arXiv subjects

Xiaolin Ren

Publications and source records attributed to Xiaolin Ren.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Coexistence of High Temperature Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetic Order in a Cuprate with Multiple Hole Fermi Pockets

The intricate relationship between high temperature superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order in cuprates, and the fundamental origin of electron pairing remain open questions. By utilizing high-resolution laser-based spatially-resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigate the seven-layer $Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{6}Cu_{7}O_{18+\delta}$ (Bi2267) and identify a cuprate system that consists of multiple hole Fermi pockets. The observed Fermi pockets exhibit pronounced momentum-, temperature- and Fermi surface-dependent energy gaps. Crucially, high temperature superconductivity with a critical temperature ($T_{\mathrm{c}}$) of $\sim$75 K emerges in a system with multiple Fermi pockets and the presence of strong antiferromagnetic order and correlations. In particular, substantial electron pairing is observed along the Fermi pocket with an energy gap up to $\sim$42 meV in lightly-doped CuO$_{2}$ planes ($p\sim$0.05). These findings challenge the conventional understanding of the roles of the nodal and antinodal electronic states in driving high-temperature superconductivity. They show that superconductivity and antiferromagnetism can coexist in a cuprate with multiple Fermi pockets, offering further insights into the pairing mechanism in cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Persistent Fermi Pockets and Robust Electron Pairing in Lightly Doped CuO$_2$ Planes of Cuprate Superconductors

High temperature superconductivity in cuprate superconductors is generally considered to be generated from doping the Mott insulators. The fundamental nature of the doped parent compounds as well as the microscopic origin of electron pairing remain critical issues in understanding the emergence of superconductivity. Here, using high-resolution spatially-resolved laser angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigate the intrinsic electronic structures of the CuO$_2$ planes in multilayer cuprates Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{n-1}$Cu$_n$O$_{2n+4+\delta}$ (n=5$\sim$8). The inner CuO$_2$ planes are well shielded from the disorders and provide a rare and ideal platform to probe the intrinsic electronic phase diagram. We observe well-defined Fermi pockets with hole doping levels as low as 0.007, demonstrating an abrupt transition from the parent Mott insulator to a metallic state upon the introduction of an infinitesimal amount of doping. The innermost CuO$_2$ planes (IP$_0$) display gapless Fermi pockets, while the second innermost planes (IP$_1$) exhibit anisotropic superconducting gaps up to $\sim$33$\,$meV, indicative of robust electron pairing coexisting with strong antiferromagnetic order. Our findings provide a revised framework for understanding the doping-driven transitions and pairing mechanisms in cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Unusual Dual Flat Bands and two-dimensional Dirac-node Arc State in Kagome Metal Ni3In2S2

Kagome materials are at the frontier of condensed matter physics. An ideal kagome lattice features only one geometrically frustrated flat band spanning the entire momentum space and a single Dirac cone at the Brillouin-zone corners. However, for the first time, here we observe unusual flat-band and Dirac physics in the newly discovered "322" kagome material Ni3In2S2 by combining high-resolution synchrotron- and laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a micro-focused beam, scanning tunneling microscopy, and first-principles calculations. We resolve two distinct electronic flat-band states located in close proximity to the Fermi level: a robust Topological Surface Flat Band at ~40 meV below the Fermi level on the Sulfur-terminated surface, originating from weak topological insulator states, and a kagome lattice-derived flat band at ~100 meV binding energy with an ultranarrow bandwidth (~5 meV). Instead of the single Dirac cone, the Indium-terminated surface hosts a rare two-dimensional Dirac-node arc state, where the gapless Dirac nodes extend along an open one-dimensional line crossing the Brillouin-zone boundary, exhibiting sharp linear dispersion, exceptionally high Fermi velocity, and pronounced circular dichroism. These findings establish Ni3In2S2 as a unique topological kagome metal in which multiple flat-band states of different physical origin coexist with an unusual Dirac-node arc, opening an avenue for discovering flat-band--driven and topology-enabled quantum phenomena.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Stabilizing and Tuning Superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_{7-δ}$ Films: Oxygen Recycling Protocol Reveals Hole-Doping Analogue

The recent achievement of superconductivity in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_{7-δ}$ with transition temperatures exceeding 40 K in thin films under compressive strain and 80 K in bulk crystals under high pressure opens new avenues for research on high-temperature superconductivity. The realization of superconductivity in thin films requires delicate control of growth conditions, which presents significant challenges in the synthesis process. Furthermore, the stability of superconducting La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_{7-δ}$ films is compromised by oxygen loss, which complicates their characterization. We introduce an effective recycling protocol that involves oxygen removal in a precursor phase followed by ozone-assisted annealing, which restores superconducting properties. By tuning the oxygen content, we construct an electronic phase diagram that highlights oxygen addition as a potential analogue to hole doping via La substitution with Sr, providing insights into the doping mechanism and guiding future material optimization.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Spin-flop driven interfacial tunneling magnetoresistance in an antiferromagnetic tunnel junction

The utilization of two-dimensional (2D) materials in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) has shown excellent performance and rich physics. As for 2D antiferromagnets, the magnetic moments in different layers respond asynchronously and can be configured at various states under different magnetic fields, showing the possibility of efficient magnetic and electrical tunability. In this report, A-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) material (Fe0.5Co0.5)5GeTe2 (FCGT) works as electrodes to realize full van der Waals magnetic tunnel junctions. Owing to the interfacial effect, the even-layer FCGT, although with zero net magnetization, exhibits spin selectivity in MTJ architecture contributing to a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) reaching about 25% at a low operating current 1 nA at 100 K and persists near room temperature. Due to the surface spin-flop (SSF) effect in antiferromagnetic FCGT, the alternation flexibility between the volatile and nonvolatile memory behavior is achieved. The interfacial TMR can be tuned efficiently in amplitude and even sign under different bias currents and temperatures. These findings show precise magnetoelectric manipulation in MTJs based on 2D antiferromagnets and highlight the promise of 2D antiferromagnets for spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Impact of Electron Correlations on Infinite-Layer Cuprates and Nickelates

Optimization of unconventional superconductivity involves a balance of interaction strengths. Precise determination of correlation strength across different material families is therefore important. Here, we present a combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) study of infinite-layer PrNiO$_2$ and SrCuO$_2$ that enables fair comparison of their interaction strengths. For both compounds, we study the orbital and magnetic excitations and extract their dispersions along high-symmetry directions. Using a single-band Hubbard model and including higher-order exchange interactions, we derive the correlation factor $U/t$ for both compounds. A key finding is that despite a smaller Coulomb repulsion $U$, PrNiO$_2$ exhibits a correlation strength that is 20% stronger than that of its isostructural cuprate counterpart SrCuO$_2$. This indicates that a moderation of the correlation strength may further optimize superconductivity in nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Doping Evolution of Nodal Electron Dynamics in Trilayer Cuprate Superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{10+δ}$ Revealed by Laser-Based Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

The doping evolution of the nodal electron dynamics in the trilayer cuprate superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{10+δ}$ (Bi2223) is investigated using high-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Bi2223 single crystals with different doping levels are prepared by controlled annealing which cover the underdoped, optimally-doped and overdoped regions. The electronic phase diagram of Bi2223 is established which describes the T$_\mathrm{c}$ dependence on the sample doping level. The doping dependence of the nodal Fermi momentum for the outer (OP) and inner (IP) CuO$_2$ planes is determined. Charge distribution imbalance between the OP and IP CuO$_2$ planes is quantified, showing enhanced disparity with increasing doping. Nodal band dispersions demonstrate a prominent kink at $\sim$94$\,$meV in the IP band, attributed to the unique Cu coordination in the IP plane, while a weaker $\sim$60$\,$meV kink is observed in the OP band. The nodal Fermi velocity of both OP and IP bands is nearly constant at $\sim$1.62$\,$eVÅ independent of doping. These results provide important information to understand the origin of high T$_\mathrm{c}$ and superconductivity mechanism in high temperature cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Persistent paramagnons in high-temperature infinite-layer nickelate superconductors

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in hole-doped SmNiO$_2$, exhibiting the record-high transition temperature $T_c$ among infinite-layer (IL) nickelates, has opened a new avenue for exploring design principles of superconductivity. Experimentally determining the electronic structure and magnetic interactions in this new system is crucial to elucidating the mechanism behind the enhanced superconductivity. Here, we report a Ni $L$-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) study of superconducting Sm-based IL nickelate thin films Sm$_{1-x-y-z}$Eu$_x$Ca$_y$Sr$_z$NiO$_2$ (SECS). Dispersive paramagnonic excitations are observed in both optimally and overdoped SECS samples, supporting a spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing scenario. However, despite the two-fold enhancement of $T_c$ in the Sm-based nickelates compared to their Pr-based counterparts, the effective exchange coupling strength is reduced by approximately $20\%$. This behavior contrasts with hole-doped cuprates, where magnetic interactions correlate positively with $T_c$, highlighting essential differences in their superconducting mechanisms.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Correlation-driven quantum geometry effects in a Kondo system

Quantum geometry, including quantum metric and Berry curvature, which describes the topology of electronic states, can induce fascinating physical properties. Symmetry-dependent nonlinear transport has emerged as a sensitive probe of these quantum geometric properties. However, its interplay with strong electronic correlations has rarely been explored in bulk materials, particularly in a Kondo lattice system. Here, we uncover correlation-driven quantum geometry in centrosymmetric antiferromagnetic iron telluride (FeTe). We experimentally observe the quantum metric quadrupole-induced third-order nonlinear transport, whose angular dependence reflects magnetic structure in FeTe. The nonlinear transport signals follow Kondo lattice crossover and vanish at high temperatures. Our theory suggests that a Kondo lattice formed at low temperatures explains the emergence of quantum geometry, which is induced by the opening of a hybridization gap near the Fermi energy. This discovery establishes a paradigm where quantum geometry arises not from static symmetry breaking but from dynamic many-body effects and provides a zero-field probe for sensing antiferromagnetic order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Resolving the Electronic Ground State of La3Ni2O7-δ Films

The recent discovery of a superconductivity signature in La3Ni2O7-δ under a pressure of 14 GPa, with a superconducting transition temperature of around 80 K, has attracted considerable attention. An important aspect of investigating electronic structures is discerning the extent to which the electronic ground state of La3Ni2O7-δ resembles the parent state of the cuprate superconductor, a charge transfer insulator with long-range antiferromagnetism. Through X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have uncovered the crucial influence of oxygen ligands on the electronic ground states of the Ni ions, displaying a charge transfer nature akin to cuprate but with distinct orbital configurations. Both in-plane and out-of-plane Zhang-Rice singlets associated with Ni d_(x^2-y^2 ) and d_(z^2) orbitals are identified, together with a strong interlayer coupling through inner apical oxygen. Additionally, in La3Ni2O7-δ films, we have detected a superlattice reflection (1/4, 1/4, L) at the Ni L absorption edge using resonant X-ray scattering measurements. Further examination of the resonance profile indicates that the reflection originates from the Ni d orbitals. By evaluating the reflection's azimuthal angle dependence, we have confirmed the presence of collinear antiferromagnetic spin ordering and charge-like anisotropy ordered with the same periodicity. Notably, our findings reveal a microscopic relationship between these two components in the temperature dependence of the scattering intensity of the reflection. This investigation enriches our understanding of high-temperature superconductivity in La3Ni2O7-δ under high pressure.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Robust field-free switching using large unconventional spin-orbit torque in an all-van der Waals heterostructure

The emerging all-van der Waals (vdW) magnetic heterostructure provides a new platform to control the magnetization by the electric field beyond the traditional spintronics devices. One promising strategy is using unconventional spin-orbit torque (SOT) exerted by the out-of-plane polarized spin current to enable deterministic magnetization switching and enhance the switching efficiency. However, in all-vdW heterostructures, large unconventional SOT remains elusive and the robustness of the field-free switching against external magnetic field hasn't been examined, which hinder further applications. Here we demonstrate the field-free switching in an all-vdW heterostructure combining a type-II Weyl semimetal TaIrTe4 and above-room-temperature ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2. The fully field-free switching can be achieved at 2.56 x 10^10 A per m2 at 300K and a large SOT effective field efficiency of the out-of-plane polarized spin current generated by TaIrTe4 is determined to be 0.37. Moreover, we find that the switching polarity cannot be changed until the external in-plane magnetic field reaches 252mT, indicating a robust switching against the magnetic field. The numerical simulation suggests the large unconventional SOT reduces the switching current density and enhances the robustness of the switching. Our work shows that all-vdW heterostructures are promising candidates for future highly efficient and stable SOT-based devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Absence of BCS-BEC Crossover in FeSe0.45Te0 55 Superconductor

In iron-based superconductor Fe(Se,Te), a flat band-like feature near the Fermi level was observed around the Brillouin zone center in the superconducting state. It is under debate whether this is the evidence on the presence of the BCS-BEC crossover in the superconductor. High-resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements are carried out on high quality single crystals of FeSe0.45Te0.55 superconductor to address the issue. By employing different polarization geometries, we have resolved and isolated the dyz band and the topological surface band, making it possible to study their superconducting behaviors separately. The dyz band alone does not form a flat band-like feature in the superconducting state and the measured dispersion can be well described by the BCS picture. We find that the flat band-like feature is formed from the combination of the dyz band and the topological surface state band in the superconducting state. These results reveal the origin of the flat band-like feature and rule out the presence of BCS-BEC crossover in Fe(Se,Te) superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

van Hove Singularity-Driven Emergence of Multiple Flat Bands in Kagome Superconductors

The newly discovered Kagome superconductors AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=K, Rb and Cs) continue to bring surprises in generating unusual phenomena and physical properties, including anomalous Hall effect, unconventional charge density wave, electronic nematicity and time-reversal symmetry breaking. Here we report an unexpected emergence of multiple flat bands in the AV$_3$Sb$_5$ superconductors. By performing high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements, we observed four branches of flat bands that span over the entire momentum space. The appearance of the flat bands is not anticipated from the band structure calculations and cannot be accounted for by the known mechanisms of flat band generation. It is intimately related to the evolution of van Hove singularities. It is for the first time to observe such emergence of multiple flat bands in solid materials. Our findings provide new insights in revealing the underlying mechanism that governs the unusual behaviors in the Kagome superconductors. They also provide a new pathway in producing flat bands and set a platform to study the flat bands related physics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Two Distinct Charge Orders in Infinite-layer PrNiO2+δ revealed by Resonant X-ray Diffraction

A broken translation symmetry has recently been revealed in infinite-layer nickelates, which has piqued considerable interest in its origin and relation to superconductivity, as well as in its comparison to charge order in cuprates. Here, by performing resonant x-ray scattering measurements in thin films of infinite-layer PrNiO2+δ, we find that the superlattice reflection at the Ni L3 absorption edge differs considerably from that at the Pr M5 resonance in their dependence on energy, temperature, and local symmetry, indicating they are two distinct charge orders despite the same in-plane wavevectors. These dissimilarities might be related to the excess oxygen dopants, considering that the resonant reflections were observed in an incompletely reduced PrNiO2+δ film. In addition, our azimuthal analysis suggests that the oxygen ligands should play a pivotal role in the charge modulation revealed at the Ni L3 resonance.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Spin fluctuations sufficient to mediate superconductivity in nickelates

Infinite-layer nickelates show high-temperature superconductivity, and the experimental phase diagram agrees well with the one simulated within the dynamical vertex approximation (D$Γ$A). Here, we compare the spin-fluctuation spectrum behind these calculations to resonant inelastic X-ray scattering experiments. The overall agreement is good. This independent cross-validation of the strength of spin fluctuations strongly supports the scenario, advanced by D$Γ$A, that spin-fluctuations are the mediator of the superconductivity observed in nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Magnetic Excitations in Strained Infinite-layer Nickelate PrNiO2

Strongly correlated materials often respond sensitively to the external perturbations. In the recently discovered superconducting infinite-layer nickelates, the superconducting transition temperature can be dramatically enhanced via only ~1% compressive strain-tuning enabled by substrate design. However, the root of such enhancement remains elusive. While the superconducting pairing mechanism is still not settled, magnetic Cooper pairing - similar to the cuprates has been proposed. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, we investigate the magnetic excitations in infinite-layer PrNiO2 thin films for different strain conditions. The magnon bandwidth of PrNiO2 shows only marginal response to strain-tuning, in sharp contrast to the striking enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature Tc in the doped superconducting samples. These results suggest the enhancement of Tc is not mediated by spin excitations and thus provide important empirics for the understanding of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Strain-induced enhancement of $T_c$ in infinite-layer Pr$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$ films

The mechanism of unconventional superconductivity in correlated materials remains a great challenge in condensed matter physics. The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates, as analog to high-Tc cuprates, has opened a new route to tackle this challenge. By growing 8 nm Pr0.8Sr0.2NiO2 films on the (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 substrate, we successfully raise the transition temperature Tc from 9 K in the widely studied SrTiO3-substrated nickelates into 15 K. By combining x-ray absorption spectroscopy with the first-principles and many-body simulations, we find a positive correlation between Tc and the pre-edge peak intensity, which can be attributed to the hybridization between Ni and O orbitals induced by the strain. Our result suggests that structural engineering can further enhance unconventional superconductivity, and the charge-transfer property plays a crucial role in the pairing strength.

cond-mat.supr-con↗