arXiv subjects

Umut Kamber

Publications and source records attributed to Umut Kamber.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Influence of surface relaxations on scanning probe microscopy images of the charge density wave material 2H-NbSe$_2$

Scanning tunneling microscopy is the method of choice for characterizing charge density waves by imaging the variation in atomic-scale contrast of the surface. Due to the measurement principle of scanning tunneling microscopy, the electronic and lattice degrees of freedom are convoluted, making it difficult to disentangle a structural displacement from spatial variations in the electronic structure. In this work, we characterize the influence of the displacement of the surface-terminating Se atoms on the 3 x 3 charge density wave contrast in scanning probe microscopy images of 2H-NbSe$_2$. In scanning tunneling microscopy images, we observe the 3 x 3 charge density wave superstructure and atomic lattice at all probed tip-sample distances. In contrast, non-contact atomic force microscopy images show both periodicities only at small tip-sample distances while, unexpectedly, a 3 x 3 superstructure is present at larger tip-sample distances. Using density functional theory calculations, we qualitatively reproduce the experimental findings and indicate that the 3 x 3 superstructure at different tip-sample distances in non-contact atomic force microscopy images is a result from different underlying interactions. In addition, we show that the displacement of the surface-terminating Se atoms has a negligible influence to the contrast in scanning tunneling microscopy images. Our combined experimental and theoretic work presents a method on how to discriminate the influence of the surface corrugation from the variation of the charge density to the charge density wave contrast in scanning probe microscopy images, which can provide insights into the influence of structural disorder to a charge density wave ground state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

High-Resolution Tunneling Spectroscopy of Fractional Quantum Hall States

Strong interaction between electrons in two-dimensional systems in the presence of a high magnetic field gives rise to fractional quantum Hall states that host quasiparticles with fractional charge and fractional exchange statistics. Here, we demonstrate high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of fractional quantum Hall states in ultra clean Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene devices. Spectroscopy measurements show sharp excitations that have been predicted to emerge when electrons fractionalize into bound states of quasiparticles. We find energy gaps for candidate non-abelian fractional states that are larger by a factor of five than other related systems - for example semiconductor heterostructures - and this suggests bilayer graphene is an ideal platform for the manipulation of these quasiparticles and for the creation of a topological quantum bit. We also find previously unobserved fractional states in our very clean graphene samples.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Anisotropic superconductivity induced at a hybrid superconducting-semiconducting interface

Epitaxial semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures are promising as a platform for gate-tunable superconducting electronics. Thus far, the superconducting properties in such hybrid systems have been predicted based on simplified hybridization models which neglect the electronic structure that can arise at the interface. Here, we demonstrate that the hybrid electronic structure derived at the interface between semiconducting black phosphorus and atomically thin films of lead can drastically modify the superconducting properties of the thin metallic film. Using ultra-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we ascertain the moir\'e structure driven by the interface, and observe a strongly anisotropic renormalization of the superconducting gap and vortex structure of the lead film. Based on density functional theory, we attribute the renormalization of the superconductivity to weak hybridization at the interface where the anisotropic characteristics of the semiconductor band structure is imprinted on the Fermi surface of the superconductor. Based on a hybrid two-band model, we link this hybridization-driven renormalization to a weighting of the superconducting order parameter that quantitatively reproduces the measured spectra. These results illustrate the effect of interfacial hybridization at superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures, and pathways for engineering quantum technologies based on gate-tunable superconducting electronics.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Thermally-induced magnetic order from glassiness in elemental neodymium

Temperature in thermodynamics is synonymous with disorder, and responsible for ultimately destroying ordered phases. Here, we show an unusual magnetic transition where, with increasing the temperature of elemental neodymium, long-range multi-Q magnetic order emerges from a self-induced spin glass. Using temperature-dependent spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, we characterize the local Q order in the spin-Q glass phase and quantify the emergence of long-range multi-Q order with increasing temperature. We develop two distinct analysis tools, which enable the quantification of the glass transition temperature, based on measured spatially-dependent magnetization. We compare these observations with atomic spin dynamics simulations, which reproduce the qualitative observation of a phase transition from a low-temperature spin glass phase to an intermediate ordered multi-Q phase. These simulations trace the origin of the unexpected high temperature order in weakened frustration driven by temperature-dependent sublattice correlations. These findings constitute an example of order from disorder and provide a rich platform to study magnetization dynamics in a self-induced spin glass.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Moir\'e induced electronic structure modifications in monolayer V$_{2}$S$_{3}$ on Au(111)

There is immense interest in how the local environment influences the electronic structure of materials at the single layer limit. We characterize moir\'e induced spatial variations in the electronic structure of in-situ grown monolayer V2S3 on Au(111) by means of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We observe a long-range modulation of the integrated local density of states (LDOS), and quantify this modulation with respect to the moir\'e superstructure for multiple orientations of the monolayer with respect to the substrate. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals a prominent peak in the LDOS, which is shifted in energy at different points of the moir\'e superstructure. Comparing ab initio calculations with angle-resolved photoemission, we are able to attribute this peak to bands that exhibit a large out-of-plane d-orbital character. This suggests that the moir\'e driven variations in the measured density of states is driven by a periodic modulation of the monolayer-substrate hybridization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Self-induced spin glass state in elemental and crystalline neodymium

Spin glasses are a highly complex magnetic state of matter, intricately linked to spin frustration and structural disorder. They exhibit no long-range order and exude aging phenomena, distinguishing them from quantum spin liquids. We report a new type of spin glass state, the spin-Q glass, observable in bulk-like crystalline metallic neodymium thick films. Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy combined with ab initio calculations and atomistic spin-dynamics simulations, we visualize the variations in atomic-scale non-collinear order and its response to magnetic field and temperature. We quantify the aging phenomena relating the glassiness to crystalline symmetry and the energy landscape. This result not only resolves the long-standing debate of the magnetism of neodymium, but also suggests that glassiness may arise in other magnetic solids lacking extrinsic disorder.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗