arXiv subjects

Zhi-Yan Shao

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi-Yan Shao.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Orbital-Selective Diagonal-Gap Test of Pairing in La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

Recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements on bilayer nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ reveal a nearly isotropic, nodeless superconducting gap. We show that these single-particle spectra provide a symmetry-enforced test of the pairing nature. Mirror symmetry forces the hybridization between $d_{z^2}$ and $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals to vanish along the Brillouin-zone (BZ) diagonal. Consequently, the gaps on the diagonal portions of the $α/β$ and $γ$ Fermi pockets separately probe the intrinsic pairing strengths of the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ and $d_{z^2}$ sectors. A pairing state with pure or dominant intrinsic $d_{z^2}$-orbital pairing component produces nodes or near-nodes on the BZ diagonal of the $α/β$ pockets and is thus challenged by ARPES and STM, whereas the pairing state with dominant intrinsic $d_{x^2-y^2}$-orbital pairing component has a nearly isotropic, nodeless gap on all pockets which well fits ARPES and STM data. The dominant $d_{x^2-y^2}$-orbital pairing is compatible with Hund's-rule-driven pairing mechanisms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Possible Liquid-Nitrogen-Temperature Superconductivity Driven by Perpendicular Electric Field in the Single-Bilayer Film of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ at Ambient Pressure

Recently, high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) is found in the La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$/SrLaAlO$_4$ ultrathin film with critical temperature $T_c$ above the McMillan limit at ambient pressure (AP). It is eager to enhance $T_c$ of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ at AP. We propose that a perpendicular electric field strongly enhances $T_c$ in the single-bilayer film of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ at AP. Under electric field, the layer with lower potential energy will accept electrons flowing from the other layer to fill in the Ni-$3d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals, as the nearly half-filled Ni-$3d_{z^2}$ orbital cannot accommodate more electrons. With the enhancement of the filling fraction in the $3d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals in this layer, the interlayer $s$-wave pairing is suppressed, but the intralayer $d$-wave pairing in this layer is strongly enhanced. We numerically verify this idea and yield that an imposed voltage of about $0.1\sim0.2$ volt between layers is enough to realize liquid-nitrogen-temperature HTSC in this single bilayer at AP. Our results appeal for experimental verification.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Strong-coupling study of the pairing mechanism in pressurized La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$

Recently, the bilayer perovskite nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ has been reported to exhibit high-temperature superconductivity near $80$ K under a moderate pressure of about $14$GPa. To investigate the underlying pairing mechanism and symmetry in this complex system, we propose and analyze a mixed spin-$1$ and spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ bilayer $t$-$J$ model in the strong coupling regime. This model explicitly incorporates the crucial role of strong Hund's coupling, which favors the formation of local spin-triplet states from the two onsite $E_g$ orbital electrons at half-filling. We further investigate the model using both slave-particle mean-field theory and the density matrix renormalization group method. Our simulation results reveal that the dominate pairing channel is the interlayer one in the $3d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbital. The Hund's coupling is shown to enhance superconductivity within a reasonable physical range. Moreover, electron doping strengthens superconductivity by increasing carrier density; in contrast, hole doping weakens superconductivity. These findings offer critical insights into the unconventional superconductivity of pressurized La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ and underline the important role of orbital-selective behavior and Hund's rule.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Néel Ordered Magnetic Phases in Bipartite Quasicrystals

Magnetism is a fundamental research area in which the recently proposed altermagnetism (AM) has become an emergent frontier. Very recently, the quasicrystal (QC) was proposed as a possible platform to realize AM. However, the existence of AM in QCs still lacks vigorous evidence. In this work, we adopt the sign-problem-free projector quantum Monte Carlo (PQMC) algorithm to investigate the magnetic phases in the half-filled Hubbard models in various 2D bipartite QCs, and always obtain Néel ordered states. While the Néel states in bipartite crystals are usually antiferromagnetism (AFM), we find it common that those in bipartite QCs can also be AM or ferromagnetism (FM). Based on symmetry analysis, combined with our comprehensive PQMC results, we propose a general criterion for determining the magnetism classes of the Néel states in a bipartite QC: According to whether the two sublattices are related by the inversion, the other point-group operation, or no operation about the unique symmetry center in the QC, the corresponding Néel state is AFM, AM or FM, respectively. For example, our results yield AM for the two $D_4$-symmetric Thue-Morse QCs and FM for the $D_5$-symmetric Penrose QC at half-filling. Our results provide a solid foundation for experimental investigations and potential applications of different classes of magnetism in QCs.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Classification of Magnetism and Altermagnetism in Quasicrystals

Altermagnetism (AM), an unconventional magnetic phase characterized by zero net magnetism protected by symmetry(s) other than parity-time ($\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$) and a resulting spin-split band, has been studied exclusively in crystalline materials. Here, we extend the framework of AM to quasicrystals (QCs). We start from a comparison between the Néel state on the square lattice and that on a $D_4$-symmetric Thue-Morse QC, with both belonging to the same $d$-wave irreducible representation (IRRP) of the $D_4$ point group. Consequently, while the former is antiferromagnetism (AFM) protected by the combined $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ and translational symmetry, the lack of translational symmetry in the latter breaks the $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ symmetry, and the additional mirror or rotation symmetry protects AM. This example suggests that AM is more common in QCs than in crystals and can be easily explored through a point-group symmetry-based classification. Therefore, we classify magnetic phases in 2D $D_n$-symmetric QCs without spin-orbit coupling, by using IRRPs of $D_n$. Consequently, the identity IRRP represents ferromagnetism, the inversion-odd 1D IRRPs for twice-of-odd $n$ represent AFM, and all the remaining 1D IRRPs represent AM, protected by either mirror or rotation symmetry. We further take the Hubbard model to verify this result in various QCs with different symmetries. Our work highlights the QC as a natural platform where AM is common among magnetic phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Band Structure and Pairing Nature of La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ Thin Film at Ambient Pressure

Recently, evidences of superconductivity (SC) with onset $T_c$ above the McMillan limit have been detected in the La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ ultrathin film grown on the LaSrAlO$_4$ substrate at ambient pressure. This progress opens a new era in the field of the nickelate superconductors. Here we perform a density-functional-theory (DFT) based calculation for the band structure of this material. The obtained DFT+$U$ band structure has the feature that the bonding $d_{z^2}$ band crosses the Fermi level, forming the hole pocket $γ$, consistent with the angle-resolved photoemission spectrum (ARPES). Taking the low-energy Ni-$(3d_{z^2},3d_{x^2-y^2})$ orbitals placed on the tetragonal lattice structure, we construct a 2D bilayer four-band tight-binding model which well captures the main features of the DFT+$U$ band structure. Then considering the multi-orbital Hubbard interaction, we adopt the random-phase approximation (RPA) approach to investigate the pairing nature. The obtained pairing symmetry is $s^{\pm}$ or $d_{xy}$ for the hole-doping level $δ$ below or above 0.12, induced by the different Fermi surface nesting situations. For the realistic $δ=0.21$ measured by the ARPES, our RPA calculations obtain the next-nearest-neighbor pairing $d_{xy}$-wave SC dominated by the $d_{z^2}$ orbital, consistent with the experimental observation that the $T_c$ enhances with the shrinking of the in-plane lattice constants. This pairing state is induced by the nesting between the different patches within the $γ$ pocket. Our results appeal for experimental verifications.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Pairing without $γ$-Pocket in the La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ Thin Film

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in the La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ ultrathin film at ambient pressure has aroused great research interest. The $γ$-pocket formed by the bonding $d_{z^2}$ band, which was previously proposed to be crucial in the pairing mechanism of pressurized bulk La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$, is reported to be either present or absent here by different experimental groups, giving rise to the problem: what is the pairing mechanism and pairing nature without the $γ$-pocket? Here, we start from a band structure obtained via density-functional-theoretical calculation, which exhibits no $γ$-pocket. Then, equipped with electron interactions, we study the pairing nature via combined weak- and strong- coupling approaches, which provide consistent results. In the weak-coupling study, the nesting between the $α$- and $β$- pockets leads to an $s^\pm$-wave pairing in which the gap signs on the two pockets are opposite, as provided by our random-phase-approximation based calculations. In real-space, the pairing pattern is dominated by the interlayer pairing of the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbital. In the strong-coupling study, as the $d_{z^2}$ orbitals are nearly half-filled and hence localized, the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals carry the HTSC. Driven by the interlayer superexchange transferred from the $d_{z^2}$ orbital through the Hund's rule coupling, the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbital electrons form interlayer $s$-wave pairing, as suggested by our slave-boson-mean-field study on the related two-orbital $t$-$J$ model. Projected onto the Fermi surface, this pairing just gives the $s^\pm$-wave pattern consistent with that obtained in the weak-coupling study. Our result is consistent with that obtained in recent scanning tunneling microscopy experiment.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

The magnetic $Z_2$ topological insulator on the AA-stacked bilayer graphene

The properties displayed by graphene at van Hove singularities (VHS) have caught significant attention in recent years. The emergence of exotic quantum states at these singularities prompts investigations on their evolution within the realm of multilayer stacking structures. In our research, we delve into the study of a repulsive Hubbard model focusing on the AA-stacked bilayer graphene at VHS. Within the system's ground state, each of the top and bottom layers hosts a set of spin-density waves (SDWs). These SDWs each takes on three mutually perpendicular spin polarization directions. Importantly, there is noteworthy feature that their spin polarization directions in the two layers exist as elegant embodiments of antiferromagnetic arrangement, persvading the structure with a striking pattern. Referred to in prior research as the chiral SDWs, this intralayer density wave structure confers the system the characteristics of a Chern topological insulator. However, what is particularly fascinating is the pure divergence of the bilayer structure's topological traits when compared to its monolayer counterpart. The system exhibits a profound symmetry known as $Z_2$, preserving its invariance under the combined operations of time-reversal and interlayer exchange. Consequentely, the system's ground state manifests a seemingly trivial Chern number, yet harbors a profound and intricate nontrivial $Z_2$ topological invariant. These remarkable observations align our findings with the conceptual framework of the quantum spin Hall effect.

cond-mat.str-el↗