arXiv subjects

Z. -X. Shen

Publications and source records attributed to Z. -X. Shen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Pseudogap in electron-doped cuprates: Strong correlation leading to band splitting

The pseudogap phenomena have been a long-standing mystery of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The pseudogap in the electron-doped cuprates has been attributed to band folding due to antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range order or short-range correlation. We performed an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of the electron-doped cuprates Pr$_{1.3-x}$La$_{0.7}$Ce$_x$CuO$_4$ showing spin-glass, disordered AFM behaviors, and superconductivity at low temperatures and, by measurements with fine momentum cuts, found that the gap opens on the unfolded Fermi surface rather than the AFM Brillouin zone boundary. The gap did not show a node, following the full symmetry of the Brillouin zone, and its magnitude decreased from the zone-diagonal to ($π$,0) directions, opposite to the hole-doped case. These observations were reproduced by cluster dynamical-mean-field-theory (CDMFT) calculation, which took into account electron correlation precisely within a (CuO$_2$)$_4$ cluster. The present experimental and theoretical results are consistent with the mechanism that electron or hole doping into a Mott insulator creates an in-gap band that are separated from the upper or lower Hubbard band by the pseudogap.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Spectroscopic evidence for topological band structure in FeTe$_{0.55}$Se$_{0.45}$

FeTe$_{0.55}$Se$_{0.45}$(FTS) occupies a special spot in modern condensed matter physics at the intersections of electron correlation, topology, and unconventional superconductivity. The bulk electronic structure of FTS is predicted to be topologically nontrivial thanks to the band inversion between the $d_{xz}$ and $p_z$ bands along $Γ$-$Z$. However, there remain debates in both the authenticity of the Dirac surface states (DSS) and the experimental deviations of band structure from the theoretical band inversion picture. Here we resolve these debates through a comprehensive ARPES investigation. We first observe a persistent DSS independent of $k_z$. Then, by comparing FTS with FeSe which has no band inversion along $Γ$-$Z$, we identify the spectral weight fingerprint of both the presence of the $p_z$ band and the inversion between the $d_{xz}$ and $p_z$ bands. Furthermore, we propose a reconciling band structure under the framework of a tight-binding model preserving crystal symmetry. Our results highlight the significant influence of correlation on modifying the band structure and make a strong case for the existence of topological band structure in this unconventional superconductor.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Coherent Light Control of a Metastable Hidden Phase

Metastable phases present a promising route to expand the functionality of complex materials. Of particular interest are light-induced metastable phases that are inaccessible under equilibrium conditions, as they often host new, emergent properties switchable on ultrafast timescales. However, the processes governing the trajectories to such hidden phases remain largely unexplored. Here, using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigate the ultrafast dynamics of the formation of a hidden quantum state in the layered dichalcogenide 1T-TaS$_2$ upon photoexcitation. Our results reveal the nonthermal character of the transition governed by a collective charge-density-wave excitation. Utilizing a double-pulse excitation of the structural mode, we show vibrational coherent control of the phase-transition efficiency. Our demonstration of exceptional control, switching speed, and stability of the hidden phase are key for device applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Anisotropic quasiparticle coherence in nematic BaFe$_2$As$_2$ studied with strain-dependent ARPES

The hallmark of nematic order in iron-based superconductors is a resistivity anisotropy but it is unclear to which extent quasiparticle dispersions, lifetimes and coherence contribute. While the lifted degeneracy of the Fe $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ dispersions has been studied extensively, only little is known about the two other factors. Here, we combine in situ strain tuning with ARPES and study the nematic response of the spectral weight in BaFe$_2$As$_2$. The symmetry analysis of the ARPES spectra demonstrates that the $d_{xz}$ band gains quasiparticle spectral weight compared to the $d_{yz}$ band for negative antisymmetric strain $Δε_{yy}$ suggesting the same response inside the nematic phase. Our results are compatible with a different coherence of the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbital within a Hund's metal picture. We also discuss the influence of orbital mixing.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Low work function in the 122-family of iron-based superconductors

We determine the work functions of the iron arsenic compounds $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($A=\mathrm{Ca, Ba, Cs}$) using photoemission spectroscopy to be 2.7 eV for CaFe$_2$As$_2$, 1.8 eV for BaFe$_2$As$_2$, and 1.3 eV for CsFe$_2$As$_2$. The work functions of these 122 iron-based superconductors track those of the elementary metal $A$ but are substantially smaller. The most likely explanation of this observation is that the cleaving surface exposes only half an $A$-layer. The low work function and good photoemission cross section of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ and CsFe$_2$As$_2$ enable photoemission even from a common white LED light.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Spectroscopic evidence for electron-boson coupling in electron-doped Sr$_2$IrO$_4$

The pseudogap, d-wave superconductivity and electron-boson coupling are three intertwined key ingredients in the phase diagram of the cuprates. Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ is a 5d-electron counterpart of the cuprates in which both the pseudogap and a d-wave instability have been observed. Here, we report spectroscopic evidence for the presence of the third key player in electron-doped Sr$_2$IrO$_4$: electron-boson coupling. A kink in nodal dispersion is observed with an energy scale of ~50 meV. The strength of the kink changes with doping, but the energy scale remains the same. These results provide the first noncuprate platform for exploring the relationship between the pseudogap, d-wave instability and electron-boson coupling in doped Mott insulators.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Band-dependent superconducting gap in SrFe$_{2}$(As$_{0.65}$P$_{0.35}$)$_{2}$ studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The isovalent-substituted iron pnictide compound SrFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$ exhibits multiple evidence for nodal superconductivity via various experimental probes, such as the penetration depth, nuclear magnetic resonance and specific heat measurements. The direct identification of the nodal superconducting (SC) gap structure is challenging, partly because the presence of nodes is not protected by symmetry but instead caused by an accidental sign change of the order parameter, and also because of the three-dimensionality of the electronic structure. We have studied the SC gaps of SrFe$_{2}$(As$_{0.65}$P$_{0.35}$)$_{2}$ in three-dimensional momentum space by synchrotron and laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The three hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) at the zone center have SC gaps with different magnitudes, whereas the SC gaps of the electron FSs at the zone corner are almost isotropic and $k_{z}$-independent. We propose that the SC gap of the outer hole FS changes sign around the Z-X [($0, 0, 2π$)-($π,π, 2π$)] direction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Momentum Dependence of the Nematic Order Parameter in Iron-Based Superconductors

The momentum dependence of the nematic order parameter is an important ingredient in the microscopic description of iron-based high-temperature superconductors. While recent reports on FeSe indicate that the nematic order parameter changes sign between electron and hole bands, detailed knowledge is still missing for other compounds. Combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) with uniaxial strain tuning, we measure the nematic band splitting in both FeSe and BaFe$_2$As$_2$ without interference from either twinning or magnetic order. We find that the nematic order parameter exhibits the same momentum dependence in both compounds with a sign change between the Brillouin center and the corner. This suggests that the same microscopic mechanism drives the nematic order in spite of the very different phase diagrams.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Mode-selective coupling of coherent phonons to the Bi2212 electronic band structure

Cuprate superconductors host a multitude of low-energy optical phonons. Using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we study coherent phonons in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{0.92}$Y$_{0.08}$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$. Sub-meV modulations of the electronic band structure are observed at frequencies of $3.94\pm 0.01$ and $5.59\pm 0.06$ THz. For the dominant mode at 3.94 THz, the amplitude of the band energy oscillation weakly increases as a function of momentum away from the node. Theoretical calculations allow identifying the observed modes as CuO$_{2}$-derived $A_{1g}$ phonons. The Bi- and Sr-derived $A_{1g}$ modes which dominate Raman spectra in the relevant frequency range are absent in our measurements. This highlights the mode-selectivity for phonons coupled to the near-Fermi-level electrons, which originate from CuO$_{2}$ planes and dictate thermodynamic properties.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Electronic structure of the quadrupolar ordered heavy-fermion compound YbRu2Ge2 measured by angle-resolved photoemission

We studied the electronic structure of the heavy fermion compound Yb(Ru$_{1-x}$Rh$_{x}$)$_2$Ge$_2$ with $x=0$ and nominally $x=0.125$ using ARPES and LDA calculations. We find a valence band structure of Yb corresponding to a non-integer valence close to $3+$. The three observed crystal electric field levels with a splitting of 32 and 75 meV confirm the suggested configuration with a quasi-quartet ground state. The experimentally determined band structure of the conduction electrons with predominantly Ru $4d$ character is well reproduced by our calculations. YbRu$_2$Ge$_2$ undergoes a non-magnetic phase transition into a ferroquadrupolar ordered state below 10.2\,K and then to an antiferromagnetically ordered state below 6.5\,K. A small hole Fermi surface shows nesting features in our calculated band structure and its size determined by ARPES is close to the magnetic ordering wave vector found in neutron scattering. The transitions are suppressed when YbRu$_2$Ge$_2$ is doped with 12.5% Rh. The electron doping leads to a shift of the band structure and successive Lifshitz transitions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Detailed band structure of twinned and detwinned BaFe$_2$As$_2$ studied with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We study the band structure of twinned and detwinned BaFe$_2$As$_2$ using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The combination of measurements in the ordered and normal state along four high-symmetry momentum directions $Γ$/Z--X/Y enables us to identify the complex reconstructed band structure in the ordered state in great detail. We clearly observe the nematic splitting of the $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbitals as well as folding due to magnetic order with a wave vector of $(π,π,π)$. We are able to assign all observed bands. In particular we suggest an assignment of the electron bands different from previous reports. The high quality spectra allow us to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the band structure of BaFe$_2$As$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Fermi surface reconstruction in electron-doped cuprates without antiferromagnetic long-range order

Fermi surface (FS) topology is a fundamental property of metals and superconductors. In electron-doped cuprate Nd2-xCexCuO4 (NCCO), an unexpected FS reconstruction has been observed in optimal- and over-doped regime (x=0.15-0.17) by quantum oscillation measurements (QOM). This is all the more puzzling because neutron scattering suggests that the antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range order, which is believed to reconstruct the FS, vanishes before x=0.14. To reconcile the conflict, a widely discussed external magnetic field-induced AFM long-range order in QOM explains the FS reconstruction as an extrinsic property. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) evidence of FS reconstruction in optimal- and over-doped NCCO. The observed FSs are in quantitative agreement with QOM, suggesting an intrinsic FS reconstruction without field. This reconstructed FS, despite its importance as a basis to understand electron-doped cuprates, cannot be explained under the traditional scheme. Furthermore, the energy gap of the reconstruction decreases rapidly near x=0.17 like an order parameter, echoing the quantum critical doping in transport. The totality of the data points to a mysterious order between x=0.14 and 0.17, whose appearance favors the FS reconstruction and disappearance defines the quantum critical doping. A recent topological proposal provides an ansatz for its origin.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Spectral Evidence for Emergent Order in Ba$_{1-x}$Na$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$

We report an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of the iron-based superconductor family, Ba$_{1-x}$Na$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$. This system harbors the recently discovered double-Q magnetic order appearing in a reentrant C$_4$ phase deep within the underdoped regime of the phase diagram that is otherwise dominated by the coupled nematic phase and collinear antiferromagnetic order. From a detailed temperature-dependence study, we identify the electronic response to the nematic phase in an orbital-dependent band shift that strictly follows the rotational symmetry of the lattice and disappears when the system restores C$_4$ symmetry in the low temperature phase. In addition, we report the observation of a distinct electronic reconstruction that cannot be explained by the known electronic orders in the system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Coincident onset of charge density wave order at a quantum critical point in underdoped YBCO

The recently demonstrated x-ray scattering approach using a free electron laser with a high field pulsed magnet has opened new opportunities to explore the charge density wave (CDW) order in cuprate high temperature superconductors. Using this approach, we substantially degrade the superconductivity with magnetic fields up to 33 T to investigate the onset of CDW order in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_x$ at low temperatures near a putative quantum critical point (QCP) at $p_1\sim $ 0.08 holes per Cu. We find no CDW can be detected in a sample with a doping concentration less than $p_1$. Our results indicate that the onset of the CDW ground state lies inside the zero-field superconducting dome, and broken translational symmetry is associated with the putative QCP at $p_1$

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

RIXS studies of magnons and bimagnons in the lightly doped cuprate La2-xSrxCuO4

We investigated the doping dependence of magnetic excitations in the lightly doped cuprate La2-xSrxCuO4 via combined studies of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Cu L3-edge and theoretical calculations. With increasing doping, the magnon dispersion is found to be essentially unchanged, but the spectral width broadens and the spectral weight varies differently at different momenta. Near the Brillouin zone center, we directly observe bimagnon excitations which possess the same energy scale and doping dependence as previously observed by Raman spectroscopy. They disperse weakly in energy-momentum space, and are consistent with a bimagnon dispersion that is renormalized by the magnon-magnon interaction at the zone center.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Revealing the Coulomb interaction strength in a cuprate superconductor

We study optimally doped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$Ca$_{0.92}$Y$_{0.08}$Cu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi2212) using angle-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy. Three spectral features are resolved near 1.5, 2.7, and 3.6 eV above the Fermi level. By tuning the photon energy, we determine that the 2.7-eV feature arises predominantly from unoccupied states. The 1.5- and 3.6-eV features reflect unoccupied states whose spectral intensities are strongly modulated by the corresponding occupied states. These unoccupied states are consistent with the prediction from a cluster perturbation theory based on the single-band Hubbard model. Through this comparison, a Coulomb interaction strength U of 2.7 eV is extracted. Our study complements equilibrium photoemission spectroscopy and provides a direct spectroscopic measurement of the unoccupied states in cuprates. The determined Coulomb U indicates that the charge-transfer gap of optimally doped Bi2212 is 1.1 eV.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Ubiquitous antinodal quasiparticles and deviation from simple d-wave form in underdoped Bi-2212

The momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in the cuprates has been debated, with most experiments reporting a deviation from a simple $d_{x^2-y^2}$ form in the underdoped regime and a few experiments claiming that a simple $d_{x^2-y^2}$ form persists down to the lowest dopings. We affirm that the superconducting gap function in sufficiently underdoped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ (Bi-2212) deviates from a simple \textit{d}-wave form near the antinode. This is observed in samples where doping is controlled only by oxygen annealing, in contrast to claims that this effect is only seen in cation-substituted samples. Moreover, a quasiparticle peak is present at the antinode down to p$=$0.08, refuting claims that a deviation from a simple \textit{d}-wave form is a data analysis artifact stemming from difficulty in assessing a gap in the absence of a quasiparticle.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Electronically driven nematicity in FeSe Films on SrTiO3

The intriguing role of nematicity in iron-based superconductors, defined as broken rotational symmetry below a characteristic temperature, is an intensely investigated contemporary subject. Nematicity is closely connected to the structural transition, however, it is highly doubtful that the lattice degree of freedom is responsible for its formation, given the accumulating evidence for the observed large anisotropy. Here we combine molecular beam epitaxy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy together to study the nematicity in multilayer FeSe films on SrTiO3. Our results demonstrate direct connection between electronic anisotropy in momentum space and standing waves in real space at atomic scale. The lifting of orbital degeneracy of dxz/dyz bands gives rise to a pair of Dirac cone structures near the zone corner, which causes energy-independent unidirectional interference fringes, observed in real space as standing waves by scattering electrons off C2 domain walls and Se-defects. On the other hand, the formation of C2 nematic domain walls unexpectedly shows no correlation with lattice strain pattern, which is induced by the lattice mismatch between the film and substrate. Our results establish a clean case that the nematicity is driven by electronic rather than lattice degrees of freedom in FeSe films.

cond-mat.supr-con↗