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Yanpeng Qi

Publications and source records attributed to Yanpeng Qi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Complex spin-density-wave ordering in La$_4$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in layered nickelates under pressure has recently triggered enormous interest. Studies of these compounds have revealed a density-wave-like transition at ambient pressure, though its connection with superconductivity is still not well understood. Here, we report a detailed \msr\ study on single crystals of trilayer nickelate \LNO\ at ambient pressure. We have identified a spin-density-wave (SDW) transition at the temperature of $T_\mathrm{N} \sim$130 K, as well as a broad crossover around 70 - 100 K. Based on the temperature dependence of the muon precession amplitudes and magnetic susceptibility, we attribute this additional crossover either to a spin reorientation, or to an inhomogeneous SDW ordering.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Room-Temperature Superconductivity at 298 K in Ternary La-Sc-H System at High-pressure Conditions

Room-temperature superconductor has been a century-long dream of humankind. Recent research on hydrogen-based superconductors (e.g., CaH6, LaH10, etc.) at high-pressure conditions lifts the record of superconducting critical temperature (Tc) up to ~250 kelvin. We here report the experimental synthesis of the first-ever room-temperature superconductor by compression on a mixture of La-Sc alloy and ammonia borane at pressures of 250-260 gigapascals (GPa) via a diamond anvil cell by a laser-heating technique. Superconductivity with an onset temperature of 271-298 kelvin at 195-266 GPa is observed by the measurement of zero electrical resistance and the suppression of Tc under applied magnetic fields. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data unambiguously reveal that this superconductor crystallizes in a hexagonal structure with a stoichiometry LaSc2H24, in excellent agreement with our previous prediction1. Through thirteen reproducible experimental runs, we provide solid evidence of the realization of a room-temperature superconductor for the first time, marking a milestone in the field of superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Crystalline electric field excitations in Weyl semimetal \textit{R}AlSi (\textit{R} = Ce, Pr and Nd)

The rare earth intermetallic system \textit{R}Al\textit{X} (\textit{R} = rare earth elements, \textit{X} = Si and Ge) is known to be a promising candidate of magnetic Weyl semimetal. Due to the complex interactions between the rare earth elements and surrounding atoms, as well as hybridization with itinerant electrons, this family likely possesses highly intriguing and novel magnetic structures and thus exhibits dynamic behaviors. We systematically probe polycrystalline samples of \textit{R}AlSi (\textit{R} = La, Ce, Pr and Nd) combining inelastic neutron scattering (INS), heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The INS measurements identify well-resolved crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations at 19.2 and 24.9 meV in CeAlSi, at 5.4 meV in PrAlSi, and at 2.5 and 4.2 meV in NdAlSi. We analyzed the INS data using the corresponding CEF models and determined the CEF parameters and ground state wave functions of \textit{R}AlSi (\textit{R} = Ce, Pr and Nd). Our results suggest strong single-ion anisotropy in their ground states: $|\pm3/2\rangle$ (94.5\%) in CeAlSi, $|\pm3\rangle$ (99.2\%) in PrAlSi, and $|\pm9/2\rangle$ (76.2\%) in NdAlSi. Notably, the weaker anisotropy and strong exchange interactions in NdAlSi promote competing magnetic orders and CEF splitting at low temperature, contrasting with the robust CEF levels in magnetic states of CeAlSi and PrAlSi.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Charge density wave with suppressed long-range structural modulation in canted antiferromagnetic kagome FeGe

Kagome lattice can host abundant exotic quantum states such as superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW). Recently, successive orders of A-type antiferromagnetism (AFM), CDW and canted AFM have been manifested upon cooling in kagome FeGe. However, the mechanism of CDW and interaction with magnetism remains unclear. Here we investigate the evolution of CDW with temperature across the canted AFM by single-crystal x-ray diffraction, scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and resonant elastic x-ray scattering (REXS). Interestingly, CDW-induced superlattice reflections become weak after the canted AFM, although long-range CDW order is still detectable by STM and REXS. We uncover a novel long-range CDW order with suppressed structural modulation, likely due to the competition for the underlying crystal structure between CDW and canted AFM. Additionally, occupational modulations of Ge1 in the kagome plane and displacive modulations of all atoms were extracted. The results confirm Ge dimerization along the c axis and suggest a dynamic transformation between different CDW domains.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Intriguing kagome topological materials

Topological quantum materials with kagome lattice have become the emerging frontier in the context of condensedmatter physics. Kagome lattice harbors strongmagnetic frustration and topological electronic states generatedby the unique geometric configuration.Kagomelattice has the peculiar advantages in the aspectsofmagnetism, topology aswell as strong correlationwhenthe spin, charge,ororbit degreesof free is introduced, and providing a promising platform for investigating the entangled interactionsamongthem. In this paper, we will systematically introduce the research progress on the kagome topological materials and give a perspective in the framework of the potential future development directions in this field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Anomalous Hall effect in antiferromagnetic RGaGe (R = Nd, Gd) single crystals

Recently, the non-centrosymmetric Weyl semimetallic candidate family RTX (R = rare-earth element, T= poor metal, X = Si and Ge) has recently attracted significant attention due to its exotic quantum states and potential applications in quantum devices. In this study, our comprehensive investigations of high-quality NdGaGe and GdGaGe single crystals reveal distinct magnetic and electrical responses. Both compounds exhibit antiferromagnetic transitions with TN - 7.6 K and 22.4 K for NdGaGe and GdGaGe, respectively. NdGaGe exhibits strong magnetic anisotropy (\c{hi}c /\c{hi}a - 70). In contrast, GdGaGe displays weak magnetic anisotropic behavior (\c{hi}c /\c{hi}a - 1) with a distinctive spin-flop transition. Below TN, NdGaGe shows significant negative magnetoresistance due to the reduced spin-disorder scattering arising from the field-induced spin alignment. GdGaGe exhibits more complex magnetoresistance behavior: positive values at low fields transitioning to negative values attributed to the reduced spin-flop scattering. Specially, NdGaGe demonstrates a large anomalous Hall conductance (AHC) of approximately 368 Ω-1 cm-1, which is dominated by the intrinsic mechanism. These reveal the pivotal role of rare-earth elements in modulating the electronic structure, magnetic properties, and transport characteristics of the RGaGe system, thereby providing valuable insights for developing next-generation spintronic devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Orientation- and pressure-dependence of the vibrational response of a monolayer crystal on a vicinal diamond surface

We systematically investigate polarization-dependent Raman spectra of a monolayer crystal of WS2 on the (100) and (230) surfaces of diamond. At ambient pressure, identical polarization dependence of the Raman spectra is observed on the different surfaces, independent of the orientation of the monolayer crystal relative to the diamond crystal. However, when monolayer WS2 is compressed to about 4 GPa, an abrupt drop of the intensity of the 2LA mode relative to the A' mode occurs on the (100) surface and the (230) surface with the zigzag direction along the atomic step edges of the (230) surface. In contrast, no such drop is observed when the armchair direction is along or at 15° to the atomic steps of the (230) surface. We also observe a shift of the polarization angle of the intensity maxima of the 2LA and A' modes on (230) surface during compression. These results demonstrate that the atomic steps of a vicinal surface strongly modify the vibrational response under high pressure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Superconductivity in trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10 under pressure

Nickelate superconductors have attracted a great deal of attention over the past few decades due to their similar crystal and electronic structures with high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Here, we report the superconductivity in a pressurized Ruddlesden-Popper phase single crystal, La4Ni3O10 (n = 3), and its interplay with the density wave order in the phase diagram. With increasing pressure, the density wave order as indicated by the anomaly in the resistivity is progressively suppressed, followed by the emergence of the superconductivity around 25 K under I4/mmm space group. The susceptibility measurements confirm bulk superconductivity with a volume fraction exceeding 80%. Moreover, theoretical analysis unveils that antiferromagnetic (AFM) super-exchange interactions can serve as the effective pairing interaction for the emergence of superconductivity (SC) in pressurized La4Ni3O10. Our research provides a new platform for the investigation of the unconventional superconductivity mechanism in Ruddlesden-Popper trilayer perovskite nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Charge Dynamics of an Unconventional Three-Dimensional Charge Density Wave in Kagome FeGe

We report on the charge dynamics of kagome FeGe, an antiferromagnet with a charge density wave (CDW) transition at $T_{\mathrm{CDW}} \simeq 105$ K, using polarized infrared spectroscopy and band structure calculations. We reveal pronounced optical anisotropy along the $a$- and $c$-axis, as well as an unusual response associated with three-dimensional CDW order. Above $T_{\mathrm{CDW}}$, there is a notable transfer of spectral weight (SW) from high to low energies, promoted by the magnetic splitting-induced shift in bands. Across the CDW transition, we observe a sudden SW transfer from low to high energies over a broad range, along with the emergence of new excitations around 1200 cm$^{-1}$. These results contrast with observations from other kagome metals like CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, where the nesting of VHSs leads to a clear CDW gap feature. Instead, our findings can be accounted for by a $2\times2\times2$ CDW ground state driven by a first-order structural transition involving large partial Ge1-dimerization. Our study thus unveils a complex interplay among structure, magnetism, and charge order, offering valuable insights for a comprehensive understanding of CDW order in FeGe.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Orbital Signatures of Density Wave Transition in La3Ni2O7-delta and La2PrNi2O7-delta RP-Nickelates Probed via in-situ X-ray Absorption Near-edge Spectroscopy

The report of superconductivity (SC) with Tc~80 K in bilayer Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) nickelate La3Ni2O7-delta have sparked considerable investigations on its normal state properties and SC mechanism under pressure and at low temperature. It is believed that the density wave (DW) at ~150 K plays an important role in SC emergence, but its nature remains largely underexplored. Here, we utilized temperature-dependent in-situ Ni K-edge X-ray Absorption Near-edge Spectroscopy (XANES) to probe the Ni-3d/4p electronic states of La3Ni2O7-delta and La2PrNi2O7-delta samples down to 4.8 K, enabling us to witness the evolution of both in-plane d_(x^2-y^2)/p_x (p_y) and out-of-plane d_(3z^2-r^2)/p_z orbitals of NiO6 octahedron across the DW transition. Main edge energy associated with Ni 4p orbital shows an anomalous decline near DW transition, signifying the occurrence of lattice distortions as a hallmark of charge density wave. Below DW transition, the enlarged crystal field splitting (CFS) indicates an enhanced NiO6 octahedral distortion. Intriguingly, magnetic Pr substituents could activate the mutual interplay of d_(x^2-y^2) and d_(3z^2-r^2) orbitals. We discussed its relevance to the favored bulk SC in the pressurized polycrystalline La2PrNi2O7-delta than pristine.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Damage of bilayer structure in La3Ni2O7-d induced by high pO2 annealing

The discovery of superconductivity with onset temperature of ~80 K in pressurized bilayer Ruddlesden-Popper La3Ni2O7-d has attracted much attention. Despite intense research, determination of the exact oxygen content and understanding of the relationship between superconductivity and oxygen content remain a big challenge. Here, we report a systematical study on the structure and physical properties of La3Ni2O7-d polycrystalline powders which were prepared using sol-gel method at ambient pressure and then annealed under various oxygen pressure. We found that high pO2 annealing with slow cooling results in a new phase, which can be modeled using the hybrid single-layer-trilayer La3Ni2O7 or the tetragonal bilayer La3Ni2O7. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) measurements revealed significant single layers and trilayers after high oxygen pressure annealing, evidencing damage of the bilayer structure. The superconducting transition under high pressure became weak for high pO2 annealed samples, which is consistent with the damage of the bilayer structure. Our results reveal that the bilayer structure is fragile and post-annealing under near atmosphere pressure of oxygen is suitable to maintain bilayer structure and increase oxygen content at the same time.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Superconductivity above 30 K due to the introduction of oxygen in CaFeAsF

Exploring new unconventional superconductors is of great value for both fundamental research and practical applications. It is a long-term challenge to develop and study more hole-doped superconductors in 1111 system of iron-based superconductors. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity with a critical transition temperature up to 30.7 K in the compound CaFeAsF by a post-annealing treatment in air atmosphere. The superconducting behaviors are verified in both the single-crystalline and polycrystalline samples by the resistance and magnetization measurements. The analysis by combining the depth-resolved time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements shows that the introduction of oxygen elements and the consequent changing in Fe valence by the annealing treatment may lead to the hole-type doping, which is the origin for the occurrence of superconductivity. Our results pave the way for further in-depth investigations on the hole-doped 1111 system in iron-based superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Critical Current Density and AC Magnetic Susceptibility of High-quality FeTe$_{0.5}$Se$_{0.5}$ Superconducting Tapes

Iron telluride-selenium superconducting materials, known for their non-toxicity, ease of preparation, simple structure, and high upper critical fields, have attracted much research interest in practical application. In this work, we conducted electrical transport measurements, magneto-optical imaging, and AC magnetic susceptibility measurements on FeTe$_{0.5}$Se$_{0.5}$ superconducting long tapes fabricated via reel-to-reel pulsed laser deposition. Our transport measurements revealed a high critical current density that remains relatively stable even with increasing external magnetic fields, reaching over $1\times 10^5$ A/cm$^2$ at 8 K and 9 T. The calculated pinning force density indicates that normal point pinning is the primary mechanism in these tapes. The magneto-optical images demonstrated that the tapes show homogeneous superconductivity and uniform distribution of critical current density. The AC magnetic susceptibility measurements also confirmed their strong flux pinning nature of withstanding high magnetic field. Based on these characteristics, FeTe$_{0.5}$Se$_{0.5}$ superconducting tapes show promising prospects for applications under high magnetic fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Novel Superconducting Ternary Hydrides under High Pressure

The abundant chemical compositions in ternary hydrides bring much more possibility to explore high temperature superconductors under lower pressure. Here we constructed 115 ternary hydrides on the basis of the elements substitution using 16 metal elements within 5 reported prototype structures. We conducted a three-step approach to screen and study these candidate structures in the aspects of dynamical stability, formation energy and relative enthalpy, respectively. Based on this approach, we found three meta-stable compounds with hydrogen clathrate cages in the space group of P-3m1, including Y2CdH18, Y2InH18 and Ca2SnH18. All of the structures are superconductive under high pressure with Tc above 110 K, which is larger than the superconductive temperature of liquid nitrogen. Our study enriches the database of novel ternary hydrides under high pressure, and provides insight for future theoretical and experimental researches.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Distinguishing Electronic Band Structure of Single-layer and Bilayer Ruddlesden-Popper Nickelates Probed by in-situ High Pressure X-ray Absorption Near-edge Spectroscopy

We report a comprehensive study of electronic band structure for single-layer (SL) and bilayer (BL) RP-nickelates probed by in-situ HP X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). At ambient pressure (AP), the energy splitting delta_E of d_3z^2-r^2 and d_x^2-y^2 bands are directly observed in La3Ni2O7 (BL-La327) but not in La2NiO4 (SL-La214) above E_F, underlining the critical role of inner apical O atoms. A combination of DFT-based electronic band structure and projected density of states (PDOS) calculations with simulated XANES enables us to explain the observed main XANES features labelled by a, A, B', B and C when considering the orbital hybridizations, crystal field splitting (CFS) and core-hole screening of different 3d configurations for SL-La214 and BL-La327 nickelates. At high pressure (HP), the delta_E values of pre-edge peak form a dome-like evolution above 7.7 GPa with the maximum locating at around 20 GPa for metallic BL-La327. Analysis of its integrated area and FWHM provides strong evidence that the bonding d_3z^2-r^2 band crosses E_F above about 7.7 GPa for the metallic BL-La327. Growth of integrated area of pre-edge peak and C peak further evidences pressure-induced hole doping effect. Meanwhile, the pressure dependent FWHM of pre-edge peak implies a nonmonotonic evolution of orbital-selective electronic correlation above 7.7 GPa with extrema emerging at about 20 GPa. Moreover, we estimate the relative hole doping level using the energy shift of pre-edge peak, yielding 0.074 hole per Ni site or equivalently 1.1*10^21 cm^-3 at 20 GPa for the metallic BL-La327, which is comparable to cuprates. Our results have timely examined the electronic band structures as obtained from theoretical calculations, emphasizing the essential role of both d_3z^2-r^2 and d_x^2-y^2 bands as well as the electronic correlation in superconducting pairing for pressurized La3Ni2O7.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Topological Quantum Materials with Kagome Lattice

In this account, we will give an overview of our research progress on novel quantum properties in topological quantum materials with kagome lattice. Here, there are mainly two categories of kagome materials: magnetic kagome materials and nonmagnetic ones. On one hand, magnetic kagome materials mainly focus on the 3d transition-metal-based kagome systems, including Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, YMn6Sn6, FeSn, and CoSn. The interplay between magnetism and topological bands manifests vital influence on the electronic response. For example, the existence of massive Dirac or Weyl fermions near the Fermi level signicantly enhances the magnitude of Berry curvature in momentum space, leading to a large intrinsic anomalous Hall effect. In addition, the peculiar frustrated structure of kagome materials enables them to host a topologically protected skyrmion lattice or noncoplaner spin texture, yielding a topological Hall effect that arises from the realspace Berry phase. On the other hand, nonmagnetic kagome materials in the absence of longrange magnetic order include CsV3Sb5 with the coexistence of superconductivity, charge density wave state, and band topology and van der Waals semiconductor Pd$_3$P$_2$S$_8$. For these two kagome materials, the tunability of electric response in terms of high pressure or carrier doping helps to reveal the interplay between electronic correlation effects and band topology and discover the novel emergent quantum phenomena in kagome materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Annealing-induced long-range charge density wave order in magnetic kagome FeGe: fluctuations and disordered structure

Charge density wave (CDW) in kagome materials with the geometric frustration is able to carry unconventional characteristics. Recently, a CDW has been observed below the antiferromagnetic order in kagome FeGe, in which magnetism and CDW are intertwined to form an emergent quantum ground state. However, the CDW is only short-ranged and the structural modulation originating from it has yet to be determined experimentally. Here we realize a long-range CDW order by post-annealing process, and resolve the structure model through single crystal x-ray diffraction. Occupational disorder of Ge resulting from short-range CDW correlations above $T_\mathrm{CDW}$ is identified from structure refinements. The partial dimerization of Ge along the $c$ axis is unveiled to be the dominant distortion for the CDW. Occupational disorder of Ge is also proved to exist in the CDW phase due to the random selection of partially dimerized Ge sites. Our work provides useful insights for understanding the unconventional nature of the CDW in FeGe.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Electronic Correlation and Pseudogap-like Behavior of High-Temperature Superconductor La3Ni2O7

High-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) remains one of the most challenging and fascinating mysteries in condensed matter physics. Recently, superconductivity with transition temperature exceeding liquid-nitrogen temperature is discovered in La3Ni2O7 at high pressure, which provides a new platform to explore the unconventional HTSC. In this work, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and ab-initio calculation, we systematically investigate the electronic structures of La3Ni2O7 at ambient pressure. Our experiments are in nice agreement with ab-initio calculations after considering an orbital-dependent band renormalization effect. The strong electron correlation effect pushes a flat band of d_(z^2 ) orbital component below the Fermi level (EF), which is predicted to locate right at EF under high pressure. Moreover, the d_(x^2-y^2 ) band shows a pseudogap-like behavior with suppressed spectral weight and diminished quasiparticle peak near EF. Our findings provide important insights into the electronic structure of La3Ni2O7, which will shed light on the understanding of the unconventional superconductivity in nickelates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗