Detection of Magnetic Gap in Topological Surface States of MnBi_2Te_4

Recently, intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi_2Te_4 has drawn intense research interest and leads to plenty of significant progress in physics and materials science by hosting quantum anomalous Hall effect, axion insulator state, and other quantum phases. An essential ingredient to realize these quantum states is the magnetic gap in the topological surface states induced by the out-of-plane ferromagnetism on the surface of MnBi_2Te_4.However, the experimental observations of the surface gap remain controversial. Here, we report the observation of the surface gap via the point contact tunneling spectroscopy. In agreement with theoretical calculations, the gap size is around 50 me V, which vanishes as the sample becomes paramagnetic with increasing temperature.The magnetoresistance hysteresis is detected through the point contact junction on the sample surface with an out-of-plane magnetic field, substantiating the surface ferromagnetism. Furthermore, the non-zero transport spin polarization coming from the ferromagnetism is determined by the point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy.Combining these results, the magnetism-induced gap in topological surface states of MnBi_2Te_4 is revealed.     

Experimental Realization of an Intrinsic Magnetic Topological Insulator

An intrinsic magnetic topological insulator(TI) is a stoichiometric magnetic compound possessing both inherent magnetic order and topological electronic states. Such a material can provide a shortcut to various novel topological quantum effects but remained elusive experimentally for a long time. Here we report the experimental realization of thin films of an intrinsic magnetic TI, MnBi_2Te_4, by alternate growth of a Bi_2Te_3 quintuple layer and a MnTe bilayer with molecular beam epitaxy. The material shows the archetypical Dirac surface states in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and is demonstrated to be an antiferromagnetic topological insulator with ferromagnetic surfaces by magnetic and transport measurements as well as first-principles calculations. The unique magnetic and topological electronic structures and their interplays enable the material to embody rich quantum phases such as quantum anomalous Hall insulators and axion insulators at higher temperature and in a well-controlled way.     

Structure, magnetic and transport properties of La1−xBixMnO3

We have investigated the structural, magnetic and transport properties of La_1−xBi_xMnO₃ samples. As the Bi content increases, a structural transition from rhombohedral to pseudocubic and a magnetic phase transition from ferromagnetic ordering to cluster glass are identified. Metal–insulator (MI) transitions and large magnetoresistance (MR) effects are observed at low Bi doping levels, while insulating behavior of resistivity is found in the whole measured temperature range at high-doping levels. Two distinct ferromagnetic insulating (FI) states are found at low temperatures in this system. One can be suppressed and the other can be enhanced by applying magnetic fields. Possible reasons for the observed structural, magnetic phase transitions and changes of resistivity behavior with Bi doping are discussed.     

压力诱导酌拓扑绝缘体化合物Bi2Te3常压相的超导性

通过高压电阻测量,发现了拓扑绝缘体化合物BizTe3压力诱导的超导性,在3-6GPa的压力范围内,超导临界温度L约为3K．高压下原位同步辐射的结果证明这个超导相来源于常压相结构．通过霍尔效应的测量,发现超导的Bi2Te3样品的载流子为P型．对高压同步辐射结果Reitveld精修得到的晶格参数和原子位置,并以此进行第一性...     

Dynamics of the magnetic and structural alpha-epsilon phase transition in iron

We have studied the high-pressure iron bcc to hcp phase transition by simultaneous x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and x-ray absorption spectroscopy with an x-ray energy dispersive spectrometer. The combination of the two techniques allows us to obtain simultaneously information on both the structure and the magnetic state of iron under pressure. The magnetic and structural transitions simultaneously observed are sharp. Both are of first order in agreement with the theoretical prediction. The pressure domain of the transition observed (2.4+/-0.2 GPa) is narrower than that usually cited in the literature (8 GPa). Our data indicate that the magnetic transition slightly precedes the structural one, suggesting that the origin of the instability of the bcc phase in iron with increasing pressure is to be attributed to the effect of pressure on magnetism as predicted by spin-polarized full-potential total energy calculations.     

Magnetic phase transitions in layered intermetallic compounds

Magnetic, magnetoelastic, and magnetotransport properties have been studied for the RMn₂Si₂ and RMn₆Sn₆ (R is a rare earth metal) intermetallic compounds with natural layered structure. The compounds exhibit wide variety of magnetic structures and magnetic phase transitions. Substitution of different R atoms allows us to modify the interatomic distances and interlayer exchange interactions thus providing the transition from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic state. Near the boundary of this transition the magnetic structures are very sensitive to the external field, temperature and pressure. The field-induced transitions are accompanied by considerable change in the sample size and resistivity. It has been shown that various magnetic structures and magnetic phase transitions observed in the layered compounds arise as a result of competition of the Mn–Mn and Mn–R exchange interactions.     

Precursor effects of the Rhombohedral-to-Cubic Phase Transition in Indium Selenide

We report on the observation of precursor effects of the rhombohedral-to-cubic phase transition in Indium Selenide (InSe) with several experimental techniques. The pressure at which these precursor defects are first observed depends on the sensitivity of the experimental technique. In transport measurements, which are very sensitive to low defect concentrations, precursor effects are observed 5 to 6 GPa below the phase transition pressure whereas in X-ray diffraction measurements precursor effects are only observed 2 GPa below the phase transition pressure. We report optical absorption measurements, in which the precursor effects are shown by the growth and propagation of dark linear defects appearing 3 GPa below the phase transition pressure. On the base of a simple model of the stress field around edge dislocations, we attribute the darkening of the InSe samples to local phase transitions to a high-pressure modification along linear dislocations. These results agree with room-pressure and high-pressure Raman spectra of samples compressed up to 7-8 GPa, which show new phonon lines not corresponding to the low-pressure phase.     

Large Dynamical Axion Field in Topological Antiferromagnetic Insulator Mn_2Bi_2Te_5

The dynamical axion field is a new state of quantum matter where the magnetoelectric response couples strongly to its low-energy magnetic fluctuations.It is fundamentally different from an axion insulator with a static quantized magnetoelectric response.The dynamical axion field exhibits many exotic phenomena such as axionic polariton and axion instability.However,these effects have not been experimentally confirmed due to the lack of proper topological magnetic materials.Combining analytic mode...     

First-order antiferro-ferromagnetic transition in Fe(49)(Rh(0.93)Pd(0.07))(51) under simultaneous application of magnetic field and external pressure

A magnetic field-pressure-temperature (H-P-T) phase diagram for first-order antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transitions in Fe(49)(Rh(0.93)Pd(0.07))(51) has been constructed using resistivity measurements under simultaneous application of magnetic field (up to 8 T) and pressure (up to 20 kbar). The temperature dependence of resistivity (ρ-T) shows that the width of the transition and the extent of hysteresis decreases with pressure and increases with magnetic field. By exploiting opposing trends of dT(N)/dP and dT(N)/dH (where T(N) is the first-order transition temperature), the relative effects of temperature, magnetic field and pressure on disorder-broadened first-order transitions has been studied. For this, a set of H and P values are chosen for which T(N)(H(1),P(1)) = T(N)(H(2),P(2)). Measurements for such combinations of H and P show that the temperature dependence of resistivity is similar, i.e. the broadening (in temperature) of transition as well as the extent of hysteresis remains independent of H and P. Isothermal magnetoresistance measurements under various constant pressures show that even though the critical field required for AFM-FM transition depends on applied pressure, the extent of hysteresis as well as transition width (in magnetic field) remains constant with varying pressure.     

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.     

New magnetic states in copper metaborate CuB<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The static and resonance properties of copper metaborate CuB₂O₄ were experimentally studied in a magnetic field applied in the crystal tetragonal plane. The field-induced second-order phase transition to a weakly ferromagnetic state was observed in the temperature range 10–20 K. The low-field state is characterized by the absence of spontaneous moment, and it represents, presumably, a long-period helicoid. At temperatures below 2 K, two sequential first-order phase transitions were observed. They were accompanied by jumps in resonance absorption with a hysteresis upon changing field-scan direction. These transitions can be caused by the transformation of the incommensurate spin structure into the helicoidal states with periods commensurate with the lattice translation period.     

Negative Magnetoresistance in Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator EuSn_2As_2

The measurements of magnetization,longitudinal and Hall resistivities are carried out on the intrinsic antiferromagnetic(AFM) topological insulator ElSn_2 As_2.It is confirmed that our ElSn_2 As_2 crystal is a heavily hole doping A-type AFM metal with the Neel temperature T_N=24 K,with a metamagnetic transition from an AFM to a ferromagnetic(FIM) phase occurring at a certain critical magnetic Held for the different Held orientations.Meanwhile,we also find that the carrier concentration does not change with the evolution of magnetic order,indicating that the weak interaction between the localized magnetic moments from Eu~(2+)4f~7 orbits and the electronic states near the Fermi level.Although the quantum anomalous Hall effect(AHE) is not observed in our crystals,it is found that a relatively large negative magnetoresistance (-13%) emerges in the AFM phase,and exhibits an exponential dependence upon magnetic Held,whose microscopic origin is waiting to be clarified in future research.     

Electrically Tunable Wafer-Sized Three-Dimensional Topological Insulator Thin Films Grown by Magnetron Sputtering

Three-dimensional(3 D) topological insulators(TIs) are candidate materials for various electronic and spintronic devices due to their strong spin-orbit coupling and unique surface electronic structure.Rapid,low-cost preparation of large-area TI thin films compatible with conventional semiconductor technology is the key to the practical applications of TIs.Here we show that wafer-sized Bi₂ Te₃ family TI and magnetic TI films with decent quality and well-controlled compositio...     

Atomic-Ordering-Induced Quantum Phase Transition between Topological Crystalline Insulator and Z_2 Topological Insulator

Topological phase transition in a single material usually refers to transitions between a trivial band insulator and a topological Dirac phase, and the transition may also occur between different classes of topological Dirac phases.It is a fundamental challenge to realize quantum transition between Z_2 nontrivial topological insulator(TI) and topological crystalline insulator(TCI) in one material because Z_2 TI and TCI have different requirements on the number of band inversions. The Z_2 TIs must have an odd number of band inversions over all the time-reversal invariant momenta, whereas the newly discovered TCIs, as a distinct class of the topological Dirac materials protected by the underlying crystalline symmetry, owns an even number of band inversions. Taking PbSnTe_2 alloy as an example, here we demonstrate that the atomic-ordering is an effective way to tune the symmetry of the alloy so that we can electrically switch between TCI phase and Z_2 TI phase in a single material. Our results suggest that the atomic-ordering provides a new platform towards the realization of reversibly switching between different topological phases to explore novel applications.     

非线性光学晶体的高压拉曼散射研究

 报道了高压下非线性光学晶体KNbO₃（KN）,KIO₃（KI）和KTiOAsO₄（KTA）的Raman散射研究结果,压力引起的Raman光谱非常丰富,在所有的样品中都观察到了压致相变。另外,在KN晶体中发现了非常强的压致振动耦合现象及高压非晶相。对于KTA,建立了Raman光谱变化与其倍频效率随压力提高之间的可能联系。在22 GPa以上,KI晶体的基本组成集团可能由IO₃变为IO₆。     

Magnetic phase transitions in Nd7Rh3 single crystal

Magnetic phase transitions in rare earth intermetallic compound Nd₇Rh₃ have been investigated using a single crystal. Measurement results of magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical resistivity reveal that Nd₇Rh₃ has two magnetic phase transitions at T_N=34 K, T_t2=9.1 K and a change of the magnetic feature at T_t1=6.8 K in the absence of an external magnetic field. Antiferromagnetic orderings exist in all the three magnetic states; a large magnetic anisotropy between the c-axis and the c-plane is observed. In the magnetic phase below T_t2, an irreversible field-induced magnetic phase transition takes place in the c-plane; after removing external magnetic field, a coexistence state of ferro- and antiferromagnetic ordering or a ferrimagnetic state having a remanent magnetization M_R is stabilized. The M_R decays to a certain value for several hours after the first process; a magnetic field cooling effect was also observed in the c-plane below T_t2. In the antiferromagentic state above T_t2, the irreversibility disappears and an ordinary antiferromagnetic state takes place. As the origin of this phenomenon, a kind of martensitic structural transition that is observed in Gd₅Ge₄ can be considered.     

Rashba自旋轨道耦合下square-octagon晶格的拓扑相变

本文研究了各向同性square-octagon晶格在内禀自旋轨道耦合、Rashba自旋轨道耦合和交换场作用下的拓扑相变,同时引入陈数和自旋陈数对系统进行拓扑分类.系统在自旋轨道耦合和交换场的影响下会出现许多拓扑非平庸态,包括时间反演对称破缺的量子自旋霍尔态和量子反常霍尔态.特别的是,在时间反演对称破缺的量子自旋霍尔效应中,无能隙螺旋边缘态依然能够完好存在.调节交换场或者填充因子的大小会导致系统发生从时间反演对称破缺的量子自旋霍尔态到自旋过滤的量子反常霍尔态的拓扑相变.边缘态能谱和自旋谱的性质与陈数和自旋陈数的拓扑刻画完全一致.这些研究成果为自旋量子操控提供了一个有趣的途径.     

Magnetic properties, magnetoresistance, and magnetic-field-induced phase transitions in Tb0.95Bi0.05MnO3 and Eu0.8Ce0.2Mn2O5 multiferroics

This paper reports on a study of the magnetic properties, magnetoresistance, and phase transitions in the semiconducting manganite multiferroics Tb_0.95Bi_0.05MnO₃ and Eu_0.8Ce_0.2Mn₂O₅ whose dielectric properties have been a subject of an earlier study. An analysis of these properties has led us to the conclusion that the above crystals at temperatures T ≥ 180 K undergo phase separation with the formation of a dynamic periodic alternation of quasi-2D layers of manganese ions in different valence states, i.e., charge-induced ferroelectricity. This state exhibits a giant permittivity and ferromagnetism in the layers containing Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ ions. At low temperatures (T < 100 K), the phase volume is occupied primarily by the dielectric phase. Studies of the magnetic properties and the effect of the magnetic field on the dielectric properties of crystals substantiate the scenario of the formation of a state with giant permittivity put forward by us. At low temperatures, Tb_0.95Bi_0.05MnO₃ exhibits features at the points of phase transitions in pure TbMnO₃. A ferromagnetic moment is observed to exist at all the temperatures covered. At the boundaries of the quasi-2D layers, magnetic-field-induced jumps of the electrical resistivity caused by metamagnetic transitions in the layers with Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ ions are observed. At temperatures T ≥ 180 K, the electrical resistivity undergoes a periodic variation in a magnetic field which is a manifestation of carrier self-organization. A high magnetic field is capable of shifting the phase transition from 180 K to higher temperatures and inducing additional phase transitions.     

单分子磁体-锰配合物的高压红外光谱研究

研究了单分子磁体锰配合物Ⅰ :[Mn1 2 O1 2 (O2 CC6 H4 3 Cl) 1 6 (H2 O) 3(3 Cl C6 H4 CO2 H) ]·(3 Cl C6 H4 CO2 H)和配合物Ⅱ :[Mn1 2 O1 2 (O2 CCH2 Br) 1 6 (H2 O) 4]·4 (CH2 Cl2 )的高压红外光谱 ,两者不同的压力诱导相转变的压力 (配合物Ⅰ :2 5～ 2 9kbar,配合物Ⅱ :2 9～ 35kbar)被观察到 ,两者均为二级压力诱导相转变。认为在压力诱导相转变时 ,也发生了配合物高自旋向低态自旋态的转变。配合物Ⅰ的平均压力灵敏度不同于通常情况 ,它在低压相区的平均压力灵敏度 (0 19cm- 1 ·kbar- 1 )比高压相区 (0 2 9cm- 1 ·kbar- 1 )低。而配合物Ⅱ与通常情况相似 ,在低压相区平均压力灵敏度 (0 34cm- 1 ·kbar- 1 )比高压相区 (0 2 3cm- 1 ·kbar- 1 )为高 ,即在高压相区的可压缩性比低压相区小。     

Pressure induced phase transformations and band structure of different high pressure phases in tellurium

We report here high-pressure x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies on tellurium (Te) at room temperature up to 40 GPa in the diamond anvil cell (DAC). The XRD measurements clearly indicate a sequence of pressure-induced phase transitions with increasing pressure. The data obtained in the pressure range 1 bar to 40 GPa fit five different crystalline phases out of Te: hexagonal Te (I) → monoclinic Te(II) → orthorhombic Te (III) → Β-Po-type Te(IV) → body-centered-cubic Te(V) at 4, 6.2, 11 and 27 GPa, respectively. The volume changes across these transitions are 10%, 1.5%, 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. Self consistent electronic band structure calculations both for ambient and high pressure phases have been carried out using the tight binding linear muffin tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method within the atomic-sphere approximation (ASA). Reported here apart from the energy band calculations are the density of states (DOS), Fermi energy (E _f) at various high-pressure phases. Our calculations show that the ambient pressure hexagonal phase has a band gap of 0.42 eV whereas high-pressure phases are found to be metallic. We also found that the pressure induced semiconducting to metallic transition occurs at about 4 GPa which corresponds to the hexagonal phase to monoclinic phase transition. Equation of state and bulk modulus of different high-pressure phases have also been discussed.