arXiv subjects

Yingying Peng

Publications and source records attributed to Yingying Peng.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Exploration of magnetoelastic deformations in spin-chain compound CuBr$_2$

We investigate a spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ antiferromagnet, CuBr$_2$, which has quasi-one-dimensional structural motifs. The system has previously been observed to exhibit unusual Raman modes possibly due to a locally deformed crystal structure driven by the low-dimensional magnetism. Using hard X-ray scattering and neutron total scattering, here we aim to verify a specific form of tetramerized lattice deformation proposed in the previous study. Apart from diffuse scattering signals which we can reproduce by performing a thorough modeling of the lattice's thermal vibrations, we do not observe evidence for a tetramerized lattice structure within our detection sensitivity. As a result, it is more likely that the unusual Raman modes in CuBr$_2$ arise from classical magnon-phonon hybridization, rather than from quantum spin-singlet-driven lattice deformation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Does Conceptual Representation Require Embodiment? Insights From Large Language Models

To what extent can language alone give rise to complex concepts, or is embodied experience essential? Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) offer fresh perspectives on this question. Although LLMs are trained on restricted modalities, they exhibit human-like performance in diverse psychological tasks. Our study compared representations of 4,442 lexical concepts between humans and ChatGPTs (GPT-3.5 and GPT-4) across multiple dimensions, including five key domains: emotion, salience, mental visualization, sensory, and motor experience. We identify two main findings: 1) Both models strongly align with human representations in non-sensorimotor domains but lag in sensory and motor areas, with GPT-4 outperforming GPT-3.5; 2) GPT-4's gains are associated with its additional visual learning, which also appears to benefit related dimensions like haptics and imageability. These results highlight the limitations of language in isolation, and that the integration of diverse modalities of inputs leads to a more human-like conceptual representation.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2023

Charge redistribution, charge order and plasmon in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$/La$_{2}$CuO$_{4}$ superlattices

Interfacial superconductors have the potential to revolutionize electronics, quantum computing, and fundamental physics due to their enhanced superconducting properties and ability to create new types of superconductors. The emergence of superconductivity at the interface of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$/La$_{2}$CuO$_{4}$ (LSCO/LCO), with a T$_c$ enhancement of $\sim$ 10 K compared to the La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ bulk single crystals, provides an exciting opportunity to study quantum phenomena in reduced dimensions. To investigate the carrier distribution and excitations in interfacial superconductors, we combine O K-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and atomic-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements to study La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$/La$_{2}$CuO$_{4}$ superlattices (x=0.15, 0.45) and bulk La$_{1.55}$Sr$_{0.45}$CuO$_{4}$ films. We find direct evidence of charge redistribution, charge order and plasmon in LSCO/LCO superlattices. Notably, the observed behaviors of charge order and plasmon deviate from the anticipated properties of individual constituents or the average doping level of the superlattice. Instead, they conform harmoniously to the effective doping, a critical parameter governed by the T$_c$ of interfacial superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Observation of electronic nematicity driven by three-dimensional charge density wave in kagome lattice KV$_3$Sb$_5$

Kagome superconductors AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) provide a fertile playground for studying intriguing phenomena, including non-trivial band topology, superconductivity, giant anomalous Hall effect and charge density wave (CDW). Recently, a $C_2$ symmetric nematic phase prior to the superconducting state in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ drew enormous attention due to its potential inheritance of the symmetry of the unusual superconductivity. However, direct evidence on the rotation symmetry breaking of the electronic structure in the CDW state from the reciprocal space is still rare, and the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. The observation shows unconventional unidirectionality, indicative of rotation symmetry breaking from six-fold to two-fold. The interlayer coupling between adjacent planes with $π$-phase offset in the 2$\times$2$\times$2 CDW phase leads to the preferred two-fold symmetric electronic structure. These rarely observed unidirectional back-folded bands in KV$_3$Sb$_5$ may provide important insights into its peculiar charge order and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Evolution of charge density waves from three-dimensional to quasi-two-dimensional in Kagome superconductors Cs(V$_{1-x}M_{x}$)$_3$Sb$_5$ ($M$ = Nb, Ta)

The Kagome material $A{\mathrm{V}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ ($A$ = K, Rb, Cs) with geometry frustration hosts non-trivial topological electronic structures, electronic nematicity, charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity, providing an ideal platform to study the interplay between these phases. Specifically, in pressurized- or substituted-${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$, the relationship between CDW and superconductivity is unusual and remains to be fully understood. Recently, coexisting and competing 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 4 and 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 CDW phases were discovered in ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$. To investigate the evolution of the CDW phases with the substitution of V atoms, we performed x-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments on ${\mathrm{Cs(V}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{Ta}}_{x}{\mathrm{)}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ and ${\mathrm{Cs(V}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{Nb}}_{x}{\mathrm{)}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$. Our results indicate that in all substituted samples, the discrete CDW reflection points in pristine ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ change to rod-like structures along the $c^\star$ direction. This suggests that the long-ranged three-dimensional CDW becomes quasi-two-dimensional by the substitution of V by Ta/Nb. Moreover, our temperature-dependent measurements show that there is no hysteresis behavior of CDW signals, indicating that the 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 4 CDW phase is easily suppressed by even a slight substitution of V with Nb/Ta. These findings uncover the CDW evolution upon substitution of V atoms in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$, providing insights into the microscopic mechanism of CDW and helping to understand the interplay between intertwined phases and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Pressure-induced color change in the lutetium dihydride LuH2

The lutetium dihydride LuH2 is stable at ambient conditions. Here we show that its color undergoes sequential changes from dark blue at ambient pressure to pink at ~2.2 GPa and then to bright red at ~4 GPa upon compression in a diamond anvil cell. Such a pressure-induced color change in LuH2 is reversible and it is very similar to that recently reported in the N-doped lutetium hydride. However, our preliminary resistance measurements on LuH2 under pressures up to 7.7 GPa evidenced no superconductivity down to 1.5 K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Coexistence of Multiple Stacking Charge Density Waves in Kagome Superconductor ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$

The recently discovered Kagome family ${\mathrm{AV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) exhibits rich physical phenomena, including non-trivial topological electronic structure, giant anomalous Hall effect, charge density waves (CDW) and superconductivity. Notably, CDW in ${\mathrm{AV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ is evidenced to intertwine with its superconductivity and topology, but its nature remains elusive. Here, we combine x-ray scattering experiments and density-functional theory calculations to investigate the CDWs in ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ and demonstrate the coexistence of 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 and 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 4 CDW stacking phases. Competition between these CDW phases is revealed by tracking the temperature evolution of CDW intensities, which also manifests in different transition temperatures during warming- and cooling measurements. We also identify a meta-stable quenched state of ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$ after fast-cooling process. Our study demonstrates the coexistence of competing CDW stacking in ${\mathrm{CsV}}_3{\mathrm{Sb}}_5$, offering new insights in understanding the novel properties of this system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Absence of localized $5d^1$ electrons in KTaO$_3$ interface superconductors

Recently, an exciting discovery of orientation-dependent superconductivity was made in two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interfaces of LaAlO$_3$/KTaO$_3$ (LAO/KTO) or EuO/KTaO$_3$ (EuO/KTO). The superconducting transition temperature can reach a $T_c$ of up to $\sim$ 2.2 K, which is significantly higher than its 3$d$ counterpart LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO/STO) with a $T_c$ of $\sim$ 0.2 K. However, the underlying origin remains to be understood. To uncover the nature of electrons in KTO-based interfaces, we employ x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray spectroscopy (RIXS) to study LAO/KTO and EuO/KTO with different orientations. We reveal the absence of $dd$ orbital excitations in all the measured samples. Our RIXS results are well reproduced by calculations that considered itinerant $5d$ electrons hybridized with O $2p$ electrons. This suggests that there is a lack of localized Ta $5d^1$ electrons in KTO interface superconductors, which is consistent with the absence of magnetic hysteresis observed in magneto-resistance (MR) measurements. These findings offer new insights into our understanding of superconductivity in Ta $5d$ interface superconductors and their potential applications.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Evolution of orbital excitations from insulating to superconducting MgTi$_2$O$_4$ films

Spinel oxides are well-known functional materials but rarely show superconductivity. Recently, emergent superconductivity was discovered in MgTi$_2$O$_4$, which is attributed to the increase of electron doping and the suppression of orbital order. Here, we utilized Ti $L$-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to study the orbital excitations in superconducting (SC) and insulating MgTi$_2$O$_4$ films. We find that the spectral weight of orbital excitations is enhanced and the energy of $t_{2g}$ intra-band excitation is softened in the SC film compared to the insulating one, suggesting higher electron doping and suppressed orbital order gap in the SC sample. These observations were further supported by our multiplet calculations using minimal two-site model. Our results provide spectroscopic evidence for the competition between orbital order and superconductivity in MgTi$_2$O$_4$ and shed light on searching for novel superconductors in spinel oxides.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Prevailing charge order in overdoped cuprates beyond the superconducting dome

The extremely overdoped cuprates are generally considered to be Fermi liquid metals without exotic orders, whereas the underdoped cuprates harbor intertwined states. Contrary to this conventional wisdom, using Cu $L_3$ edge and O $K$ edge resonant x-ray scattering, we reveal a charge order (CO) in overdoped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ (0.35 $\leq$ x $\leq$ 0.6) beyond the superconducting dome. This CO has a periodicity of $\sim$ 6 lattice units with correlation lengths of $\sim 3 - 20$ lattice units. It shows similar in-plane momentum and polarization dependence and dispersive excitations as the CO of underdoped cuprates, but its maximum intensity differs along the c-direction and persists up to 300 K. This CO cannot be explained by either the Fermi surface instability or the doped Hubbard model and its origin remains to be understood. Our results suggest that CO is prevailing in the overdoped metallic regime and superconductivity emerges out of the CO phase upon decreasing hole carriers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Giant magnetic in-plane anisotropy and competing instabilities in Na3Co2SbO6

We report magnetometry data obtained on twin-free single crystals of Na3Co2SbO6, which is considered a candidate material for realizing the Kitaev honeycomb model for quantum spin liquids. Contrary to a common belief that such materials can be modeled with the symmetries of an ideal honeycomb lattice, our data reveal a pronounced two-fold symmetry and in-plane anisotropy of over 200%, despite the honeycomb layer's tiny orthorhombic distortion of less than 0.2%. We further use magnetic neutron diffraction to elucidate a rich variety of field-induced phases observed in the magnetometry. These phases manifest themselves in the paramagnetic state as diffuse scattering signals associated with competing ferro- and antiferromagnetic instabilities, consistent with a theory that also predicts a quantum spin liquid phase nearby. Our results call for theoretical understanding of the observed in-plane anisotropy, and render Na3Co2SbO6 a promising ground for finding exotic quantum phases by targeted external tuning.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Ubiquitous Coexisting Electron-Mode Couplings in High Temperature Cuprate Superconductors

In conventional superconductors, the electron-phonon coupling plays a dominant role in pairing the electrons and generating superconductivity. In high temperature cuprate superconductors, the existence of the electron coupling with phonons and other boson modes and its role in producing high temperature superconductivity remain unclear. The evidence of the electron-boson coupling mainly comes from the angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) observations of the ~70meV nodal dispersion kink and the ~40meV antinodal kink. However, the reported results are sporadic and the nature of the involved bosons are still under debate. Here we report new findings of ubiquitous two coexisting electron-mode couplings in cuprate superconductors. By taking ultra-high resolution laser-based ARPES measurements, combined with the improved second derivative analysis method, we discovered that the electrons are coupled simultaneously with two sharp phonon modes with energies of ~70meV and ~40meV in different superconductors with different doping levels, over the entire momentum space and at different temperatures above and below the superconducting transition temperature. The observed electron-phonon couplings are unusual because the associated energy scales do not exhibit an obvious change across the superconducting transition. We further find that the well-known "peak-dip-hump" structure, which has long been considered as a hallmark of superconductivity, is also omnipresent and consists of finer structures that originates from electron coupling with two sharp phonon modes. These comprehensive results provide a unified picture to reconcile all the reported observations and pinpoint the origin of the electron-mode couplings in cuprate superconductors. They provide key information to understand the role of the electron-phonon coupling in generating high temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Dispersionless orbital excitations in (Li,Fe)OHFeSe superconductors

The superconducting critical temperature $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ of intercalated iron-selenide superconductor (Li,Fe)OHFeSe (FeSe11111) can be increased to 42 K from 8 K of bulk FeSe. It shows remarkably similar electronic properties as the high-$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ monolayer FeSe and provides a bulk counterpart to investigate the origin of enhanced superconductivity. Unraveling the nature of excitations is crucial for understanding the pairing mechanism in high-$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ iron selenides. Here we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to investigate the excitations in FeSe11111. Our high-quality data exhibit several Raman-like excitations, which are dispersionless and isotropic in momentum transfer and robust against varying $T_{\mathrm{c}}$. Using atomic multiplet calculations, we assign the low-energy $\sim 0.3$ and 0.7 eV Raman peaks as local $e_g-e_g$ and $e_g-t_{2g}$ orbital excitations. The intensity of these two features decreases with increasing temperature, suggesting a primary contribution of the orbital fluctuations. Our results highlight the importance of orbital degree of freedom for high-$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ iron selenides.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Doping-dependence of the electron-phonon coupling in two families of bilayer superconducting cuprates

While electron-phonon coupling (EPC) is crucial for Cooper pairing in conventional superconductors, its role in high-$T_c$ superconducting cuprates is debated. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the oxygen $K$-edge, we studied the EPC in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi2212) and Nd$_{1+x}$Ba$_{2-x}$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ (NBCO) at different doping levels ranging from heavily underdoped ($p =0.07$) to overdoped ($p=0.21$). We analyze the data with a localized Lang-Firsov model that allows for the coherent excitations of two phonon modes. While electronic band dispersion effects are non-negligible, we are able to perform a study of the relative values of EPC matrix elements in these cuprate families. In the case of NBCO, the choice of the excitation energy allows us to disentangle modes related to the CuO$_3$ chains and the CuO$_2$ planes. Combining the results from the two families, we find the EPC strength decreases with doping at $\mathbf{q_\parallel}=(-0.25, 0)$ r.l.u., but has a non-monotonic trend as a function of doping at smaller momenta. This behavior is attributed to the screening effect of charge carriers. We also find that the phonon intensity is enhanced in the vicinity of the charge-density-wave (CDW) excitations while the extracted EPC strength appears to be less sensitive to their proximity. By performing a comparative study of two cuprate families, we are able to identify general trends in the EPC for the cuprates and provide experimental input to theories invoking a synergistic role for this interaction in $d$-wave pairing.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Generic character of charge and spin density waves in superconducting cuprates

Understanding the nature of charge density waves (CDW) in cuprate superconductors has been complicated by material specific differences. A striking example is the opposite doping dependence of the CDW ordering wavevector in La-based and Y-based compounds, the two families where charge ordering is strongest and best characterized. Here we report a combined resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSXS) and neutron scattering study of charge and spin density waves in isotopically enriched La$_{1.8-x}$ Eu$_{0.2}$ Sr$_{x}$ CuO$_{4}$ over a range of doping $0.07 \leq x \leq 0.20$. For all dopings studied by RSXS, we find that the CDW amplitude is approximately temperature-independent and develops well above experimentally accessible temperatures. Surprisingly, the CDW ordering wavevector shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence, with a sudden change occurring at temperatures near the SDW onset temperature. We describe this behavior with a Landau-Ginzburg theory for an incommensurate CDW in a metallic system with a finite charge compressibility and CDW-SDW coupling. Our Landau-Ginzburg analysis suggests that the ordering wavevector at high temperatures decreases with increased doping. This behavior is opposite to the trend at low temperatures and highly reminiscent of the doping dependence seen in YBa$_2$ Cu$_3$ O$_{6+δ}$ , suggesting a common origin of the CDW in hole-doped cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Towards calibration-free Mach-Zehnder switches on silicon

Silicon photonic Mach-Zehnder switches (MZSs) have been extensively investigated as a promising candidate for practical optical interconnects. However, conventional 2{\times}2 MZSs are usually prone to the size variations of the arm waveguides due to imperfect fabrication, resulting in considerable random phase imbalance between the two arms, thereby imposing significant challenges for further scaling up NN MZSs. Here we propose a novel design towards calibration-free 2{\times}2 and N{\times}N MZSs, employing optimally widened arm waveguides, enabled by novel compact tapered Euler S-bends with incorporated mode filters. With standard 180-nm CMOS foundry processes, more than thirty 2{\times}2 MZSs and one 4{\times}4 Benes MZS with the new design are fabricated and characterized. Compared with their conventional counterparts with 0.45-μm-wide arm waveguides, the present 2{\times}2 MZSs exhibit ~370-fold reduction in the random phase imbalance. The measured extinction ratios of the present 2{\times}2 and 4{\times}4 MZSs operating in the all-cross state are ~30 dB and ~20 dB across the wavelength range of ~60 nm, respectively, even without any calibrations. This work paves the way towards calibration-free large-scale N{\times}N silicon photonic MZSs.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Anomalous Charge Density Wave State Evolution and Dome-like Superconductivity in CuIr2Te4-xSex Chalcogenides

We report the anomalous charge density wave (CDW) state evolution and dome-like superconductivity (SC) in CuIr2Te4-xSex series. Room temperature powder X ray-diffraction (PXRD) results indicate that CuIr2Te4-xSex compounds retain the same structure as the host CuIr2Te4 and the unit cell constants a and c manifest a linear decline with increasing Se content. Magnetization, resistivity and heat capacity results suggest that superconducting transition temperature (Tc) exhibits a weak dome-like variation as substituting Te by Se with the maximum Tc = 2.83 K for x = 0.1 followed by suppression in Tc and simultaneous decrease of the superconducting volume fraction. Unexpectedly, the CDW-like transition (TCDW) is suppressed with lower Se doping but re-emerges at higher doping. Meanwhile, the temperature-dependent XRD measurements show that the trigonal structure is stable at 20 K, 100 K and 300 K for the host sample and the doping composition with x = 0.5, thus we propose that the behaviour CDW-like transition arises from the disorder effect created by chemical doping and is not related to structural transition. The lower and the upper critical fields of these compounds are also addressed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Observation of orbital order in the Van der Waals material 1T-TiSe2

Besides magnetic and charge order, regular arrangements of orbital occupation constitute a fundamental order parameter of condensed matter physics. Even though orbital order is difficult to identify directly in experiments, its presence was firmly established in a number of strongly correlated, three-dimensional Mott insulators. Here, reporting resonant X-ray scattering experiments on the layered Van der Waals compound $1T$-TiSe$_2$, we establish the emergence of orbital order in a weakly correlated, quasi-two-dimensional material. Our experimental scattering results are consistent with first-principles calculations that bring to the fore a generic mechanism of close interplay between charge redistribution, lattice displacements, and orbital order. It demonstrates the essential role that orbital degrees of freedom play in TiSe$_2$, and their importance throughout the family of correlated Van der Waals materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗