arXiv subjects

Yaobo Huang

Publications and source records attributed to Yaobo Huang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Discovery of a metallic room-temperature d-wave altermagnet KV2Se2O

Beyond conventional ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, altermagnetism is a recently discovered unconventional magnetic phase characterized by time-reversal symmetry breaking and spin-split band structures in materials with zero net magnetization. This distinct magnetic phase not only enriches the understanding of fundamental physical concepts but also has profound impacts on condense-matter physics research and practical device applications. Spin-polarized band structures have been recently observed in semiconductors MnTe and MnTe2 with vanishing net magnetization, confirming the existence of this unconventional magnetic order. Metallic altermagnets have unique advantages for exploring novel physical phenomena related to low-energy quasiparticle excitations and for applications in spintronics as electrical conductivity in metals allows the direct manipulation of spin current through electric field. Here, through comprehensive characterization and analysis of the magnetic and electronic structures of KV2Se2O, we have unambiguously demonstrated a metallic room-temperature altermaget with d-wave spin-momentum locking. The highly anisotropic spin-polarized Fermi surfaces and the spin-density-wave order emerging in the altermagnetic phase make it an extraordinary platform for designing high-performance spintronic devices and studying many-body effects coupled with the unconventional magnetism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Crystal-symmetry-paired spin-valley locking in a layered room-temperature antiferromagnet

Recent theoretical efforts predicted a type of unconventional antiferromagnet characterized by the crystal symmetry C (rotation or mirror), which connects antiferromagnetic sublattices in real space and simultaneously couples spin and momentum in reciprocal space. This results in a unique C-paired spin-valley locking (SVL) and corresponding novel properties such as piezomagnetism and noncollinear spin current even without spin-orbit coupling. However, the unconventional antiferromagnets reported thus far are not layered materials, limiting their potential in spintronic applications. Additionally, they do not meet the necessary symmetry requirements for nonrelativistic spin current. Here, we report the realization of C-paired SVL in a layered room-temperature antiferromagnetic compound, Rb1-δV2Te2O. Spin resolved photoemission measurements directly demonstrate the opposite spin splitting between C-paired valleys. Quasi-particle interference patterns reveal the suppression of inter-valley scattering due to the spin selection rules, as a direct consequence of C-paired SVL. All these experiments are well consistent with the results obtained from first-principles calculations. Our observations represent the first realization of layered antiferromagnets with C-paired SVL, enabling both the advantages of layered materials and possible control through crystal symmetry manipulation. These results hold significant promise and broad implications for advancements in magnetism, electronics, and information technology.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Orbital-Dependent Electron Correlation in Double-Layer Nickelate La3Ni2O7

The latest discovery of high temperature superconductivity near 80K in La3Ni2O7 under high pressure has attracted much attention. Many proposals are put forth to understand the origin of superconductivity.The determination of electronic structures is a prerequisite to establish theories to understand superconductivity in nickelates but is still lacking. Here we report our direct measurement of the electronic structures of La3Ni2O7 by high-resolution angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The Fermi surface and band structures of La3Ni2O7 are observed and compared with the band structure calculations. Strong electron correlations are revealed which are orbital- and momentum dependent. A flat band is formed from the Ni-3dz2 orbitals around the zone corner which is ~50meV below the Fermi level and exhibits the strongest electron correlation. In many theoretical proposals, this band is expected to play the dominant role in generating superconductivity in La3Ni2O7. Our observations provide key experimental information to understand the electronic structure and origin of high temperature superconductivity in La3Ni2O7.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Momentum-resolved electronic structures and strong electronic correlations in graphene-like nitride superconductors

Although transition-metal nitrides have been widely applied for several decades, experimental investigations of their high-resolution electronic band structures are rare due to the lack of high-quality single-crystalline samples. Here, we report on the first momentum-resolved electronic band structures of titanium nitride (TiN) films, a remarkable nitride superconductor. The measurements of crystal structures and electrical transport properties confirmed the high quality of these films. More importantly, with a combination of high-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and the first-principles calculations, the extracted Coulomb interaction strength of TiN films can be as large as 8.5 eV, whereas resonant photoemission spectroscopy yields a value of 6.26 eV. These large values of Coulomb interaction strength indicate that superconducting TiN is a strongly correlated system. Our results uncover the unexpected electronic correlations in transition-metal nitrides, potentially providing a perspective not only to understand their emergent quantum states but also to develop their applications in quantum devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Observation of Spin Splitting in Room-Temperature Metallic Antiferromagnet CrSb

Recently, unconventional antiferromagnets that enable the splitting of electronic spins have been theoretically proposed and experimentally realized, where the magnetic sublattices containing moments pointing at different directions are connected by a novel set of symmetries. Such spin splitting (SS) is substantial, $k$-dependent, and independent of the spin-orbit coupling strength, making these magnets promising materials for antiferromagnetic spintronics. Here, combined with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we perform a systematic study on CrSb, a metallic spin-split antiferromagnet candidate with $T_N$ = 703 K. Our data reveals the electronic structure of CrSb along both out-of-plane and in-plane momentum directions, which renders anisotropic $k$-dependent SS and agrees well with the calculational results. The magnitude of such SS reaches up to at least 0.8 eV at non-high-symmetry momentum points, which is significantly higher than the largest known SOC-induced SS. This compound expands the choice of materials in the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics and is likely to stimulate subsequent investigations of high-efficiency spintronic devices that are functional at room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Evidence for an Excitonic Insulator State in Ta$_2$Pd$_3$Te$_5$

The excitonic insulator (EI) is an exotic ground state of narrow-gap semiconductors and semimetals arising from spontaneous condensation of electron-hole pairs bound by attractive Coulomb interaction. Despite research on EIs dating back to half a century ago, their existence in real materials remains a subject of ongoing debate. In this study, through systematic experimental and theoretical investigations, we provide evidence for the existence of an EI ground state in a van der Waals compound Ta$_2$Pd$_3$Te$_5$. Density-functional-theory calculations suggest that it is a semimetal with a small band overlap, whereas various experiments exhibit an insulating ground state with a clear band gap. Upon incorporating electron-hole Coulomb interaction into our calculations, we obtain an EI phase where the electronic symmetry breaking opens a many-body gap. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements exhibit that the band gap is closed with a significant change in the dispersions as the number of thermally excited charge carriers becomes sufficiently large in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium states. Structural measurements reveal a slight breaking of crystal symmetry with exceptionally small lattice distortion in the insulating state, which cannot account for the significant gap opening. Therefore, we attribute the insulating ground state with a gap opening in Ta$_2$Pd$_3$Te$_5$ to exciton condensation, where the coupling to the symmetry-breaking electronic state induces a subtle change in the crystal structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Anisotropic magnetism and band evolution induced by ferromagnetic phase transition in titanium-based kagome ferromagnet SmTi3Bi4

Kagome magnets with diverse topological quantum responses are crucial for next-generation topological engineering. The anisotropic magnetism and band evolution induced by ferromagnetic phase transition (FMPT) is reported in a newly discovered titanium-based kagome ferromagnet S mTi3 Bi4, which features a distorted Ti kagome lattice and S m atomic zig-zag chains. Temperature-dependent resistivity, heat capacity, and magnetic susceptibility reveal a ferromagnetic ordering temperature Tc of 23.2 K. A large magnetic anisotropy, observed by applying the magnetic field along three crystallographic axes, identifies the b axis as the easy axis. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with first-principles calculations unveils the characteristic kagome motif, including the Dirac point at the Fermi level and multiple van Hove singularities. Notably, a band splitting and gap closing attributed to FMPT is observed, originating from the exchange coupling between S m 4 f local moments and itinerant electrons of the kagome Ti atoms, as well as the time-reversal symmetry breaking induced by the long-range ferromagnetic order. Considering the large in-plane magnetization and the evolution of electronic structure under the influence of ferromagnetic ordering, such materials promise to be a new platform for exploring the intricate electronic properties and magnetic phases based on the kagome lattice.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Observation of plaid-like spin splitting in a noncoplanar antiferromagnet

Spatial, momentum and energy separation of electronic spins in condensed matter systems guides the development of novel devices where spin-polarized current is generated and manipulated. Recent attention on a set of previously overlooked symmetry operations in magnetic materials leads to the emergence of a new type of spin splitting, enabling giant and momentum-dependent spin polarization of energy bands on selected antiferromagnets. Despite the ever-growing theoretical predictions, the direct spectroscopic proof of such spin splitting is still lacking. Here, we provide solid spectroscopic and computational evidence for the existence of such materials. In the noncoplanar antiferromagnet MnTe$_2$, the in-plane components of spin are found to be antisymmetric about the high-symmetry planes of the Brillouin zone, comprising a plaid-like spin texture in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state. Such an unconventional spin pattern, further found to diminish at the high-temperature paramagnetic state, stems from the intrinsic AFM order instead of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Our finding demonstrates a new type of quadratic spin texture induced by time-reversal breaking, placing AFM spintronics on a firm basis and paving the way for studying exotic quantum phenomena in related materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of a Single-Band Mott Insulator in a van der Waals Flat-Band Compound

The Mott insulator provides an excellent foundation for exploring a wide range of strongly correlated physical phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity, quantum spin liquid, and colossal magnetoresistance. A Mott insulator with the simplest degree of freedom is an ideal and highly desirable system for studying the fundamental physics of Mottness. In this study, we have unambiguously identified such an anticipated Mott insulator in a van der Waals layered compound Nb3Cl8. In the high-temperature phase, where interlayer coupling is negligible, density functional theory calculations for the monolayer of Nb3Cl8 suggest a half-filled flat band at the Fermi level, whereas angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments observe a large gap. This observation is perfectly reproduced by dynamical mean-field theory calculations considering strong electron correlations, indicating a correlation-driven Mott insulator state. Since this half-filled band derived from a single 2a1 orbital is isolated from all other bands, the monolayer of Nb3Cl8 is an ideal realization of the celebrated single-band Hubbard model. Upon decreasing the temperature, the bulk system undergoes a phase transition, where structural changes significantly enhance the interlayer coupling. This results in a bonding-antibonding splitting in the Hubbard bands, while the Mott gap remains dominant. Our discovery provides a simple and seminal model system for investigating Mott physics and other emerging correlated states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Coexistence of near-EF flat band and van Hove singularity in a two-phase superconductor

In quantum many-body systems, particularly, the ones with large near-EF density states, like flat bands or van Hove singularity (VHS), electron correlations often give rise to rich phase diagrams with multiple coexisting/competing orders occurring at similar energy scales. The recently discovered locally noncentrosymmetric heavy fermion superconductor CeRh2As2 has stimulated extensive attention due to its unusual H-T phase diagram, consisting of two-phase superconductivity, antiferromagnetic order, and possible quadrupole-density wave orders. However, despite its great importance, the near-EF electronic structure remains experimentally elusive. Here, we provide this key information by combining soft X-ray and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and atom-resolved DFT+U calculations. With bulk-sensitive soft X-rays, we reveal quasi-2D hole- and 3D electron- pockets with a pronounced nesting feature. Most importantly, we observe a symmetry-protected fourfold VHS coexisting with the Ce 4f flat bands near the EF, which, to the best of our knowledge, has never been reported before. Such a rare coexistence is expected to lead to a large density of states at the zone edge, enhancement in electron correlations, and a large upper critical field of the odd-parity superconducting phase. Uniquely, it will also result in a new type of f-VHS hybridization that alters the order and fine electronic structure of the symmetry-protected VHS and flat bands. These peculiarities offer important dimensions for understanding the reported rich phase diagram and are discussed as an origin of superconductivity with two phases. Our findings not only provide key insights into the nature of multiple phases in CeRh$_2$As$_2$, but also open up new prospects for exploring the novelties of many-body systems with f-VHS hybridization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Magnetic kagome materials RETi3Bi4 family with weak interlayer interactions

Kagome materials have attracted a surge of research interest recently, especially for the ones combining with magnetism, and the ones with weak interlayer interactions which can fabricate thin devices. However, kagome materials combining both characters of magnetism and weak interlayer interactions are rare. Here we investigate a new family of titanium based kagome materials RETi3Bi4 (RE = Eu, Gd and Sm). The flakes of nanometer thickness of RETi3Bi4 can be obtained by exfoliation due to the weak interlayer interactions. According to magnetic measurements, out-of-plane ferromagnetism, out-of-plane anti-ferromagnetism, and in-plane ferromagnetism are formed for RE = Eu, Gd, and Sm respectively. The magnetic orders are simple and the saturation magnetizations can be relatively large since the rare earth elements solely provide the magnetic moments. Further by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and first-principles calculations, the electronic structures of RETi3Bi4 are investigated. The ARPES results are consistent with the calculations, indicating the bands characteristic with kagome sublattice in RETi3Bi4. We expect these materials to be promising candidates for observation of the exotic magnetic topological phases and the related topological quantum transport studies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Revealing the two-dimensional electronic structure and anisotropic superconductivity in a natural van der Waals superlattice (PbSe)$_{1.14}$NbSe$_2$

Van der Waals superlattices are important for tailoring the electronic structures and properties of layered materials. Here we report the superconducting properties and electronic structure of a natural van der Waals superlattice (PbSe)$_{1.14}$NbSe$_2$. Anisotropic superconductivity with a transition temperature $T_c$ = 5.6 $\pm$ 0.1 K, which is higher than monolayer NbSe$_2$, is revealed by transport measurements on high-quality samples. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements reveal the two-dimensional electronic structure and a charge transfer of 0.43 electrons per NbSe$_2$ unit cell from the blocking PbSe layer. In addition, polarization-dependent ARPES measurements reveal a significant circular dichroism with opposite contrast at K and K' valleys, suggesting a significant spin-orbital coupling and distinct orbital angular momentum. Our work suggests natural van der Waals superlattice as an effective pathway for achieving intriguing properties distinct from both the bulk and monolayer samples.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Evolution of the strange-metal scattering in momentum space of electron-doped ${\rm La}_{2-x}{\rm Ce}_x{\rm CuO}_4$

The linear-in-temperature resistivity is one of the important mysteries in the strange metal state of high-temperature cuprate superconductors. To uncover this anomalous property, the energy-momentum-dependent imaginary part of the self-energy Im ${\rm Σ}(k, ω)$ holds the key information. Here we perform systematic doping, momentum, and temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of electron-doped cuprate ${\rm La}_{2-x}{\rm Ce}_x{\rm CuO}_4$ and extract the evolution of the strange metal scattering in momentum space. At low doping levels and low temperatures, Im ${\rmΣ} \propto ω$ dependence dominates the whole momentum space. For high doping levels and high temperatures, Im ${\rmΣ} \propto ω^2$ shows up, starting from the antinodal region. By comparing with the hole-doped cuprates ${\rm La}_{2-x}{\rm Sr}_x{\rm CuO}_4$ and ${\rm Bi}_2{\rm Sr}_2{\rm CaCu}_2{\rm O}_8$, we find a dichotomy of the scattering rate exists along the nodal and antinodal direction, which is ubiquitous in the cuprate family. Our work provides new insight into the strange metal state in cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Electronic structure and open-orbit Fermi surface topology in isostructural semimetals NbAs$_2$ and W$_2$As$_3$ with extremely large magnetoresistance

In transition-metal dipnictides $TmPn_2$ ($Tm$ = Ta, Nb; $Pn$ = P, As, Sb), the origin of extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) is yet to be studied by the direct visualization of the experimental band structures. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we map out the three-dimensional electronic structure of NbAs$_2$. The open-orbit topology contributes to a non-negligible part of the Fermi surfaces (FSs), like that of the isostructural compound MoAs$_2$, where the open FS is proposed to likely explain the origin of XMR. We further demonstrate the observation of open characters in the overall FSs of W$_2$As$_3$, which is also a XMR semimetal with the same space group of $C$12/$m$1 as $TmPn_2$ family and MoAs$_2$. Our results suggest that the open-orbit FS topology may be a shared feature between XMR materials with the space group of $C$12/$m$1, and thus could possibly play a role in determining the corresponding XMR effect together with the electron-hole compensation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Charge instability of topological Fermi arcs in chiral crystal CoSi

Topological boundary states, emerged at the spatial boundary between topological non-trivial and trivial phases, are usually gapless, or commonly referred as metallic states. For example, the surface state of a topological insulator is a gapless Dirac state. These metallic topological boundary states are typically well described by non-interacting fermions. However, the behavior of topological boundary states with significant electron-electron interactions, which could turn the gapless boundary states into gapped ordered states, e.g., density wave states or superconducting states, is of great interest theoretically, but is still lacking evidence experimentally. Here, we report the observation of incommensurable charge density wave (CDW) formed on the topological boundary states driven by the electron-electron interactions on the (001) surface of CoSi. The wavevector of CDW varies as the temperature changes, which coincides with the evolution of topological surface Fermi arcs with temperature. The orientation of CDW phase is determined by the chirality of the Fermi arcs, which indicates direct association between CDW and Fermi arcs. Our finding will stimulate the search of more interactions-driven ordered states, such as superconductivity and magnetism, on the boundaries of topological materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Charge-density-wave-induced bands renormalization and energy gaps in a kagome superconductor RbV3Sb5

Recently discovered Z2 topological kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, and Cs) exhibit charge density wave (CDW) phases and novel superconducting paring states, providing a versatile platform for studying the interplay between electron correlation and quantum orders. Here we directly visualize CDW-induced bands renormalization and energy gaps in RbV3Sb5 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, pointing to the key role of tuning van Hove singularities to the Fermi energy in mechanisms of ordering phases. Near the CDW transition temperature, the bands around the Brillouin zone (BZ) boundary are shifted to high-binding energy, forming an "M"-shape band with singularities near the Fermi energy. The Fermi surfaces are partially gapped and the electronic states on the residual ones should be possibly dedicated to the superconductivity. Our findings are significant in understanding CDW formation and its associated superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Revealing the Heavy Quasiparticles in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeCu2Si2

The superconducting order parameter of the first heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu2Si2 is currently under debate. A key ingredient to understand its superconductivity and physical properties is the quasiparticle dispersion and Fermi surface, which remains elusive experimentally. Here we present measurements from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our results emphasize the key role played by the Ce 4f electrons for the low-temperature Fermi surface, highlighting a band-dependent conduction-f electron hybridization. In particular, we find a very heavy quasi-two-dimensional electron band near the bulk X point and moderately heavy three-dimensional hole pockets near the Z point. Comparison with theoretical calculations reveals the strong local correlation in this compound, calling for further theoretical studies. Our results provide the electronic basis to understand the heavy fermion behavior and superconductivity; implications for the enigmatic superconductivity of this compound are also discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Discovery of Ĉ$_2$ rotation anomaly in topological crystalline insulator SrPb

Topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) are insulating electronic states with nontrivial topology protected by crystalline symmetries. Recently, theory has proposed new classes of TCIs protected by rotation symmetries Ĉ$_n$, which have surface rotation anomaly evading the fermion doubling theorem, i.e. n instead of 2n Dirac cones on the surface preserving the rotation symmetry. Here, we report the first realization of the Ĉ$_2$ rotation anomaly in a binary compound SrPb. Our first-principles calculations reveal two massless Dirac fermions protected by the combination of time-reversal symmetry T and Ĉ$_{2y}$ on the (010) surface. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we identify two Dirac surface states inside the bulk band gap of SrPb, confirming the Ĉ$_2$ rotation anomaly in the new classes of TCIs. The findings enrich the classification of topological phases, which pave the way for exploring exotic behaviour of the new classes of TCIs.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗