arXiv subjects

W. Brzezicki

Publications and source records attributed to W. Brzezicki.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Coupling charge and topological reconstructions at polar oxide interfaces

In oxide heterostructures, different materials are integrated into a single artificial crystal, resulting in a breaking of inversion-symmetry across the heterointerfaces. A notable example is the interface between polar and non-polar materials, where valence discontinuities lead to otherwise inaccessible charge and spin states. This approach paved the way to the discovery of numerous unconventional properties absent in the bulk constituents. However, control of the geometric structure of the electronic wavefunctions in correlated oxides remains an open challenge. Here, we create heterostructures consisting of ultrathin SrRuO$_3$, an itinerant ferromagnet hosting momentum-space sources of Berry curvature, and LaAlO$_3$, a polar wide-bandgap insulator. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an atomically sharp LaO/RuO$_2$/SrO interface configuration, leading to excess charge being pinned near the LaAlO$_3$/SrRuO$_3$ interface. We demonstrate through magneto-optical characterization, theoretical calculations and transport measurements that the real-space charge reconstruction modifies the momentum-space Berry curvature in SrRuO$_3$, driving a reorganization of the topological charges in the band structure. Our results illustrate how the topological and magnetic features of oxides can be manipulated by engineering charge discontinuities at oxide interfaces.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Berry phase engineering at oxide interfaces

Geometric phases in condensed matter play a central role in topological transport phenomena such as the quantum, spin and anomalous Hall effect (AHE). In contrast to the quantum Hall effect - which is characterized by a topological invariant and robust against perturbations - the AHE depends on the Berry curvature of occupied bands at the Fermi level and is therefore highly sensitive to subtle changes in the band structure. A unique platform for its manipulation is provided by transition metal oxide heterostructures, where engineering of emergent electrodynamics becomes possible at atomically sharp interfaces. We demonstrate that the Berry curvature and its corresponding vector potential can be manipulated by interface engineering of the correlated itinerant ferromagnet SrRuO$_3$ (SRO). Measurements of the AHE reveal the presence of two interface-tunable spin-polarized conduction channels. Using theoretical calculations, we show that the tunability of the AHE at SRO interfaces arises from the competition between two topologically non-trivial bands. Our results demonstrate how reconstructions at oxide interfaces can be used to control emergent electrodynamics on a nanometer-scale, opening new routes towards spintronics and topological electronics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Tuning nodal line semimetals in trilayered systems

We investigate two-dimensional trilayered quantum systems with multi-orbital conduction bands by focusing on the role played by the layer degree of freedom in setting the character of nodal line semimetals. The layer index can label the electronic states where the electrons reside in the unit cell and can enforce symmetry constraints in the electronic structure by protecting bands crossing. We demonstrate that both the atomic spin-orbit coupling and the removal of local orbital degeneracy can lead to different types of electronic transitions with nodal lines that undergo a changeover from a loop structure enclosing the center of the Brillouin zone to pockets winding around multiple high symmetry points. We introduce and employ a criterion to find the nodal lines transitions. On the basis of a zero-dimensional topological invariant that, for a selected electronic and energy manifold, counts the number of bands below the Fermi level with a given layer inversion eigenvalue in high symmetry points of the Brillouin zone, one can determine the structure of the nodal loops and the ensuing topological transitions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Zigzag and Checkerboard Magnetic Patterns in Orbitally Directional Double-Exchange Systems

We analyze a $t_{2g}$ double-exchange system where the orbital directionality of the itinerant degrees of freedom is a key dynamical feature that self-adjusts in response to doping and leads to a phase diagram dominated by two classes of ground-states with zigzag and checkerboard patterns. The prevalence of distinct orderings is tied to the formation of orbital molecules that in one-dimensional paths make insulating zigzag states kinetically more favorable than metallic stripes, thus allowing for a novel doping-induced metal-to-insulator transition. We find that the basic mechanism that controls the magnetic competition is the breaking of orbital directionality through structural distortions and highlight the consequences of the interorbital Coulomb interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Spin-Orbital Entanglement Emerging from Frustration in the Kugel-Khomskii Model

We investigate the zero-temperature phase diagrams of the bilayer square-lattice Kugel-Khomskii ($d^9$) model involving entangled and singlet phases using mean-field cluster approach. This diagram includes interlayer singlet phase observed in fluoride K$_3$Cu$_2$F$_7$ and exotic entangled spin-orbital phases. For a monolayer case, realized in K$_2$CuF$_4$, we perform similar calculations in finite temperature and show that the alternating-orbital ferromagnet decays first to an entangled uniform ferromagnet and then to a paramagnetic phase. Published in: J. Phys.: Conf. Series 391, 012085 (2012).

cond-mat.str-el↗