arXiv subjects

Zhi-Qing Li

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi-Qing Li.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Two-dimensional quantum Griffith singularity in three-dimensional ZrN$_x$ superconducting films

We report the experimental observation of two-dimensional (2D) quantum Griffiths singularity (QGS) in $\sim$200-nm-thick epitaxial ZrN$_x$ superconducting films. The films possess a rock-salt structure and are three-dimensional (3D) with respect to superconductivity. For each film with $x \gtrsim 1.30$, the low-temperature magnetoresistance isotherms under fields perpendicular and parallel to the film plane cross over at a broad magnetic field range independently rather than at a single crossing point. Despite the macroscopic 3D nature of the superconductivity, the magnetoresistance isotherms at selected adjacent temperatures follow the theoretical prediction of power-law scaling for 2D superconducting systems, rather than that for 3D systems. The effective critical exponent $zν$, obtained by analyzing the magnetoresistance isotherms using the 2D power-law scaling, increases with decreasing temperature and diverges as the quantum phase transition is approached. In addition, the resistivity data near the superconductor-insulator or superconductor-metal transitions obey an activated scaling form that describes the quantum phase transition of 2D superconducting systems governed by an infinite-randomness critical point. The QGS in the ZrN$_x$ films is attributed to quenched disorder induced by intrinsic defects, such as Zr vacancies and N interstitials, which creates spatially inhomogeneous superconducting rare regions. The dynamics of these rare regions, which may exhibit effective 2D characteristics near the quantum critical point, dominate the transport properties of the system near the quantum phase transition. Our results provide compelling evidence for the existence of QGS in 3D superconductors and highlight the crucial role of disorder-induced inhomogeneity in determining the critical behavior of quantum phase transitions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Origin of giant magnetoresistance in layered nodal-line semimetal TaNiTe5 nanoflakes

Layered transition metal chalcogenides have stimulated a wide research interest due to their many exotic physical properties. In this paper, we studied the magnetotransport properties of the exfoliated TaNiTe5, a recently discovered Dirac nodal-line semimetal. A giant positive magnetoresistance (MR) is observed when the current is parallel to the crystallographic c axis, while it is strongly diminished when the current flows along the a axis. The observed giant MR is gradually suppressed either on reducing the thickness of nanoflake or on increasing temperature. By performing MR measurement in tilted magnetic fields, the interlayer coupling is found to be weakened both by reducing the thickness and by increasing temperature. We propose a mechanism of electron-electron interaction-assisted interlayer transport as a origin of the giant MR. The mechanism is likely to provide a explanation for the giant MR in other layered materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Crossover From Cooper-Pair Hopping to Single-Electron Hopping in Pb$_x$(TiO$_2$)$_{1-x}$ Granular Films

The electrical transport properties of Pb$_x$(TiO$_2$)$_{1-x}$ ($x$ being the Pb volume fraction and ranging from $\sim$0.45 to $\sim$0.69) granular films are investigated experimentally. The charging energy of the Pb granules is reduced to less than the superconducting gap of Pb granules for the low temperature insulating films by using high-$k$ dielectric TiO$_2$ as the insulating matrix. For the insulating films in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition, Cooper-pair hopping governs the low-temperature hopping transport. For these films, the low-temperature magnetoresistance is positive at low field and the resistivity vs temperature for Cooper-pair hopping obeys an Efros-Shklovsii-type variable-range-hopping law. A crossover from Cooper-pair-dominated hopping to single-electron-dominated hopping is observed with decreasing $x$. The emergence of single-electron-dominated hopping in the more insulating films is due to the causation that the intergrain Josephson coupling becomes too weak for Cooper pairs to hop between adjacent superconducting Pb granules.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Quantum Griffiths singularity in three-dimensional MoTiN superconducting films

Quantum Griffiths singularity (QGS) has been experimentally observed in a range of two-dimensional (2D) superconducting systems. Although it is theoretically suggested that the QGS also exists in three-dimensional (3D) superconductors, there is almost no experimental support to the theoretical prediction. In the present paper, we observe the occurrence of QGS in a series of $\sim$80-nm-thick Mo$_{0.8}$Ti$_{0.2}$N$_x$ ($0.84 \lesssim x \lesssim 1.12$) superconducting films near the field-driven superconductor-metal transition (SMT). These films have a NaCl structure and are 3D with respect to the superconductivity. For each film, the low-temperature magnetoresistance isotherms, measured at magnetic fields being perpendicular or parallel to the film plane, do not cross at a single point but at a clear wide region. The dynamical critical exponents $zν_{\perp}$ (for perpendicular field) and $zν_{\parallel}$ (for parallel field) obtained by analyzing the related magnetoresistance isotherms increase with decreasing temperature and tend to diverge as $T\rightarrow 0$ K. In addition, the effective resistivity data for the perpendicular and parallel field in the vicinity of the SMTs both obey an activated scaling based on the random transverse-field Ising model. We also fabricate a $\sim$80-nm-thick (Mo$_{0.8}$Ti$_{0.2}$)$_2$N$_{1.06}$ superconducting film with face-centered cubic structure at low nitrogen partial pressure. It is found that the low-temperature magnetoresistance isotherms for the perpendicular (parallel) field cross at a single point and the resistivity data for the perpendicular (parallel) field in the vicinity of the field-induced SMT obey the power-law scaling deduced from the dirty-boson model. Our results provide unambigous experimental evidence for the existence of QGS in 3D superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

The rotating excitons in two-dimensional materials: Valley Zeeman effect and chirality

We propose the rotational dynamics of the intralayer and interlayer excitons with their inherent momenta of inertia in the monolayer and bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides, respectively, where the new chirality of exciton is endowed by the rotational angular momentum, namely, the formations of left- and right-handed excitons at the +K and -K valleys, respectively. We find that angular momenta exchange between excitons and its surrounding phononic bath result in the large fluctuation of the effective g-factor and the asymmetry of valley Zeeman splitting observed in most recently experiments, both of which sensitively depend on the magnetic moments provided by the phononic environment. This rotating exciton model not only proposes a new controllable knob in valleytronics, but opens the door to explore the angular momentum exchange of the chiral quasiparticles with the many-body environment.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Theory of all-coupling angulon for molecules rotating in many-body environment

The formation of angulon, stemming from the rotor (molecule or impurity) rotating in the quantum many-body field, adds a new member in the quasiparticle's family and has aroused intensively interests in multiple research fields. However, the analysis of the coupling strength between the rotor and its hosting environment remains a challenging task both in theory and experiment. Here, we develop the all-coupling theory of the angulon by introducing an unitary transformation, where the renormalization of the rotational constants for different molecules in the helium nanodroplets are reproduced, getting excellent agreement with the collected experimental data during the past decades. Moreover, the strength of molecule-helium coupling and the effective radius of the solvation shell corotating along with the molecular rotor could be estimated qualitatively. This model not only provides the significant enlightenment for analyzing the rotational spectroscopy of molecules in the phononic environment, but also provides a new method to study the transfer of the phonon angular momentum in angulon frame.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

The Origin of Two-dimensional Electron Gas in Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_x$O/ZnO Heterostructures

Although the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in (001) Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_x$O/ZnO heterostructures has been discovered for about twenty years, the origin of the 2DEG is still inconclusive. In the present letter, the formation mechanisms of 2DEG near the interfaces of (001) Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_x$O/ZnO heterostructures were investigated via the first-principles calculations method. It is found that the polarity discontinuity near the interface can neither lead to the formation of 2DEG in devices with thick Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_{x}$O layers nor in devices with thin Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_{x}$O layers. For the heterostructure with thick Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_{x}$O layers, the oxygen vacancies near the interface introduce a defect band in the band gap, and the top of the defect band overlaps with the bottom of the conduction band, leading to the formation of the 2DEG near the interface of the device. For the heterostructure with thin Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_{x}$O layers, the absorption of hydrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, or OH groups on the surface of Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_{x}$O film plays a key role for the formation of 2DEG in the device. Our results manifest the sources of 2DEGs in Zn$_{1-x}$Mg$_x$O/ZnO heterostructures on the electronic structure level.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Mobile defects as mediated states for charge-carrier trapping in metal halide perovskites quantum dots

The migration motion of defects in metal halide perovskites quantum dots (MHPQDs) results in charge-carrier trapping become more complicated. We study two-step trapping mediated by mobile defects between the ground state of MHPQDs and a fixed-depth defect using a full-configuration defect method, where all possible trapping processes mediated by these mobile defects could be reproduced and the fastest channels among them are picked out. We find that these two-step trapping processes could keep more one order of magnitude faster than these direct ones as mobile defect with the appropriate localization strength, which implies that these indirect trapping should play the crucial rule to determine the non-radiative recombination losses. These results provide the significant explanation for studying non-radiation processes of carriers in the presence of the migration defects in recent experiments. Moreover, this model will be available to analyze some key performance related defects in electronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Quantum phase transition in two-dimensional NbN superconducting thin films

We systematically investigated the low-temperature transport properties of a series of NbN epitaxial films with thickness $t$ ranging from $\sim$2.0 to $\sim$4.0 nm. The films undergo a superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) with decreasing film thickness, and the critical sheet resistance for the SIT is close to the quantum resistance of Cooper pairs $h/4e^2$ (6.45 k$Ω$). Besides the Berezinski-Koterlitz-Thouless transition, a magnetic-field-driven SIT is observed in those two-dimensional (2D) superconducting films (2.6 nm $\lesssim t \lesssim 4.0$ nm). Interestingly, it is found that the low-temperature magnetoresistance isotherms do not cross at a single fixed point but at a well-distinguished region for these superconducting films. The dynamical critical exponent obtained by analyzing these magnetoresistance isotherms is divergent as the quantum critical point is being approached. The behavior of the dynamical critical exponent, originating from quenched disorder at ultralow temperatures, provides direct evidence for the occurrence of quantum Griffiths singularity in the quantum phase transition process of the films. The field-driven anomalous metal (quantum metal) state does not appear in these films. Our results suggest that the quantum Griffiths singularity not only occurs in the highly crystalline 2D superconductors with superconductor-metal transition but also in those with SIT.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Granular Effect on Electron Conduction in Discontinuous Metal Films

We reanalyze the seminal work by Dolan and Osheroff [Phys. Rev. Lett. $\textbf{43}$, 721 (1979)] which reported anomalous low-temperature conduction of high-resistivity thin-film metal strips. We argue that the observed logarithmic increase of resistance with decreasing temperature in their 3-nm-thick Au-Pd strips be ascribed to the granularity effect on electron conduction in discontinuous metal films. This reanalysis is further supported by our measurements on conducting Pb$_x$(SiO$_2$)$_{1-x}$ nanogranular films, where $x$ is the volume fraction of Pb.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Microscopic theory of Raman scattering for the rotational organic cation in metal halide perovskites

A gap exists in microscopic understanding the dynamic properties of the rotational organic cation (ROC) in the inorganic framework of the metal halide perovskites (MHP) to date. Herein, we develop a microscopic theory of Raman scattering for the ROC in MHP based on the angular momentum of a ROC exchanging with that of the photon and phonon. We systematically present the selection rules for the angular momentum transfer among three lowest rotational levels. We find that the phonon angular momentum that arising from the inorganic framework and its specific values could be directly manifested by Stokes (or anti-Stokes) shift. Moreover, the initial orientation of the ROC and its preferentially rotational directions could be judged in Raman spectra. This study lays the theoretical foundation for the high-precision resolution and manipulation of molecular rotation immersed in many-body environment by Raman technique.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Charge carriers trapping by the full-configuration defects in metal halide perovskites quantum dots

Metal halide perovskites quantum dots (MHPQDs) have aroused enormous interesting in the photovoltaic and photoelectric because of their marvelous properties and size characteristics. However, one of key problems that how to systematically analyze charge carriers trapping by different defects is still a challenge task. Here, we study nonradiation multiphonon processes of the charge carrier trapping by various defects in MHPQDs based on the well-known Huang-Rhys model, in which a method of fullconfiguration defect, including different defect species with variable depth and lattice relaxation strength, is developed by introducing a localization parameter in the quantum defect model. With the help of this method, these fastest trapping channels for charge carriers transferring from the quantum dot ground state to different defects are found. Furthermore, the dependences of the trapping time on the radius of quantum dot, the defect depth and temperature are given. These results not only enrich the knowledge of charge carrier trapping processes by defects, but enlighten the designs of MHPQDs-based photovoltaic and photoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

High-mobility two-dimensional electron gas in $γ$-Al$_2$O$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ heterostructures

The origin of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the interface between $γ$-Al$_2$O$_3$ (GAO) and SrTiO$_3$ (STO) (GAO/STO) as well as the reason for the high mobility of the 2DEG is still in debate. In this paper, the electronic structures of [001]-oriented GAO/STO heterostructures with and without oxygen vacancies are investigated by first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory. The calculation results show that the necessary condition for the formation of 2DEG is that the GAO/STO heterostructure has the interface composed of Al and TiO$_2$ layers. For the heterostructure without oxygen vacancy on the GAO side, the 2DEG originates from the polar discontinuity near the interface, and there is a critical thickness for the GAO film, below which the 2DEG would not present and the heterostructure exhibits insulator characteristics. For the case that only the GAO film contains oxygen vacancies, the polar discontinuity near the interface disappears, but the 2DEG still exists. In this situation, the critical thickness of the GAO film for 2DEG formation does not exist either. When the GAO film and STO substrate both contain oxygen vacancies, it is found that the 2DEG retains as long as the oxygen vacancies on the STO side are not very close to the interface. The low-temperature mobilities of the 2DEGs in these GAO/STO heterostructures are considered to be governed by the ionized impurity scattering, and $\sim$3 to $\sim$11 times as large as that in LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ heterojunction. The high mobility of the 2DEG is mainly due to the small electron effective mass in GAO/STO heterostructure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Electrical transport properties of thick and thin Ta-doped SnO$_2$ films

Ta-doped SnO$_2$ films with high conductivity and high optical transparency have been successfully fabricated using rf-sputtering method and their electrical transport properties have been investigated. All films reveal degenerate semiconductor (metal) characteristics in electrical transport properties. For the thick films ($t\sim 1\,μ\rm{m}$ with $t$ being the thickness) deposited in pure argon, the electron-phonon scattering alone cannot explain the temperature dependent behaviors of resistivity, the interference effect between electron-phonon and electron-impurity scattering should be considered. For the $t\lesssim 36$ nm films, both conductivity and the Hall coefficient show linear relation with the logarithm of temperature ($\ln T$) from $\sim$100 K down to liquid helium temperature. The $\ln T$ behaviors of conductivity and Hall coefficient cannot be explained by the Altshuler-Aronov type electron-electron interaction effect, but can be quantitatively interpreted by the electron-electron interaction effects in the presence of granularity. Our results not only provide strong supports for the theoretical results on the electron-phonon-impurity interference effect, but also confirm the validity of the theoretical predictions of charge transport in granular metals in strong coupling regime.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2022

Infrared optical absorption of Frohlich polaron in metal halide perovskites

The formation of Frohlich polaron in metal halide perovskites, arising from the charge carrierlongitudinal optical (LO) phonon coupling, has been proposed to explain their exceptional properties, but the effective identification of polaron in these materials is still a challenge task. Herein, we theoretically present the infrared optical absorption of Frohlich polaron based on Huang-Rhys model. We find that multiphonon overtones are appeared as the energy of incident photon matches the multiple LO phonons, wherein the average phonon numbers of a polaron can be directly evaluated by the order of the strongest overtone. These multiphonon structures sensitively depend on the scale of electronic distribution in the ground state and the dimensionality of the perovskite materials, which gives the enlightenment for the effective modulation of competing processes between the polaron formation and carrier cooling. Moreover, the order of the strongest overtone shifts to the higher ones with temperature, providing a potential proof of the carriers mobility affected by LO phonons scattering. The present model not only suggests a direct way to verify Frohlich polaron, but also enriches the understanding of the polaron properties in metal halide perovskites.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Self-trapped interlayer excitons in van der Waals heterostructures

The self-trapped state (STS) of interlayer exciton (IX) has been aroused enormous interesting owing to their significant impact on the fundamental properties of the van derWaals heterostructures (vdWHs). Nevertheless, the microscopic mechanisms of STS are still controversial. Herein, we study the corrections of the binding energies of the IXs due to the exciton-interface optical phonon coupling in four kinds of vdWHs and find that these IXs are in the STS for the appropriate ratio of the electron and hole effective masses. We show that these STSs could be classified into the type I with the increasing binding energy in the tens of meV range, which are very agreement with the red-shift of the IXs spectra in experiments, and the type II with the decreasing binding energy, which provides a possible explanation for the blue-shift and broad linewidth of the IXs spectra in the low temperature. Moreover, these two types of self-trapped IXs could be transformed into each other by adjusting the structural parameters of vdWHs. These results not only provide an in-depth understanding for the self-trapped mechanism of IX, but also shed light on the modulations of IXs in vdWHs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Energy resonance transfer between quantum defects in metal halide perovskites

Quantum defects have shown to play an essential role for the non-radiative recombination in metal halide perovskites (MHPs). Nonetheless, the processes of charge transfer-assisted by defects are still ambiguous. Herein, we theoretically study the non-radiative multiphonon processes among different types of quantum defects in MHPs using Markvart model for the induced mechanisms of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions, respectively. We find that charge carrier can transfer between the neighboring levels of the same type shallow defects by multiphonon processes, but it will be distinctly suppressed with the increasing of the defect depth. For the non-radiation multiphonon transitions between donor- and acceptor-like defects, the processes are very fast and independence of the defect depth, which provide a possible explanation for the blinking phenomena of photoluminescence spectra in recent experiment. We also discuss the temperature dependence of these multiphonon processes and find that their variational trends depend on the comparison of Huang-Rhys factor with the emitted phonon number. These theoretical results fill some gaps of defect-assisted non-radiative processes in the perovskites materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

An explanation for high defect tolerance in metal halide perovskite quantum dots

We propose Auger-like process assisted by quantum defects in metal halide perovskite quantum dots, where a charge carrier in the ground state of the quantum dot is trapped by quantum defects, resulting in another charge carrier in defect is excited and returns back to the ground state of the quantum dot. We find that the whole process is on the femtosecond scale. More importantly, the process is independent of the depth and species of the defects, which is in good agreement with the recent theoretical prediction using ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulation. This Auger-like process may provide a potential explanation of high defect tolerance in metal halide perovskite materials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗