Detection of electronic nematicity using scanning tunneling microscopy

Electronic nematic phases have been proposed to occur in various correlated electron systems and were recently claimed to have been detected in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) conductance maps of the pseudogap states of the cuprate high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212). We investigate the influence of anisotropic STM tip structures on such measurements and establish, with a model calculation, the presence of a tunneling interference effect within an STM junction that induces energy-dependent symmetry-breaking features in the conductance maps. We experimentally confirm this phenomenon on different correlated electron systems, including measurements in the pseudogap state of Bi-2212, showing that the apparent nematic behavior of the imaged crystal lattice is likely not due to nematic order but is related to how a realistic STM tip probes the band structure of a material. We further establish that this interference effect can be used as a sensitive probe of changes in the momentum structure of the sample's quasiparticles as a function of energy.Comment: Accepted for publication (PRB - Rapid Communications). Main text (5 pages, 4 figures) + Supplemental Material (4 pages, 4 figures

Field-Induced Magnetic States in the Metallic Rare-Earth Layered Triangular Antiferromagnet TbAuAl4_4Ge2_2

Magnetic frustration in metallic rare earth lanthanides ($Ln$) with $4f$-electrons is crucial for producing interesting magnetic phases with high magnetic anisotropy where intertwined charge and spin degrees of freedom lead to novel phenomena. Here we report on the magnetic, thermodynamic, and electrical transport properties of TbAuAl$_4$Ge$_2$. Tb ions form 2-dimensional triangular lattice layers which stack along the crystalline $c$-axis. The magnetic phase diagram reveals multiple nearly degenerate ordered states upon applying field along the magnetically easy $ab$-plane before saturation. The magnetoresistance in this configuration exhibits intricate field dependence that closely follows that of the magnetization while the specific heat reveals a region of highly enhanced entropy, suggesting the possibility of a non-trivial spin textured phase. For fields applied along the $c$-axis (hard axis), we find linear magnetoresistance over a wide range of fields. We compare the magnetic properties and magnetoresistance with an isostructral GdAuAl$_4$Ge$_2$ single crystals. These results identify TbAuAl$_4$Ge$_2$ as an environment for complex quantum spin states and pave the way for further investigations of the broader $Ln$AuAl$_4$Ge$_2$ family of materials.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

One-Component Order Parameter in URu2_2Si2_2 Uncovered by Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy and Machine Learning

The unusual correlated state that emerges in URu$_2$Si$_2$ below T$_{HO}$ = 17.5 K is known as "hidden order" because even basic characteristics of the order parameter, such as its dimensionality (whether it has one component or two), are "hidden". We use resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to measure the symmetry-resolved elastic anomalies across T$_{HO}$. We observe no anomalies in the shear elastic moduli, providing strong thermodynamic evidence for a one-component order parameter. We develop a machine learning framework that reaches this conclusion directly from the raw data, even in a crystal that is too small for traditional resonant ultrasound. Our result rules out a broad class of theories of hidden order based on two-component order parameters, and constrains the nature of the fluctuations from which unconventional superconductivity emerges at lower temperature. Our machine learning framework is a powerful new tool for classifying the ubiquitous competing orders in correlated electron systems

Magnetic-Field-Independent Ultrasonic Dispersions in the Magnetically Robust Heavy Fermion System SmOs4Sb12

Elastic properties of the filled skutterudite compound SmOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ have been investigated by ultrasonic measurements. The elastic constant $C_{11}(\omega)$ shows two ultrasonic dispersions at $\sim$15 K and $\sim$53 K for frequencies $\omega$ between 33 and 316 MHz, which follow a Debye-type formula with Arrhenius-type temperature-dependent relaxation times, and remain unchanged even with applied magnetic fields up to 10 T. The corresponding activation energies were estimated to be $E_2$ = 105 K and $E_1$ = 409 K, respectively. The latter, $E_1$, is the highest value reported so far in the Sb-based filled skutterudites. The presence of magnetically robust ultrasonic dispersions in SmOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ implies a possibility that an emergence of a magnetically insensitive heavy fermion state in this system is associated with a novel local charge degree of freedom which causes the ultrasonic dispersion.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Theory-guided investigation on magnetic evolution of MnPt5−x_{5-x}Pdx_xP and discovery of anti-CeCoIn5_5-type ferromagnetic MnPd5_5P

We report the magnetic changes from canted antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic orderings in anti-115-type MnPt$_{5-x}$Pd$_x$P ($x$ = 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, and 5) and the discovery of a new rare-earth-free ferromagnet, MnPd$_5$P by both theoretical prediction and experimental investigation. The family compounds were synthesized using high temperature solid state method and characterized to crystalize in the anti-CeCoIn$_5$ type with the space group P4/mmm exhibiting a two-dimensional layered structural feature. The magnetic property measurements indicate that the compounds ordered from canted A-type antiferromagnet in MnPt$_5$P to ferromagnet above the room temperature with varying degrees of coercivity and magnetic moments in MnPd$_5$P by reducing the spin orbital coupling. The results of the MnPt$_{5-x}$Pd$_x$P have been analyzed in comparison to the other candidates of the 151 family of Mn(Pt/Pd)$_5$(P/As) to understand the complex structure-magnetism relationships

Observation of odd-parity superconductivity in UTe2

Symmetry properties of the order parameter are among the most fundamental characteristics of a superconductor. The pairing symmetry of recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor UTe2 featuring an exceedingly large upper critical field has attracted a great deal of attention. Even though it is widely believed that UTe2 possesses an odd-parity, spin-triplet pairing symmetry, direct evidence for it is lacking, especially at zero or low magnetic fields. We report here the selection-rule results of Josephson coupling between In, an s-wave superconductor, and UTe2. The orientation dependence of the Josephson coupling suggests very strongly that UTe2 possess an odd-parity pairing state of B_1u in zero magnetic fields. We also report the formation of Andreev surface bound states on the (1-10) surface of UTe2.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 2 table