arXiv subjects

Zhuokai Xu

Publications and source records attributed to Zhuokai Xu.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Thermomodulated intrinsic Josephson effect in Kagome CsV3Sb5

Superconducting chiral domains associated with a time-reversal symmetry-breaking order parameter have garnered significant attention in Kagome systems. In this work, we demonstrate both the intrinsic direct-current and alternating-current Josephson effects in the nanoplates of the vanadium-based Kagome material CsV3Sb5, as evidenced by Fraunhofer-like patterns and Shapiro steps. Moreover, both the Fraunhofer-like patterns and Shapiro steps are modulated by thermal cycling, suggesting that the Josephson effects arise from dynamic superconducting domains. These findings may provide new insights into chiral superconductivity in CsV3Sb5 and highlight the potential of these intrinsic Josephson junctions for applications in chiral superconductor based quantum devices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

AV$_3$Sb$_5$ kagome superconductors: a review with transport measurements

Kagome systems have garnered considerable attention due to the unique features of the sublattice structure and band topology. The recently discovered kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (where A = K, Rb, Cs) host a rich array of symmetry-breaking phases, including exotic charge density waves (CDW), electronic nematicity, pair density waves (PDW) and superconductivity. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical investigations into the diverse phases, several key issues remain contentious, such as a solid clarification of the time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRS-breaking) in the CDW order and its implications for the nature of superconducting (SC) pairing symmetry. This review aims to shed light on the transport properties of these intertwined phases, emphasizing the pivotal role that transport measurements play in uncovering the non-trivial quantum states of matter.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Phase engineering of giant second harmonic generation in Bi$_2$O$_2$Se

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with remarkable second-harmonic generation (SHG) hold promise for future on-chip nonlinear optics. Relevant materials with both giant SHG response and environmental stability are long-sought targets. Here, we demonstrate the enormous SHG from the phase engineering of a high-performance semiconductor, Bi$_2$O$_2$Se (BOS), under uniaxial strain. SHG signals captured in strained 20 nm-BOS films exceed those of NbOI$_2$ and NbOCl$_2$ of similar thickness by a factor of 10, and are four orders of magnitude higher than monolayer-MoS$_2$, resulting in a significant second-order nonlinear susceptibility on the order of 1 nm V$^{-1}$. Intriguingly, the strain enables continuous adjustment of the ferroelectric phase transition across room temperature. Consequently, an exceptionally large tunability of SHG, approximately six orders of magnitude, is achieved through strain or thermal modulation. This colossal SHG, originating from the geometric phase of Bloch wave functions and coupled with sensitive tunability through multiple approaches in this air-stable 2D semiconductor, opens new possibilities for designing chip-scale, switchable nonlinear optical devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Superconducting diode effect and interference patterns in Kagome CsV3Sb5

The interplay among frustrated lattice geometry, nontrivial band topology and correlation yields rich quantum states of matter in Kagome systems. A series of recent members in this family, AV3Sb5 (A= K, Rb, Cs), exhibit a cascade of symmetry-breaking transitions, involving the 3Q chiral charge ordering, electronic nematicity, roton pair-density-wave and superconductivity. The nature of the superconducting order is yet to be resolved. Here, we report an indication of chiral superconducting domains with boundary supercurrents in intrinsic CsV3Sb5 flakes. Magnetic field-free superconducting diode effect is observed with polarity modulated by thermal histories, suggesting dynamical superconducting order domains in a spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking background. Strikingly, the critical current exhibits the double-slit superconducting interference patterns when subjected to an external magnetic field. Characteristics of the patterns are modulated by thermal cycling. These phenomena are proposed as a consequence of periodically modulated supercurrents flowing along certain domain boundaries constrained by fluxoid quantization. Our results imply a chiral superconducting order, opening a potential for exploring exotic physics, e.g. Majorana zero modes, in this intriguing topological Kagome system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Clues to potential dipolar-Kondo and RKKY interactions in a polar metal

The coexistence of electric dipoles and itinerant electrons in a solid was postulated decades ago, before being experimentally established in several 'polar metals' during the last decade. Here, we report a concentration-driven polar-to-nonpolar phase transition in electron-doped BaTiO_3. Comparing our case with other polar metals, we find a particular threshold concentration (n*) linked to the dipole density (n_d). The universal ratio n_d/n*=8(0.6) suggests a common mechanism across different polar systems, possibly explained by a dipolar Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida theory. Moreover, in BaTiO_3, we observe enhanced thermopower and upturn on resistivity at low temperatures near n*, resembling the Kondo effect. We argue that local electric dipoles act as two-level-systems, whose fluctuations couple with surrounding electron clouds, giving rise to a potential dipolar-counterpart of the Kondo effect. Our findings unveil a mostly uncharted territory for exploring emerging physics associated with electron-dipole correlations, encouraging further theoretical work on dipolar-RKKY and Kondo interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Achieving ferroelectricity in a centrosymmetric high-performance semiconductor by strain engineering

Phase engineering by strains in 2D semiconductors is of great importance for a variety of applications. Here, we present a study of strain induced ferroelectric (FE) transition on bismuth oxyselenide (Bi$_2$O$_2$Se) films, a high-performance (HP) semiconductor for next-generation electronics. Bi$_2$O$_2$Se is non-FE at ambient. Upon a loading force $\gtrsim 400$ nN, piezoelectric force responses exhibit butterfly loops on magnitude and 180$^\textrm{o}$ phase switching. By carefully ruling out extrinsic factors, these features are attributed to a transition to FE phase. The transition is further proved by the appearance of a sharp peak on optical second harmonic generation under an uniaxial strain. Fundamentally, solids with paraelectric at ambient and FE under strains are scarce. FE transition is discussed with the help of first-principle calculations and theoretical simulations. The switching of FE polarization acts as a knob for Schottky barrier engineering at contacts and serves as basis for a memristor with a huge switching ratio of 10$^6$. Our work endows a new degree of freedom to a HP electronic/optoelectronic semiconductor and the integration of FE and HP semiconductivity paving the way for multiple exciting functionalities, including HP neuromorphic computation and bulk piezophotovoltaic.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Thermoelectric properties of Bi2O2Se single crystals

Bismuth oxyselenide (Bi$_2$O$_2$Se) attracts great interest as a potential n-type complement to p-type thermoelectric oxides in practical applications. Previous investigations were generally focused on polycrystals. Here, we performed a study on the thermoelectric properties of Bi$_2$O$_2$Se single crystals. Our samples exhibit electron mobility as high as 250 cm$^2.$V$^{-1}$.s$^{-1}$ and thermal conductivity as low as $2$ W.m$^{-1}$.K$^{-1}$ near room temperature. The maximized figure of merit is yielded to be 0.188 at 390 K, higher than that of polycrystals. Consequently, a rough estimation of the phonon mean free path ($\ell_\textrm{ph}$) from the kinetic model amounts to 12 $Å$ at 390 K and follows a $T^{-1}$ behavior. An extrapolation of $\ell_\textrm{ph}$ to higher temperatures indicates that this system approaches the Ioffe-Regel limit at about 1100 K. In light of the phonon dispersions, we argue that the ultralow $\ell_\textrm{ph}$ is attributed to intense anharmonic phonon-phonon scattering, including Umklapp process and acoustic to optical phonon scattering. Our results suggest that single crystals provide a further improvement of thermoelectric performance of Bi$_2$O$_2$Se.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Anisotropic superconductivity in topological crystalline metal Pb$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ with multiple Dirac fermions

Topological crystalline metals/semimetals (TCMs) have stimulated a great research interest, which broaden the classification of topological phases and provide a valuable platform to explore topological superconductivity. Here, we report the discovery of superconductivity and topological features in Pb-intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenide Pb$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$. Systematic measurements indicate that Pb$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ is a quasi-two-dimensional (q-2D) type-II superconductor ({\em T}$_c \approx$ 2.8 K) with a significantly enhanced anisotropy of upper critical field ($γ_{H_{c2}}$ = $H_{c2}^{ab}/H_{c2}^{c}$ $\approx$ 17). In addition, first-principles calculations reveal that Pb$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ hosts multiple topological Dirac fermions in the electronic band structure. We discover four groups of Dirac nodal lines on the $k_z = π$ plane and two sets of Dirac points on the rotation/screw axes, which are protected by crystalline symmetries and robust against spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Dirac-cone-like surface states emerge on the (001) surface because of band inversion. Our work shows that the TCM candidate Pb$_{1/3}$TaS$_2$ is a promising arena to study the interplay between superconductivity and topological Dirac fermions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Huge permittivity and premature metallicity in Bi$_2$O$_2$Se single crystals

Bi$_2$O$_2$Se is a promising material for next-generation semiconducting electronics. It exhibits premature metallicity on the introduction of a tiny amount of electrons, the physics behind which remains elusive. Here we report on transport and dielectric measurements in Bi$_2$O$_2$Se single crystals at various carrier densities. The temperature-dependent resistivity ($ρ$) indicates a smooth evolution from the semiconducting to the metallic state. The critical concentration for the metal-insulator transition (MIT) to occur is extraordinarily low ($n_\textrm{c}\sim10^{16}$ cm$^{-3}$). The relative permittivity of the insulating sample is huge ($ε_\textrm{r}\approx155(10)$) and varies slowly with temperature. Combined with the light effective mass, a long effective Bohr radius ($a_\textrm{B}^*\approx36(2)$ $\textrm{nm}$) is derived, which provides a reasonable interpretation of the metallic prematurity according to Mott's criterion for MITs. The high electron mobility ($μ$) at low temperatures may result from the screening of ionized scattering centers due to the huge $ε_\textrm{r}$. Our findings shed light on the electron dynamics in two dimensional (2D) Bi$_2$O$_2$Se devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

T-square resistivity without Umklapp scattering in dilute metallic Bi$_2$O$_2$Se

The electrical resistivity of Fermi liquids (FLs) displays a quadratic temperature ($T$) dependence because of electron-electron (e-e) scattering. For such collisions to decay the charge current, there are two known mechanisms: inter-band scattering (identified by Baber) and Umklapp events. However, dilute metallic strontium titanate (STO) was found to display $T^2$ resistivity in absence of either of these two mechanisms. The presence of soft phonons and their possible role as scattering centers raised the suspicion that $T$-square resistivity in STO is not due to e-e scattering. Here, we present the case of Bi$_2$O$_2$Se, a layered semiconductor with hard phonons, which becomes a dilute metal with a small single-component Fermi surface upon doping. It displays $T$-square resistivity well below the degeneracy temperature where neither Umklapp nor interband scattering is conceivable. We observe a universal scaling between the prefactor of $T^2$ resistivity and the Fermi energy, which is an extension of the Kadowaki-Woods plot to dilute metals. Our results imply the absence of a satisfactory theoretical basis for the ubiquity of e-e driven $T$-square resistivity in Fermi liquids.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Charge Transport in a Polar Metal

The fate of electric dipoles inside a Fermi sea is an old issue, yet poorly-explored. Sr$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$TiO$_{3}$ hosts a robust but dilute ferroelectricity in a narrow ($0.002<x<0.02$) window of substitution. This insulator becomes metallic by removal of a tiny fraction of its oxygen atoms. Here, we present a detailed study of low-temperature charge transport in Sr$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$TiO$_{3-δ}$, documenting the evolution of resistivity with increasing carrier concentration ($n$). Below a threshold carrier concentration, $n^*(x)$, the polar structural phase transition has a clear signature in resistivity and Ca substitution significantly reduces the 2 K mobility at a given carrier density. For three different Ca concentrations, we find that the phase transition fades away when one mobile electron is introduced for about $7.9\pm0.6$ dipoles. This threshold corresponds to the expected peak in anti-ferroelectric coupling mediated by a diplolar counterpart of Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction. Our results imply that the transition is driven by dipole-dipole interaction, even in presence of a dilute Fermi sea. Charge transport for $n < n^*(x)$ shows a non-monotonic temperature dependence, most probably caused by scattering off the transverse optical phonon mode. A quantitative explanation of charge transport in this polar metal remains a challenge to theory. For $n\geq n^*(x)$, resistivity follows a T-square behavior together with slight upturns (in both Ca-free and Ca-substituted samples). The latter are reminiscent of Kondo effect and most probably due to oxygen vacancies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗