arXiv subjects

Youguo Shi

Publications and source records attributed to Youguo Shi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Spin filtering effect in intrinsic 2D magnetic semiconductor Cr2Ge2Te6

All van der Waals (vdW) Fe3GeTe2/Cr2Ge2Te6/graphite magnetic heterojunctions have been fabricated via mechanical exfoliation and stacking, and their magnetotransport properties are studied in detail. At low bias voltages large negative junction magnetoresistances have been observed and are attributed to spin-conserving tunneling transport across the insulating Cr2Ge2Te6 layer. With increasing bias, a crossover to Fowler-Nordheim tunneling takes place. The negative sign of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) suggests that the bottom of conduction band in Cr2Ge2Te6 belongs to minority spins, opposite to the findings of some first-principles calculations. This work shows that the vdW heterostructures based on 2D magnetic insulators are a valuable platform to gain further insight into spin polarized tunneling transport, which is the basis for pursuing high performance spintronic devices and a large variety of quantum phenomena.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Magnetic-field modulation of topological electronic states and emergent magneto-transport in a magnetic Weyl semimetal

The modulation of topological electronic states by an external magnetic field is highly desired for condensed matter physics. Schemes to achieve this have been proposed theoretically, but few can be realized experimentally. Here, combining transverse transport, theoretical calculations, and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) investigations, we provide an observation that the topological electronic states, accompanied by an emergent magneto-transport phenomenon, were modulated by applying magnetic fields through induced non-collinear magnetism in the magnetic Weyl semimetal EuB6. A giant unconventional anomalous Hall effect (UAHE) is found during the magnetisation re-orientation from easy axis to hard ones in magnetic fields, with a UAHE peak around the low field of 5 kOe. Under the reasonable spin-canting effect, the folding of the topological anti-crossing bands occurs, generating a strong Berry curvature that accounts for the observed UAHE. Field-dependent STM/S reveals a highly synchronous evolution of electronic density of states, with a dI/dV peak around the same field of 5 kOe, which provides evidence to the folded bands and excited UAHE by external magnetic fields. This finding elucidates the connection between the real-space non-collinear magnetism and the k-space topological electronic states and establishes a novel manner to engineer the magneto-transport behaviours of correlated electrons for future topological spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Giant and Reversible Electronic Structure Evolution in a Magnetic Topological Material EuCd2As2

The electronic structure and the physical properties of quantum materials can be significantly altered by charge carrier doping and magnetic state transition. Here we report a discovery of a giant and reversible electronic structure evolution with doping in a magnetic topological material. By performing high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on EuCd2As2,we found that a huge amount of hole doping can be introduced into the sample surface due to surface absorption. The electronic structure exhibits a dramatic change with the hole doping which can not be described by a rigid band shift. Prominent band splitting is observed at high doping which corresponds to a doping-induced magnetic transition at low temperature (below -15 K) from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state. These results have established a detailed electronic phase diagram of EuCd2As2 where the electronic structure and the magnetic structure change systematically and dramatically with the doping level. They further suggest that the transport, magnetic and topological properties of EuCd2As2 can be greatly modified by doping. These work will stimulate further investigations to explore for new phenomena and properties in doping this magnetic topological material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Evidence for electronic signature of magnetic transition in topological magnet HoSbTe

Topological insulators with intrinsic magnetic order are emerging as an exciting platform to realize fundamentally new excitations from topological quantum states of matter. To study these systems and their physics, people have proposed a variety of magnetic topological insulator systems, including HoSbTe, an antiferromagnetic weak topological insulator candidate. In this work, we use scanning tunneling microscopy to probe the electronic structure of HoSbTe with antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic orders that are tuned by applying an external magnetic field. Although around the Fermi energy, we find minor differences between the quasi-particle interferences under the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders, deep inside the valance region, a new quasi-particle interference signal emerges with ferromagnetism. This observation is consistent with our first-principles calculations indicating the magnetism-driven transition of the electronic states in this spin-orbit coupled topological magnet.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Quasi-uniaxial pressure induced superconductivity in stoichiometric compound UTe$_2$

The recent discovery of superconductivity in heavy Fermion compound UTe2, a candidate topological and triplet-paired superconductor, has aroused widespread interest. However, to date, there is no consensus on whether the stoichiometric sample of UTe2 is superconducting or not due to lack of reliable evidence to distinguish the difference between the nominal and real compositions of samples. Here, we are the first to clarify that the stoichiometric UT2 is non-superconducting at ambient pressure and under hydrostatic pressure up to 6 GPa, however we find that it can be compressed into superconductivity by application of quasi-uniaxial pressure. Measurements of resistivity, magnetoresistance and susceptibility reveal that the quasi-uniaxial pressure results in a suppression of the Kondo coherent state seen at ambient pressure, and then leads to a superconductivity initially emerged on the ab-plane at 1.5 GPa. At 4.8 GPa, the superconductivity is developed in three crystallographic directions. The superconducting state coexists with an exotic magnetic ordered state that develops just below the onset temperature of the superconducting transition. The discovery of the quasi-uniaxial-pressure-induced superconductivity with exotic magnetic state in the stoichiometric UTe2 not only provide new understandings on this compound, but also highlight the vital role of Te deficiency in developing the superconductivity at ambient pressures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Uniaxial stress effect on the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$

Quantum critical phenomena in the quasi-one-dimensional limit remains an open issue. We report the uniaxial stress effect on the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ by electric transport and AC heat capacity measurements. CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ is speculated to sit in close vicinity but on the quantum-disordered side of a quantum critical point. Upon compressing the ${c}$ axis, parallel to the Ce-Ce chain, the onset of coherent Kondo effect is enhanced. In contrast, the electronic specific heat diverges more rapidly at low temperature when the intra-chain distance is elongated by compressions along {a} or {b} axes. These results suggest that a tensile intra-chain strain ($\varepsilon_c >0$) pushes CeCo$_2$Ga$_8$ closer to a quantum critical point, while a compressive intra-chain strain ($\varepsilon_c <0$) likely causes departure. Our work provides a rare paradigm of manipulation near a quantum critical point in a quasi-1D Kondo lattice by uniaxial stress, and paves the way for further investigations on the unique feature of quantum criticality in the quasi-1D limit.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Observation of topological flat bands in the kagome semiconductor Nb$_3$Cl$_8$

The destructive interference of wavefunctions in a kagome lattice can give rise to topological flat bands (TFBs) with a highly degenerate state of electrons. Recently, TFBs have been observed in several kagome metals, including Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, FeSn, CoSn, and YMn$_6$Sn$_6$. Nonetheless, kagome materials that are both exfoliable and semiconducting are lacking, which seriously hinders their device applications. Herein, we show that Nb$_3$Cl$_8$, which hosts a breathing kagome lattice, is gapped out because of the absence of inversion symmetry, while the TFBs survive because of the protection of the mirror reflection symmetry. By angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and first-principles calculations, we directly observe the TFB and a moderate band gap in Nb$_3$Cl$_8$. By mechanical exfoliation, we successfully obtain monolayers of Nb$_3$Cl$_8$ and confirm that they are stable under ambient conditions. In addition, our calculations show that monolayers of Nb$_3$Cl$_8$ have a magnetic ground state, thus providing opportunities to study the interplay between geometry, topology, and magnetism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Anomalous thermal Hall effect and anomalous Nernst effect of CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$

Motived by time-reversal symmetry breaking and giant anomalous Hall effect in kagome superconductor \textit{A}V$_3$Sb$_5$ (\textit{A} = Cs, K, Rb), we carried out the thermal transport measurements on CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. In addition to the anomalous Hall effect, the anomalous Nernst effect and the anomalous thermal Hall effect emerge. Interestingly, the longitudinal thermal conductivity $κ_{xx}$ largely deviates from the electronic contribution obtained from the longitudinal conductivity $σ_{xx}$ by the Wiedemann-Franz law. In contrast, the thermal Hall conductivity $κ_{xy}$ is roughly consistent with the Wiedemann-Franz law from electronic contribution. All these results indicate the large phonon contribution in the longitudinal thermal conductivity. Moreover, the thermal Hall conductivity is also slightly greater than the theoretical electronic contribution, indicating other charge neutral contributions. More than that, the Nernst coefficient and Hall resistivity show the multi-band behavior with possible additional contribution from Berry curvature at the low fields.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Comparison of skyrmion phases between poly and single-crystal MnSi by composite magnetoelectric method

We have explored the skyrmion phases and phase diagram of poly and single-crystal MnSi by the measurements of the magnetoelectric coefficient alfaE and ac magnetic susceptibility of the MnSi/PMN-PT composite. We found that the regular skyrmion lattice phase in single crystal sample has been averaged in the MnSi polycrystal due to random grain orientations which results in an extended skyrmion lattice-conical mixture phase down to 25 K. The magnitude of the out-of-phase component in alfaE of the polycrystal, not single crystal, decreases gradually with decreasing frequency. With the changing of the driven ac field, it reveals a depinning threshold behavior in both samples. The depinning field is stronger in the polycrystal than that in single crystal and maybe responsible for the diminishing of dissipative behavior at lower frequency due to grain boundaries and defects. The composite magnetoelectric method provides a unique approach to probe topological phase dynamics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Consecutive topological phase transitions and colossal magnetoresistance in a magnetic topological semimetal

The combination of magnetic symmetries and electronic band topology provides a promising route for realizing topologically nontrivial quasiparticles, and the manipulation of magnetic structures may enable the switching between topological phases, with the potential for achieving functional physical properties. Here, we report measurements of the electrical resistivity of EuCd$_2$As$_2$ under pressure, which show an intriguing insulating dome at pressures between $p_{\rm c1}\sim1.0$~GPa and $p_{\rm c2}\sim2.0$~GPa, situated between two regimes with metallic transport. The insulating state can be fully suppressed by a small magnetic field, leading to a colossal negative magnetoresistance on the order of $10^5$\%, accessible via a modest field of $\sim0.2$~T. First-principles calculations reveal that the dramatic evolution of the resistivity under pressure is due to consecutive transitions of EuCd$_2$As$_2$ from a magnetic topological insulator to a trivial insulator, and then to a Weyl semimetal, with the latter resulting from a pressure-induced change in the magnetic ground state. Similarly, the colossal magnetoresistance results from a field-induced polarization of the magnetic moments, transforming EuCd$_2$As$_2$ from a trivial insulator to a Weyl semimetal. These findings underscore weak magnetic exchange couplings and spin anisotropy as ingredients for discovering tunable magnetic topological materials with desirable functionalities.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Neutron-diffraction and linear {Grüneisen} parameter studies of magnetism in NdFe$_2$Ga$_8$

We study the magnetism in NdFe$_2$Ga$_8$ by the neutron-diffraction and temperature-modulated linear {Grüneisen} parameter measurements. Previous thermodynamical measurements have demonstrated that there are two magnetic transitions at 10 and 14.5 K, respectively. Neutron-diffraction measurements confirm that the lower one is an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition with a commensurate magnetic structure. Both the commensurate and the incommensurate (IC) magnetic peaks are found below the higher transition but their intensities only gradually increase with decreasing temperature. Below 10 K, the commensurate peak intensity increases quickly with decreasing temperature, signaling the AFM transition, while the IC peak intensity disappears below 5 K. The linear {Grüneisen} parameter along the $c$ axis, $Γ_c$, shows a hysteresis behavior that is different from the hysteresis behavior for the magnetization $M$. We give a discussion of the origin of the magnetism in NdFe$_2$Ga$_8$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Electronic Nature of Charge Density Wave and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Kagome Superconductor KV$_3$Sb$_5$

The Kagome superconductors AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, Cs) have received enormous attention due to their nontrivial topological electronic structure, anomalous physical properties and superconductivity. Unconventional charge density wave (CDW) has been detected in AV3Sb5. High-precision electronic structure determination is essential to understand its origin. Here we unveil electronic nature of the CDW phase in our high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on KV3Sb5. We have observed CDW-induced Fermi surface reconstruction and the associated band folding. The CDW-induced band splitting and the associated gap opening have been revealed at the boundary of the pristine and reconstructed Brillouin zones. The Fermi surface- and momentum-dependent CDW gap is measured and the strongly anisotropic CDW gap is observed for all the V-derived Fermi surface. In particular, we have observed signatures of the electron-phonon coupling in KV3Sb5. These results provide key insights in understanding the nature of the CDW state and its interplay with superconductivity in AV3Sb5 superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Non-thermal breaking of magnetic order via photo-generated spin defects

In Mott insulators the evolution of antiferromagnetic order to superconducting or charge-density-wave-like states upon chemical doping underpins the control of quantum phases. Photo-doping can induce similar transitions on the ultrafast timescale, however the response of the spin system has remained elusive. Here, we use 4D-ultrafast optical spectroscopy to extract quantitative magnetic dynamics in the spin-orbit coupled Mott insulator Sr3Ir2O7. We demonstrate that light can non-thermally melt long-range spin order. At low fluences magnetic order recovers within 1 ps despite demagnetization of roughly 50%. However, high fluences induce a crossover to a long-lived demagnetized state without increasing the lattice temperature. We show that the generation of photo-induced spin defects enables a mechanism that stabilizes the demagnetized state which could help expose new transient phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Spectroscopic Evidence for a Three-Dimensional Charge Density Wave in Kagome Superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

The recently discovered AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, Cs) family, possessing V kagome nets, has received considerable attention due to the topological electronic structure and intriguing correlated phenomena, including an exotic charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity. Detailed electronic structure studies are essential to unravel the characteristics and origin of the CDW as well as its interplay with superconductivity. Here, we present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements for CsV3Sb5 at multiple temperatures and photon energies to reveal the nature of the CDW from an electronic structure perspective. We present evidence for a three-dimensional (3D) CDW order. In the process we also pinpoint a surface state attributed to a Cs terminated surface. This state was previously attributed to band folding band due to a CDW along the c direction or a quantum well state from quantum confinement. The CDW expected 2-fold lattice reconstruction along c axis is observed to be a quadrupling of the unit cell, thus for the first time directly demonstrating the 3D nature of the CDW from the electronic structure perspective. Moreover, this 3D CDW configuration originates from two distinct types of distortions in adjacent kagome layers. These present results not only provide key insights into the nature of the unconventional CDW in CsV3Sb5 but also provides an important reference for further studies on the relationship between the CDW and superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Probe Skyrmion phases and dynamics in MnSi via the magnetoelectric effect in a composite configuration

We have developed a sensitive technique to probe the magnetic skyrmion phases and dynamics by employing the interfacial coupling effect in a magnetoelectric composite configuration. The study on a MnSi single crystal sample using this technique provides clear evidences for the skyrmion lattice phase and coexistence of skyrmion and conical phase. Above the Curie temperature TC, a region with strong spin fluctuation is revealed as well. By tuning the density of Skyrmion or disorder, a transition from the skyrmion lattice to skyrmion-conical coexisting phase is observed. The observation is in good agreement with a theoretical model which predicts the dissipation behavior in the coexistence phase.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Electronic nature of chiral charge order in the kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5

Kagome superconductors with Tc up to 7K have been discovered over 40 years. Recently, unconventional chiral charge order has been reported in kagome superconductor KV3Sb5, with an ordering temperature of one order of magnitude higher than the TC. However, the chirality of the charge order has not been reported in the cousin kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5, and the electronic nature of the chirality remains elusive. In this letter, we report the observation of electronic chiral charge order in CsV3Sb5 via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We observe a 2x2 charge modulation and a 1x4 superlattice in both topographic data and tunneling spectroscopy. 2x2 charge modulation is highly anticipated as a charge order by fundamental kagome lattice models at van Hove filling, and is shown to exhibit intrinsic chirality. We find that the 1x4 superlattices forms various small domain walls, and can be a surface effect as supported by our first-principles calculations. Crucially, we find that the amplitude of the energy gap opened by the charge order exhibits real space modulations, and features 2x2 wave vectors with chirality, highlighting the electronic nature of the chiral charge order. STM study at 0.4K reveals a superconducting energy gap with a gap size 2Δ=0.85meV, which estimates a moderate superconductivity coupling strength with 2Δ/kBTc=3.9. When further applying a c-axis magnetic field, vortex core bound states are observed within this gap, indicative of clean-limit superconductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Effects of the Crystalline Electric Field in the $KErTe_{2}$ Quantum Spin Liquid Candidate

In this paper, we performed thermodynamic and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements to study low-energy magnetic excitations, which were significantly affected by crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations due to relatively small gaps between the CEF ground state and the excited states. Based on the CEF and mean-field (MF) theories, we analyzed systematically and consistently the ESR experiments and thermodynamic measurements including susceptibility, magnetization, and heat capacity. The CEF parameters were successfully extracted by fitting high-temperature (> 20 K) susceptibilities in the ab-plane and along the c-axis, allowing to determine the Lande factors ($g_{ab,calc}$ = 5.98(7) and $g_{c,calc}$ = 2.73(3)). These values were consistent with the values of Lande factors determined by ESR experiments ($g_{ab,exp}$ = 5.69 and $g_{c,exp}$ = 2.75). By applying the CEF and MF theories to the susceptibility and magnetization results, we estimated the anisotropic spin-exchange energies and found that the CEF excitations in \ce{KErTe2} played a decisive role in the magnetism above 3 K, while the low-temperature magnetism below 10 K was gradually correlated with the anisotropic spin-exchange interactions. The CEF excitations were demonstrated in the low-temperature heat capacity, where both the positions of two broad peaks and their magnetic field dependence well corroborated our calculations. The present study provides a basis to explore the enriched magnetic and electronic properties of the QSL family.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Nonlocal effects of low-energy excitations in quantum-spin-liquid candidate Cu$_3$Zn(OH)$_6$FBr

We systematically study the low-temperature specific heats for the two-dimensional kagome antiferromagnet, Cu$_{3}$Zn(OH)$_6$FBr. The specific heat exhibits a $T^{1.7}$ dependence at low temperatures and a shoulder-like feature above it. We construct a microscopic lattice model of $Z_2$ quantum spin liquid and perform large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations to show that the above behaviors come from the contributions from gapped anyons and magnetic impurities. Surprisingly, we find the entropy associated with the shoulder decreases quickly with grain size $d$, although the system is paramagnetic to the lowest temperature. While this can be simply explained by a core-shell picture in that the contribution from the interior state disappears near the surface, the 5.9-nm shell width precludes any trivial explanations. Such a large length scale signifies the coherence length of the nonlocality of the quantum entangled excitations in quantum spin liquid candidate, similar to Pippard's coherence length in superconductors. Our approach therefore offers a new experimental probe of the intangible quantum state of matter with topological order.

cond-mat.str-el↗