Giant topological Hall effect of ferromagnetic kagome metal Fe_3Sn_2

We present the experiment observation of a giant topological Hall effect(THE)in a frustrated kagome bilayer magnet Fe_3Sn_2.The negative topologically Hall resistivity appears when the field is below 1.3 T and it increases with increasing temperature up to 300 K.Its maximum absolute value reaches～2.01μ?·cm at 300 K and 0.76 T.The origins of the observed giant THE can be attributed to the coexistence of the field-induced skyrmion state and the non-collinear spin configuration,possibly related to the magnetic frustration interaction in Fe_3Sn_2.     

Magnetotransport Properties of a Nodal Line Semimetal TiSi

We report the magnetoresistance(MR), de Haas-van Alphen(dHvA) effect and Hall effect measurements on a single crystal of TiSi, which is predicted to be a nodal line semimetal. With application of a magnetic field, a metal-to-insulator-like transition in ρ(T) and a nonsaturating MR are observed at low temperatures. The dHvA oscillations reveal a small Fermi-surface pocket with a nontrivial Berry phase. The analysis of the nonlinear Hall resistivity shows that TiSi is a multiband system with low carrier densities and high mobilities. All these results unambiguously prove the existence of Dirac fermions in TiSi.     

Large unsaturated positive and negative magnetoresistance in Weyl semimetal TaP

After successfully growing single-crystal Ta P, we measured its longitudinal resistivity(ρxx) and Hall resistivity(ρyx) at magnetic fields up to 9 T in the temperature range of 2-300 K. At 8 T, the magnetoresistance(MR) reached 3.28 × 105% at 2 K, 176%at 300 K. Neither value appeared saturated. We confirmed that Ta P is a hole-electron compensated semimetal with a low carrier concentration and high hole mobility of μh=3.71 × 10~5cm~2/V s, and found that a magnetic-field-induced metal-insulator transition occurs at room temperature. Remarkably, because a magnetic field(H) was applied in parallel to the electric field(E), a negative MR due to a chiral anomaly was observed and reached-3000% at 9 T without any sign of saturation, either, which is in contrast to other Weyl semimetals(WSMs). The analysis of the Shubnikov-de Haas(Sd H) oscillations superimposed on the MR revealed that a nontrivial Berry's phase with a strong offset of 0.3958, which is the characteristic feature of charge carriers enclosing a Weyl node. These results indicate that Ta P is a promising candidate not only for revealing fundamental physics of the WSM state but also for some novel applications.     

Pressure-Induced Charge-Order Melting and Reentrant Charge Carrier Localization in the Mixed-Valent Pb_3Rh_7O_(15)

The mixed-valent Pb_3 Rh_7 O_(15) undergoes a Verwey-type transition at T_V≈180 K, below which the development of Rh~(3+)/Rh~(4+) charge order induces an abrupt conductor-to-insulator transition in resistivity.Here we investigate the effect of pressure on the Verwey-type transition of Pb_3 Rh_7 O_(15) by measuring its electrical resistivity under hydrostatic pressures up to 8 GPa with a cubic anvil cell apparatus. We find that the application of high pressure can suppress the Verwey-type transition around 3 GPa, above which a metallic state is realized at temperatures below~70 K, suggesting the melting of charge order by pressure. Interestingly, the low-temperature metallic region shrinks gradually upon further increasing pressure and disappears completely at P7 GPa, which indicates that the charge carriers in Pb_3 Rh_7 O_(15) undergo a reentrant localization under higher pressures. We have constructed a temperature-pressure phase diagram for Pb_3 Rh_7 O_(15) and compared to that of Fe_3 O_4, showing an archetype Verwey transition.     

Contrasting physical properties of the trilayer nickelates Nd_4Ni_3O_(10) and Nd_4Ni_3O_8

We report the crystal structures and physical properties of trilayer nickelates Nd4Ni3O10and Nd4Ni3O8.Measurements of magnetization and electrical resistivity display contrasting behaviors in the two compounds.Nd4Ni3O10shows a paramagnetic metallic behavior with a metal-to-metal phase transition(T^*)at about 162 K,as revealed by both magnetic susceptibility and resistivity.Further magnetoresistance and Hall coefficient results show a negative magnetoresistance at low temperatures and the carrier type of Nd4Ni3O10is dominated by hole-type charge carriers.The significant enhancement of Hall coefficient and resistivity below T*suggests that effective charge carrier density decreases when cooling through the transition temperature.In contrast,Nd4Ni3O8 shows an insulating behavior.In addition,this compound shows a paramagnetic behavior with the similar magnetic moment as that of Nd4Ni3O10derived from the Curie-Weiss fitting.This may suggest that the magnetic moments in both systems are contributed by Nd^3+ ions.By applying pressures up to about 49 GPa,the insulating behavior is still present and becomes even stronger under a high pressure.Our results suggest that the different Ni configurations(Ni^1+/2+ or Ni^2+/3+)and the changes of coordination environment of Ni sites may account for the contrasting behaviors in trilayer nickelates Nd4Ni3O10and Nd4Ni3O8.     

Electronic phase diagram of NaFelxCoxAs investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy

Our recent scanning tunneling microscopy （STM） studies of the NaFelxCoxAs phase diagram over a wide range of dopings and temperatures are reviewed. Similar to the high-Tc cuprates, the iron-based superconductors lie in close proximity to a magnetically ordered phase. Therefore, it is widely believed that magnetic interactions or fluctuations play an important role in triggering their Cooper pairings. Among the key issues regarding the electronic phase diagram are the properties of the parent spin density wave （SDW） phase and the superconducting （SC） phase, as well as the interplay between them. The NaFe l-xCoxAs is an ideal system for resolving these issues due to its rich electronic phases and the charge-neutral cleaved surface. In our recent work, we directly observed the SDW gap in the parent state, and it exhibits unconventional features that are incompatible with the simple Fermi surface nesting picture. The optimally doped sample has a single SC gap, but in the underdoped regime we directly viewed the microscopic coexistence of the SDW and SC orders, which compete with each other. In the overdoped regime we observed a novel pseudogap-like feature that coexists with supercon- ductivity in the ground state, persists well into the normal state, and shows great spatial variations. The rich electronic structures across the phase diagram of NaFel_xCoxAs revealed here shed important new light for defining microscopic models of the iron-based superconductors. In particular, we argue that both the itinerant electrons and local moments should be considered on an equal footing in a realistic model.     

Floquet topological phase transition in two-dimensional quadratic band crossing system

We investigate the Hall effects of quadratic band crossing(QBC) fermions in a square optical lattice with spin–orbit coupling and orbital Zeeman term. We find that the orbital Zeeman term and shaking play critical roles in the systems,which can drive a topological transition from spin Hall phases to anomalous Hall phase with nonvanishing(spin) Chern numbers. Due to the interplay among the orbital Zeeman term, spin–orbit coupling, and the shaking, the phase diagram of the system exhibits rich phases, which are characterized by Chern number.     

Charged vortex structure in high-temperature superconductors

By using a model Hamiltonian with competing antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin density wave (SDW) and d-wave superconductivity orders, the effect of next-nearest-neighbour (nnn) hopping on spin and charge structures in high-temperature superconductors is investigated at finite temperatures. For an optimally doped sample, we find that the AFM order magnitude in the vortex core is firstly enhanced and then suppressed, accompanied with a ``positively → negatively → positively" charged vortex structure transition with increasing nnn hopping strength, which implies that the AFM order is unnecessarily bounded to an electron-rich vortex core. In addition, a charge ordering pattern with four negatively charged peaks localized in a small region is also found around the vortex core centre without net charge. Recent scanning-tunneling-microscopy experimental observations of the checkerboard structure are hopefully understood.     

Charge density wave transition in Na2Ti2Sb2O probed by 23Na NMR

Herein we investigated the electronic properties of layered transition-metal oxides Na2Ti2Sb2O by23Na nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)measurement.The resistivity,susceptibility and specific heat measurements show a phase transition at approximately 114 K(TA).No splitting or broadening in the central line of23Na NMR spectra is observed below and above the transition temperature indicating no internal field being detected.The spin-lattice relaxation rate divided by T(1/T1T)shows a sharp drop at about 110 K which suggests a gap opening behavior.Below the phase transition temperature zone,1/T1T shows Fermi liquid behavior but with much smaller value indicating the loss of large part of electronic density of states(DOS)because of the gap.No signature of the enhancement of spin fluctuations or magnetic order is found with the decreasing temperature.These results suggest a commensurate charge-density-wave(CDW)phase transition occurring.     

Spin Glass Behaviour and Spin-Dependent Scattering in La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9Cr0.1O3 Perovskites

The magnetic, electrical and thermal transport properties of the perovskite La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9 Cr0.1O3 have been investigated by measuring dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, the magnetoresistance and thermal conductivity in the temperature range of 5-300 K. The spin glass behaviour with a spin freezing temperature of 70 K has been well confirmed for this compound, which demonstrates the coexistence and competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic clusters by the introduction of Cr. Colossal magnetoresistance has been observed over the temperature range investigated. The introduction of Cr causes the ““double-bump““ feature in electrical resistivity ρ(T). Anomalies on the susceptibility and the thermal conductivity associated with the double-bumps in ρ(T)are observed simultaneously. The imaginary part of ac susceptibility shows a sharp peak at the temperature of insulating-metallic transition where the first resistivity bump was observed, but it is a deep-set valley near the temperature where the second bump in ρ(T) emerges. The thermal conductivity shows an increase below the temperature of the insulating-metallic transition, but the phonon scattering is enhanced accompanying the appearance of the second peak of double-bumps in ρ(T). We relate those observed in magnetic and transport properties of La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9Cr0.1O3 to the spin-dependent scattering. The results reveal that the spin-phonon interaction may be of more significance than the electron (charge)-phonon interaction in the mixed perovskite system.     

Effect of Zn doping in hole-type 1111 phase (Pr, Sr)FeAsO

There is an anomalous broad hump in the normal state resistivity in hole-type 1111 phase FeAs-based superconductors and its origin is an open issue. We study the effect of Zn doping on this anomaly in order to determine whether it is associated with the residual structural/antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase transition as in the parent compounds. A series of Zn doped Pr?.?Sr?.?FeAsO samples are prepared and their resistivity, magnetoresistance, Hall effect and specific heat are measured. Zn doping should not introduce extra charge carriers, and instead it can suppress the structural/AFM transition efficiently in the parent LaFeAsO system. The hump in resistivity remains unchanged with 6% Zn doping in Pr?.?Sr?.?FeAsO. The measurements of magnetoresistance reveal that the magnetoresistance is negligible in the Zn doped Pr?.?Sr?.?FeAsO samples, in contrast to the large positive magnetoresistance below the temperature of structure/AFM phase transition in the parent compound PrFeAsO. The results indicate that the anomalous broad hump in resistivity does not originate from the structural/AFM transition. The Hall effect and specific heat data are also consistent with this conclusion.     

Electronic structure and magnetic, electrical and optical properties of ferromagnetic Heusler alloys

Measurements of the electrical resistivity and the Hall effect of the Heusler alloys NiMnSb, PtMnSb, CoMnSb, AuMnSb, CuMnSb and PtMnSn are reported. The anomalous Hall effect is analyzed in terms of the contributions from skew scattering and side jump. The spin polarization of the charge carriers is proportional to the magnetization. This is an indication that the electronic structure as a function of the temperature is best described by a local band model, with complete spin polarization of charge carriers parallel to the local magnetization at all temperatures. The spin disorder resistivity of NiMnSb is calculated with the local band model. The magneto-optical Kerr effect of PtMnSb is enhanced by the plasma resonance of the charge carriers.     

Density-of-state oscillation of quasiparticle excitation in the spin density wave phase of (TMTSF)2ClO4

Systematic measurements of the magnetocaloric effect, heat capacity, and magnetic torque under a high magnetic field up to 35 T are performed in the spin density wave (SDW) phase of a quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF)2ClO4. In the SDW phase above 26 T, where the quantum Hall effect is broken, rapid oscillations (ROs) in these thermodynamic quantities are observed, which provides clear evidence of the density-of-state (DOS) oscillation near the Fermi level. The resistance is semiconducting and the heat capacity divided by temperature is extrapolated to zero at 0 K in the SDW phase, showing that all the energy bands are gapped, and there is no DOS at the Fermi level. The results show that the ROs are ascribed to the DOS oscillation of the quasiparticle excitation.     

Magnetism and Hall effect of the Heusler alloy Co2ZrSn synthesized by melt-spinning process

Magnetization and Hall resistivity have been measured for the Heusler alloy Co₂ZrSn synthesized by the melt-spinning process. The temperature dependence of magnetization follows the spin-wave theory at a low temperature. Abnormal behaviors are observed both in resistance and Hall effect below 8 K. The present Hall resistivity measurement shows that the anomalous Hall effects coexist with normal Hall effects. The negative value of normal Hall coefficient over the whole temperature range reveals that the major charge carriers are electrons. The anomalous Hall coefficient is proportional to the zero-field resistivity, suggesting that magnetic skew scattering is the dominant mechanism in the ferromagnetic regime. The reason for the abnormity below 8 K during transport is discussed.     

Transport anomalies and the role of pseudogap in the 60-K phase of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta)

We report the result of our accurate measurements of the a- and b-axis resistivity, Hall coefficient, and the a-axis thermopower in untwinned YBa(2)Cu(3)O(y) single crystals in a wide range of doping. It is found that both the a-axis resistivity and the Hall conductivity show anomalous dependences on the oxygen content y in the 60-K phase below the pseudogap temperature T(*). The complete data set enables us to narrow down the possible pictures of the 60-K phase, with which we discuss a peculiar role of the pseudogap in the charge transport.     

Unconventional anomalous hall effect in the metallic triangular-lattice magnet PdCrO₂

We experimentally reveal an unconventional anomalous Hall effect (UAHE) in a quasi-two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet PdCrO?. Using high quality single crystals of PdCrO?, we found that the Hall resistivity ρ(xy) deviates from the conventional behavior below T*?20 K, noticeably lower than T(N)=37.5 K, at which Cr3+ (S=3/2) spins order in a 120° structure. In view of the theoretical expectation that the spin chirality cancels out in the simplest 120° spin structure, we discuss required conditions for the emergence of UAHE within Berry-phase mechanisms.     

Electron-hole asymmetry in GdBaCo2O(5+x): evidence for spin blockade of electron transport in a correlated electron system

In RBaCo2O(5+x) compounds (R is rare earth), the variability of the oxygen content allows precise doping of CoO2 planes with both types of charge carriers. We study transport properties of doped GdBaCo2O(5+x) single crystals and find a remarkable asymmetry in the behavior of holes and electrons doped into a parent insulator GdBaCo2O(5.5). The doping dependencies of resistivity, Hall response, and thermoelectric power reveal that the doped holes greatly improve the conductivity, while the electron-doped samples always remain poorly conducting. This doping asymmetry provides strong evidence for a spin blockade of the electron transport in RBaCo2O(5+x).     

Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interface

Quantum magnetic oscillations in SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interface are observed in the magnetoresistance. We study their frequency as a function of gate voltage and the evolution of their amplitude with temperature. The data are consistent with the Shubnikov-de Haas theory. The Hall resistivity ρ(xy) is nonlinear at low magnetic fields. ρ(xy) is fitted assuming multiple carrier contributions. We infer the density of the mobile charge carriers from the oscillations frequency and from Hall measurements. The comparison between these densities suggests multiple valley and spin degeneracy. The small amplitude of the oscillation is discussed in the framework of the multiple band scenario.     

Probing the quantum critical behavior of CeCoIn5 via Hall effect measurements

We present highly sensitive Hall effect measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeCoIn5 down to temperatures of 55 mK. A pronounced dip in the differential Hall coefficient | partial differential rho(xy)/ partial differential H| at low temperature and above the upper critical field of superconductivity, H(c2), is attributed to critical spin fluctuations associated with the departure from Landau Fermi liquid behavior. This identification is strongly supported by a systematic suppression of this feature at elevated pressures. The resulting crossover line in the field-temperature phase diagram favors a field induced quantum critical point at mu(0)H(qc) approximately 4.1 T below H(c2)(T=0) suggesting related, yet separate, critical fields.