such as NbSe2 which show a strong violation of the Pauli limit. In monolayers, this occurs due to a combination of broken inversion symmetry and spin-orbit coupling that locks the spins of the electrons out-of-plane. Bulk NbSe2 is centrosymmetric and is therefore not an Ising superconductor. We show that bulk misfit compound superconductors, (LaSe)1.14(NbSe2) and (LaSe)1.14(NbSe2)2, comprised of monolayers and bilayers of NbSe2, exhibit unexpected Ising protection with a Pauli-limit violation comparable to monolayer NbSe2, despite formally having inversion symmetry. We study these misfit compounds using complementary experimental methods in combination with first-principles calculations. We propose theoretical mechanisms of how the Ising protection can survive in bulk materials. We show how some of these mechanisms operate in these bulk compounds due to a concerted effect of charge-transfer, defects, reduction of interlayer hopping, and stacking. This highlights how Ising superconductivity can, unexpectedly, arise in bulk materials, and possibly enable the design of bulk superconductors that are resilient to magnetic fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2020

Misfit layer compounds: a platform for heavily-doped two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) display a rich variety of instabilities such as spin and charge orders, Ising superconductivity and topological properties. Their physical properties can be controlled by doping in electric double-layer field-effect transistors (FET). However, for the case of single layer NbSe$_2$, FET doping is limited to $\approx 1\times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$, while a somewhat larger charge injection can be obtained via deposition of K atoms. Here, by performing ARPES, STM, quasiparticle interference measurements, and first principles calculations we show that a misfit compound formed by sandwiching NbSe$_2$ and LaSe layers behaves as a NbSe$_2$ single layer with a rigid doping of $0.55-0.6$ electrons per Nb atom or $\approx 6\times 10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$. Due to this huge doping, the $3\times3$ charge density wave is replaced by a $2\times2$ order with very short coherence length. As a tremendous number of different misfit compounds can be obtained by sandwiching TMDs layers with rock salt or other layers, our work paves the way to the exploration of heavily doped 2D TMDs over an unprecedented wide range of doping.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2020

Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond

The combination of different exotic properties in materials paves the way for the emergence of their new potential applications. An example is the recently found coexistence of the mutually antagonistic ferromagnetism and superconductivity in hydrogenated boron-doped diamond, which promises to be an attractive system with which to explore unconventional physics. Here, we show the emergence of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) bands with a spatial extent of tens of nanometers in ferromagnetic superconducting diamond using scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We demonstrate theoretically how a two-dimensional (2D) spin lattice at the surface of a three-dimensional (3D) superconductor gives rise to the YSR bands, and how their density-of-states profile correlates with the spin lattice structure. The established strategy to realize new forms of the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity opens a way to engineer the unusual electronic states and also to design better performing superconducting devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗