Metamagnetic transitions and anomalous magnetoresistance in EuAg_4As_2 crystals

In this work,we systematically studied the magnetic and transport properties of EuAg4As2 single crystals.It was found that the two antiferromagnetic transitions(TN1=10 K and TN2=15 K)were driven to lower temperatures by an applied magnetic field.Below TN1,two successive metamagnetic transitions were observed when a magnetic field was applied in the ab plane(H//abplane).For both H//ab and H//c,EuAg4As2 showed a positive,unexpectedly large magnetoresistance(up to 202%)in lower magnetic fields below TN1,and a large negative magnetoresistance(up to-78%)at high fields/intermediate temperatures,thus presenting potential applications in magnetic sensors.Finally,the magnetic phase diagrams of EuAg4As2 were constructed for both H//ab and H//c using the resistivity and magnetisation data.     

Nonlinear uniaxial pressure dependence of the resistivity in Sr_(1-x)Ba_xFe_(1.97)Ni_(0.03)As_2

Nematic order and its fluctuations have been widely found in iron-based superconductors. Above the nematic order transition temperature, the resistivity shows a linear relationship with the uniaxial pressure or strain along the nematic direction and the normalized slope is thought to be associated with nematic susceptibility. Here we systematically studied the uniaxial pressure dependence of the resistivity in Sr_(1-x)Ba_xFe_(1.97)Ni_(0.03)As_2, where nonlinear behaviors are observed near the nematic transition temperature. We show that it can be well explained by the Landau theory for the second-order phase transitions considering that the external field is not zero. The effect of the coupling between the isotropic and nematic channels is shown to be negligible. Moreover, our results suggest that the nature of the magnetic and nematic transitions in Sr_(1-x)Ba_xFe_2As_2 is determined by the strength of the magnetic-elastic coupling.     

Raman scattering studies on the collapsed phase of CaCo_2As_2

In this work,Raman scattering measurements have been performed on the collapsed phase CaCo_2As_2 crystals.At least 8 Raman modes were observed at room temperature though CaCo_2As_2 is structurally similar to other 122 compounds like BaFe_2As_2.Two Raman modes are assigned to the intrinsic A_(1g)and B_(1g)of this material system respectively.The other ones are considered to originate from the local vibrations relevant to cobalt vacancies.Careful polarized measurements allow us to clearly resolve the four-fold symmetry of the B_(1g)mode,which put strong constraints on possible point group symmetries of the system with Co vacancies.The temperature-dependent measurements demonstrate that the anomalies in both frequency and width of the B_(1g)mode occur around Neel temperature T_N.The anomalies are considered to be related to the gap opening near the magnetic transition.The study may shed light on the structural and magnetic changes and their correlations with superconductivity in 122 systems.     

Effects of chemical pressure on diluted magneticsemiconductor(Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)_2As_2

Chemical pressure induced by iso-valent doping has been widely employed to tune physical properties of materials. In this work, we report effects of chemical pressure by substitution of Sb or P into As on a recently discovered diluted magnetic semiconductor(Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)_2 As_2, which has the record of reliable Curie temperature of 230 K due to independent charge and spin doping. Sb and P are substituted into As-site to produce negative and positive chemical pressures, respectively.X-ray diffraction results demonstrate the successful chemical solution of dopants. Magnetic properties of both K-underdoped and K-optimal-doped samples are effectively tuned by Sb-and P-doping. The Hall effect measurements do not show decrease in carrier concentrations upon Sb-and P-doping. Impressively, magnetoresistance is significantly improved from7% to 27% by only 10% P-doping, successfully extending potential application of(Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)_2 As_2.     

Tip-Pressure-Induced Incoherent Energy Gap in CaFe_2As_2

In CaFe_2As_2,superconductivity can be achieved by applying a modest c-axis pressure of several kbar.Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy(STM/S) to explore the STM tip pressure effect on single crystals of CaFe_2As_2.When performing STM/S measurements,the tip-sample interaction can be controlled to act repulsive with reduction of the junction resistance,thus to apply a tip pressure on the sample.We End that an incoherent energy gap emerges at the Fermi level in the differential conductance spectrum when the tip pressure is increased.This energy gap is of the similar order of magnitude as the superconducting gap in the chemical doped compound Ca_(0.4)Na_(0.6)Fe_2As_2 and disappears at the temperature well below that of the bulk magnetic ordering.Moreover,we also observe the rhombic distortion of the As lattice,which agrees with the orthorhombic distortion of the underlying Fe lattice.These Endings suggest that the STM tip pressure can induce the local Cooper pairing in the orthorhombic phase of CaFe_2As_2.     

Nonlinear Hall Effect in Antiferromagnetic Half-Heusler Materials

It has recently been demonstrated that various topological states, including Dirac, Weyl, nodal-line, and triplepoint semimetal phases, can emerge in antiferromagnetic(AFM) half-Heusler compounds. However, how to determine the AFM structure and to distinguish different topological phases from transport behaviors remains unknown. We show that, due to the presence of combined time-reversal and fractional translation symmetry, the recently proposed second-order nonlinear Hall effect can be used to characterize different topological phases with various AFM configurations. Guided by the symmetry analysis, we obtain expressions of the Berry curvature dipole for different AFM configurations. Based on the effective model, we explicitly calculate the Berry curvature dipole, which is found to be vanishingly small for the triple-point semimetal phase, and large in the Weyl semimetal phase. Our results not only put forward an effective method for the identification of magnetic orders and topological phases in AFM half-Heusler materials, but also suggest these materials as a versatile platform for engineering the nonlinear Hall effect.     

Multiple magnetic transitions in single crystals of Ce_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41) and La_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41)

Measurements of magnetic and transport properties were performed on needle-shaped single crystals of Ce_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41)and La_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41).The availability of a complete set of data enabled a side-by-side comparison between these two rare earth compounds.Both compounds exhibited multiple magnetic orders within 2-300 K and metamagnetic transitions at various fields.Ferromagnetic transitions with Curie temperatures of 100 and 125 K were found for Ce_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41)and La_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41),respectively,followed by antiferromagnetic type spin reorientations near Curie temperatures.The magnetic properties underwent complex evolution in the magnetic field for both compounds.An antiferromagnetic phase transition at about 60 K and 0.2 T was observed merely for Ce_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41).The field-induced magnetic phase transition occurred from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic structure.A strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy was evident from magnetization measurements of Ce_(12)Fe_(57.5)As_(41).A temperature-field phase diagram was present for these two rare earth systems.In addition,a logarithmic temperature dependence of electrical resistivity was observed in the two compounds within a large temperature range of 150-300 K,which is rarely found in 3D-based compounds.It may be related to Kondo scattering described by independent localized Fe 3d moments interacting with conduction electrons.     

Electrical transport and optical properties of Cd_3As_2 thin films

Cd_3As_2, as a three-dimensional(3D) topological Dirac semimetal, has attracted wide attention due to its unique physical properties originating from the 3D massless Dirac fermions. While many efforts have been devoted to the exploration of novel physical phenomena such as chiral anomaly and phase transitions by using bulk crystals, the development of high-quality and large-scale thin films becomes necessary for practical electronic and optical applications. Here, we report our recent progress in developing single-crystalline thin films with improved quality and their optical devices including Cd_3As_2-based heterojunctions and ultrafast optical switches. We find that a post-annealing process can significantly enhance the crystallinity of Cd_3As_2 in both intrinsic and Zn-doped thin films. With excellent characteristics of high mobility and linear band dispersion, Cd_3As_2 exhibits a good optical response in the visible-to-mid-infrared range due to an advantageous optical absorption, which is reminiscent of 3D graphene. It also behaves as an excellent saturable absorber in the mid-infrared regime. Through the delicate doping process in this material system, it may further open up the long-sought parameter space crucial for the development of compact and high-performance mid-infrared ultrafast sources.     

Fractionalization via Z(2) gauge fields at a cold-atom quantum Hall transition

We study a single species of fermionic atoms in an "effective" magnetic field at total filling factor ν(f)=1, interacting through a p-wave Feshbach resonance, and show that the system undergoes a quantum phase transition from a ν(f)=1 fermionic integer quantum Hall state to ν(b)=1/4 bosonic fractional quantum Hall state as a function of detuning. The transition is in the (2+1)D Ising universality class. We formulate a dual theory in terms of quasiparticles interacting with a Z(2) gauge field and show that charge fractionalization follows from this topological quantum phase transition. Experimental consequences and possible tests of our theoretical predictions are discussed.     

Long-Time Magnetic Relaxation in Antiferromagnetic Topological Material EuCd_2As_2

Magnetic topological materials have attracted much attention due to the correlation between topology and magnetism. Recent studies suggest that EuCd_2As_2 is an antiferromagnetic topological material. Here by carrying out thorough magnetic, electrical and thermodynamic property measurements, we discover a long-time relaxation of the magnetic susceptibility in EuCd_2As_2. The(001) in-plane magnetic susceptibility at 5 K is found to continuously increase up to ~10% over the time of ~14 hours. The magnetic relaxation is anisotropic and strongly depends on the temperature and the applied magnetic field. These results will stimulate further theoretical and experimental studies to understand the origin of the relaxation process and its effect on the electronic structure and physical properties of the magnetic topological materials.     

Superconductivity at the Normal Metal/Dirac Semimetal Cd_3As_2 Interface

We investigate the interface between a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂ and a normal metal via softpoint contact spectroscopy measurement.The superconducting gap features were detected below 3.8 K and 7.1 K in the case of Cd₃As₂ single crystals sputter-coated with the Pt and Au films,respectively,in the differential conductance dI/dV-V plots of the point contacts.As the applied magnetic field increased,the drop in the zerobias contact resistanc...     

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.     

Interplay of iron and rare-earth magnetic order in rare-earth iron pnictide superconductors under magnetic field

The magnetic properties of iron pnictide superconductors with magnetic rare-earth ions under strong magnetic field are investigated based on the cluster self-consistent field method. Starting from an effective Heisenberg model, we present the evolution of magnetic structures on magnetic field in RFeAsO(R = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) and RFe_2As_2(R =Eu) compounds. It is found that spin-flop transition occurs in both rare-earth and iron layers under magnetic field, in good agreement with the experimental results. The interplay between rare-earth and iron spins plays a key role in the magneticfield-driven magnetic phase transition, which suggests that the rare-earth layers can modulate the magnetic behaviors of iron layers. In addition, the factors that affect the critical magnetic field for spin-flop transition are also discussed.     

Dynamic magnetic behavior of the mixed spin （2, 5/2） Ising system with antiferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interactions on a bilayer square lattice

Using the mean-field theory and Glauber-type stochastic dynamics, we study the dynamic magnetic properties of the mixed spin （2, 5/2） Ising system for the antiferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic （AFM/AFM） interactions on the bilayer square lattice under a time varying （sinusoidal） magnetic field. The time dependence of average magnetizations and the thermal variation of the dynamic magnetizations are examined to calculate the dynamic phase diagrams. The dynamic phase diagrams are presented in the reduced temperature and magnetic field amplitude plane and the effects of interlayer coupling interaction on the critical behavior of the system are investigated. We also investigate the influence of the frequency and find that the system displays richer dynamic critical behavior for higher values of frequency than that of the lower values of it. We perform a comparison with the ferromagnetic/ferromagnetic （FM/FM） and AFM/FM interactions in order to see the effects of AFM/AFM interaction and observe that the system displays richer and more interesting dynamic critical behaviors for the AFM/AFM interaction than those for the FM/FM and AFM/FM interactions.     

Evolution of the 128-cm-1 Raman phonon mode with temperature in Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As 2 (x = 0.065 and 0.2)

We report electronic Raman scattering measurements on Ba(Fei_1-xCo_x)₂As₂（x = 0.065 and 0.2） single crystals with Raman shifts from 9 cm^-1 up to 600 cm^-1 in the symmetry of B_lg with respect to 1 Fe unit cell.When the crystals are cooled down,the evident quasielastic peaks of Raman spectra occur only in the crystal with x = 0.065,which is due to the contribution of orbital ordering between xz and yz Fe 3d orbitals,as we reported in another work.Here,we analyze the E_g phonon at 128 cm^-1,which has the same function form of its Raman tensors as those of xz and yz Fe 3d orbitals in these two crystals respectively.Unlike their electronic continuums,no anomalies are found in the E_g phonons of these two samples,which simply follows the expressions corresponding to the anharmonic phonon decay into acoustic phonons with the same frequencies and opposite momenta.Our results indicate that the structural and magnetic phase transition might be completely suppressed by chemical doping and there is not any indication of coupling between charge nematicity and E_g phonon mode from our experimental results,which is consistent with the results in our previous work.     

Topological Hall effect and Berry phase in magnetic nanostructures

We discuss the anomalous Hall effect in a two-dimensional electron gas subject to a spatially varying magnetization. This topological Hall effect does not require any spin-orbit coupling and arises solely from Berry phase acquired by an electron moving in a smoothly varying magnetization. We propose an experiment with a structure containing 2D electrons or holes of diluted magnetic semiconductor subject to the stray field of a lattice of magnetic nanocylinders. The striking behavior predicted for such a system (of which all relevant parameters are well known) allows one to observe unambiguously the topological Hall effect and to distinguish it from other mechanisms.     

K-doping dependence of the Fermi surface of the iron-arsenic Ba1-xKxFe2As2 superconductor using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the electronic properties of the newly discovered iron-arsenic superconductor Ba_(1-x)K_(x)Fe_(2)As_(2) and nonsuperconducting BaFe_(2)As_(2). Our study indicates that the Fermi surface of the undoped, parent compound BaFe_(2)As_(2) consists of hole pocket(s) at Gamma (0,0) and larger electron pocket(s) at X (1,0), in general agreement with full-potential linearized plane wave calculations. Upon doping with potassium, the hole pocket expands and the electron pocket becomes smaller with its bottom approaching the chemical potential. Such an evolution of the Fermi surface is consistent with hole doping within a rigid-band shift model. Our results also indicate that the full-potential linearized plane wave calculation is a reasonable approach for modeling the electronic properties of both undoped and K-doped iron arsenites.     

高灵敏度Sb基量子阱2DEG的霍尔器件

用分子束外延技术将高灵敏度的InAs/AlSb量子阱结构的Hall器件赝配生长在GaAs衬底上。设计了由双δ掺杂构成的Hall器件的新结构,有效地提高了器件的面电子浓度。与传统的没有掺杂的InAs/AlSb量子阱结构的Hall器件相比,室温下器件电子迁移率从15 000 cm²·V^-1·s^-1 提高到16 000 cm²·V^-1·s^-1。AFM测试表明材料有好的表面形态和结晶质量。从77 K 到300 K对Hall器件进行霍尔测试,结果显示器件不同温度范围有不同散射机构。双δ掺杂结构形成高灵敏度、高二维电子气（2DEG）浓度的InAs/AlSb异质结Hall器件具有广阔的应用前景。     

A New Quasi-One-Dimensional Ternary Molybdenum Pnictide Rb_2Mo_3As_3 with Superconducting Transition at 10.5K

We report superconductivity in a new ternary molybdenum pnictide Rb₂ Mo₃ As₃,synthesized via the solid state reaction method.Powder x-ray diffraction analysis reveals a hexagonal crystal structure with space group P6 m2(No.187), and the refined lattice parameters are a=10.431(5) A,c=4.460(4) A.SEM images show rod-like grains with good ductility,confirming a quasi-one-dimensional(Q1 D) structure.Electrical resistivity and dc magnetic susceptibility characterizatio...