9 research outputs found
Coupling charge and topological reconstructions at polar oxide interfaces
In oxide heterostructures, different materials are integrated into a single
artificial crystal, resulting in a breaking of inversion-symmetry across the
heterointerfaces. A notable example is the interface between polar and
non-polar materials, where valence discontinuities lead to otherwise
inaccessible charge and spin states. This approach paved the way to the
discovery of numerous unconventional properties absent in the bulk
constituents. However, control of the geometric structure of the electronic
wavefunctions in correlated oxides remains an open challenge. Here, we create
heterostructures consisting of ultrathin SrRuO, an itinerant ferromagnet
hosting momentum-space sources of Berry curvature, and LaAlO, a polar
wide-bandgap insulator. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an atomically
sharp LaO/RuO/SrO interface configuration, leading to excess charge being
pinned near the LaAlO/SrRuO interface. We demonstrate through
magneto-optical characterization, theoretical calculations and transport
measurements that the real-space charge reconstruction modifies the
momentum-space Berry curvature in SrRuO, driving a reorganization of the
topological charges in the band structure. Our results illustrate how the
topological and magnetic features of oxides can be manipulated by engineering
charge discontinuities at oxide interfaces.Comment: 5 pages main text (4 figures), 29 pages of supplementary informatio
Single atom detection from low contrast-to-noise ratio electron microscopy images
Single atom detection is of key importance to solving a wide range of scientific and technological problems. The strong interaction of electrons with matter makes transmission electron microscopy one of the most promising techniques. In particular, aberration correction using scanning transmission electron microscopy has made a significant step forward toward detecting single atoms. However, to overcome radiation damage, related to the use of high-energy electrons, the incoming electron dose should be kept low enough. This results in images exhibiting a low signal-to-noise ratio and extremely weak contrast, especially for light-element nanomaterials. To overcome this problem, a combination of physics-based model fitting and the use of a model-order selection method is proposed, enabling one to detect single atoms with high reliability
Single atom detection from low contrast-to-noise ratio electron microscopy images
Single atom detection is of key importance to solving a wide range of scientific and technological problems. The strong interaction of electrons with matter makes transmission electron microscopy one of the most promising techniques. In particular, aberration correction using scanning transmission electron microscopy has made a significant step forward toward detecting single atoms. However, to overcome radiation damage, related to the use of high-energy electrons, the incoming electron dose should be kept low enough. This results in images exhibiting a low signal-to-noise ratio and extremely weak contrast, especially for light-element nanomaterials. To overcome this problem, a combination of physics-based model fitting and the use of a model-order selection method is proposed, enabling one to detect single atoms with high reliability.Team Raf Van de Pla
Coupling Charge and Topological Reconstructions at Polar Oxide Interfaces
In oxide heterostructures, different materials are integrated into a single artificial crystal, resulting in a breaking of inversion-symmetry across the heterointerfaces. A notable example is the interface between polar and non-polar materials, where valence discontinuities lead to otherwise inaccessible charge and spin states. This approach paved the way to the discovery of numerous unconventional properties absent in the bulk constituents. However, control of the geometric structure of the electronic wavefunctions in correlated oxides remains an open challenge. Here, we create heterostructures consisting of ultrathin SrRuO3 , an itinerant ferromagnet hosting momentum-space sources of Berry curvature, and LaAlO3 , a polar wide-bandgap insulator. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an atomically sharp LaO/RuO2 /SrO interface configuration, leading to excess charge being pinned near the LaAlO3 /SrRuO3 interface. We demonstrate through magneto-optical characterisation, theoretical calculations and transport measurements that the real-space charge reconstruction modifies the momentum-space Berry curvature in SrRuO3 , driving a reorganization of the topological charges in the band structure. Our results illustrate how the topological and magnetic features of oxides can be manipulated by engineering charge discontinuities at oxide interfaces