77 research outputs found
Time-reversal symmetry breaking versus superstructure
One of the mysteries of modern condenced-matter physics is the nature of the
pseudogap state of the superconducting cuprates. Kaminski et al.1 claimed to
have observed signatures of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the pseudogap
regime in underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d (Bi2212). Here we argue that the observed
dichroism is due to the 5x1 superstructure replica of the electronic bands and
therefore cannot be considered as evidence for the spontaneous time-reversal
symmetry breaking in cuprates.Comment: 5 pages, pd
Structural phase transition in IrTe: A combined study of optical spectroscopy and band structure calculations
IrPtTe is an interesting system showing competing phenomenon
between structural instability and superconductivity. Due to the large atomic
numbers of Ir and Te, the spin-orbital coupling is expected to be strong in the
system which may lead to nonconventional superconductivity. We grew single
crystal samples of this system and investigated their electronic properties. In
particular, we performed optical spectroscopic measurements, in combination
with density function calculations, on the undoped compound IrTe in an
effort to elucidate the origin of the structural phase transition at 280 K. The
measurement revealed a dramatic reconstruction of band structure and a
significant reduction of conducting carriers below the phase transition. We
elaborate that the transition is not driven by the density wave type
instability but caused by the crystal field effect which further
splits/separates the energy levels of Te (p, p) and Te p bands.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
(pi,pi)-electronic order in iron arsenide superconductors
The distribution of valence electrons in metals usually follows the symmetry
of an ionic lattice. Modulations of this distribution often occur when those
electrons are not stable with respect to a new electronic order, such as spin
or charge density waves. Electron density waves have been observed in many
families of superconductors[1-3], and are often considered to be essential for
superconductivity to exist[4]. Recent measurements[5-9] seem to show that the
properties of the iron pnictides[10, 11] are in good agreement with band
structure calculations that do not include additional ordering, implying no
relation between density waves and superconductivity in those materials[12-15].
Here we report that the electronic structure of Ba1-xKxFe2As2 is in sharp
disagreement with those band structure calculations[12-15], instead revealing a
reconstruction characterized by a (pi,pi) wave vector. This electronic order
coexists with superconductivity and persists up to room temperature
Kinetic frustration and the nature of the magnetic and paramagnetic states in iron pnictides and iron chalcogenides
The iron pnictide and chalcogenide compounds are a subject of intensive
investigations due to their high temperature superconductivity.\cite{a-LaFeAsO}
They all share the same structure, but there is significant variation in their
physical properties, such as magnetic ordered moments, effective masses,
superconducting gaps and T. Many theoretical techniques have been applied
to individual compounds but no consistent description of the trends is
available \cite{np-review}. We carry out a comparative theoretical study of a
large number of iron-based compounds in both their magnetic and paramagnetic
states. We show that the nature of both states is well described by our method
and the trends in all the calculated physical properties such as the ordered
moments, effective masses and Fermi surfaces are in good agreement with
experiments across the compounds. The variation of these properties can be
traced to variations in the key structural parameters, rather than changes in
the screening of the Coulomb interactions. Our results provide a natural
explanation of the strongly Fermi surface dependent superconducting gaps
observed in experiments\cite{Ding}. We propose a specific optimization of the
crystal structure to look for higher T superconductors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures with a 5-page supplementary materia
Coexistence of the topological state and a two-dimensional electron gas on the surface of Bi2Se3
Topological insulators are a recently discovered class of materials with
fascinating properties: While the inside of the solid is insulating,
fundamental symmetry considerations require the surfaces to be metallic. The
metallic surface states show an unconventional spin texture, electron dynamics
and stability. Recently, surfaces with only a single Dirac cone dispersion have
received particular attention. These are predicted to play host to a number of
novel physical phenomena such as Majorana fermions, magnetic monopoles and
unconventional superconductivity. Such effects will mostly occur when the
topological surface state lies in close proximity to a magnetic or electric
field, a (superconducting) metal, or if the material is in a confined geometry.
Here we show that a band bending near to the surface of the topological
insulator BiSe gives rise to the formation of a two-dimensional
electron gas (2DEG). The 2DEG, renowned from semiconductor surfaces and
interfaces where it forms the basis of the integer and fractional quantum Hall
effects, two-dimensional superconductivity, and a plethora of practical
applications, coexists with the topological surface state in BiSe. This
leads to the unique situation where a topological and a non-topological, easily
tunable and potentially superconducting, metallic state are confined to the
same region of space.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Heavily electron-doped electronic structure and isotropic superconducting gap in AxFe2Se2 (A=K,Cs)
The low energy band structure and Fermi surface of the newly discovered
superconductor, AxFe2Se2 (A=K,Cs), have been studied by angle-resolved
photoemission spectroscopy. Compared with iron pnictide superconductors,
AxFe2Se2 (A=K,Cs) is the most heavily electron-doped with Tc~30 K. Only
electron pockets are observed with an almost isotropic superconducting gap of
~10.3 meV, while there is no hole Fermi surface near the zone center, which
indicates the inter-pocket hopping or Fermi surface nesting is not a necessary
ingredient for the unconventional superconductivity in iron-based
superconductors. Thus, the sign changed s pairing symmetry, a leading
candidate proposed for iron-based superconductors, becomes conceptually
irrelevant in describing the superconducting state here. A more conventional
s-wave pairing is a better description.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, published online in Nature Materials 201
Two Energy Scales and two Quasiparticle Dynamics in the Superconducting State of Underdoped Cuprates
The superconducting state of underdoped cuprates is often described in terms
of a single energy-scale, associated with the maximum of the (d-wave) gap.
Here, we report on electronic Raman scattering results, which show that the gap
function in the underdoped regime is characterized by two energy scales,
depending on doping in opposite manners. Their ratios to the maximum critical
temperature are found to be universal in cuprates. Our experimental results
also reveal two different quasiparticle dynamics in the underdoped
superconducting state, associated with two regions of momentum space: nodal
regions near the zeros of the superconducting gap and antinodal regions. While
antinodal quasiparticles quickly loose coherence as doping is reduced, coherent
nodal quasiparticles persist down to low doping levels. A theoretical analysis
using a new sum-rule allows us to relate the low-frequency-dependence of the
Raman response to the temperature-dependence of the superfluid density, both
controlled by nodal excitations.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Strength of the Spin-Fluctuation-Mediated Pairing Interaction in a High-Temperature Superconductor
Theories based on the coupling between spin fluctuations and fermionic
quasiparticles are among the leading contenders to explain the origin of
high-temperature superconductivity, but estimates of the strength of this
interaction differ widely. Here we analyze the charge- and spin-excitation
spectra determined by angle-resolved photoemission and inelastic neutron
scattering, respectively, on the same crystals of the high-temperature
superconductor YBa2Cu3O6.6. We show that a self-consistent description of both
spectra can be obtained by adjusting a single parameter, the spin-fermion
coupling constant. In particular, we find a quantitative link between two
spectral features that have been established as universal for the cuprates,
namely high-energy spin excitations and "kinks" in the fermionic band
dispersions along the nodal direction. The superconducting transition
temperature computed with this coupling constant exceeds 150 K, demonstrating
that spin fluctuations have sufficient strength to mediate high-temperature
superconductivity.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, including supplementary information, accepted
for publication in Nature Physic
The Role of DNA Barcodes in Understanding and Conservation of Mammal Diversity in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is recognized as a region of very high biodiversity, much of which is currently at risk due to habitat loss and other threats. However, many aspects of this diversity, even for relatively well-known groups such as mammals, are poorly known, limiting ability to develop conservation plans. This study examines the value of DNA barcodes, sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene, to enhance understanding of mammalian diversity in the region and hence to aid conservation planning.DNA barcodes were obtained from nearly 1900 specimens representing 165 recognized species of bats. All morphologically or acoustically distinct species, based on classical taxonomy, could be discriminated with DNA barcodes except four closely allied species pairs. Many currently recognized species contained multiple barcode lineages, often with deep divergence suggesting unrecognized species. In addition, most widespread species showed substantial genetic differentiation across their distributions. Our results suggest that mammal species richness within the region may be underestimated by at least 50%, and there are higher levels of endemism and greater intra-specific population structure than previously recognized.DNA barcodes can aid conservation and research by assisting field workers in identifying species, by helping taxonomists determine species groups needing more detailed analysis, and by facilitating the recognition of the appropriate units and scales for conservation planning
- …